Gray and white friendly tom cat on the beach. Photo by Doris Lim There was a little crack at our metal door leading to the back lane, which Dad never got around to fixing. Mother would nag daily. “The rats will gnaw their way through”, she’ll start. Then snakes will come in, monitor lizards too. Maybe crocodiles with sharp teeth, I thought. Horrified. My brothers’ ears prick up at that. They thought to themselves, we could capture and keep these as pets. We could capture, use them to form a circus. We could capture and use it to terrify Dee Dee then cook it for her dinner. So they chose to watch the going-ons at the “hole” instead or playing war games with their friends. After a week of mindless waiting, the boys soon give up. Craggy tom cat, Sg. Bakap. Photo by Doris Lim I would only go into the kitchen and use the toilet if my sisters or Mother accompanies me. One day, I cried and demand that my potty be placed in the living room. The “hole” looks large and loom...