At the age of 14, Siew Li was old enough to ignore her mum’s instructions to come home early, and was wandering around Happy World on her own when Lina came up to her. Lina was one of the older girls from school, taller and more popular than Siew Li would ever be. One time, she’d been in the bathroom when Lina walked in, and even though it was crowded, the girls parted at once, quietly stepping aside for Lina to walk up to the mirrors, which she did without so much as a glance at the bodies around her.

“Hey, you, I want to talk to you.” Lina said, by way of greeting.

Siew Li was still young enough for this to be momentous, an older girl singling her out, but she decided to play it cool, nodding mutely in acknowledgement without looking too awestruck.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

“I’m not a child,” Siew Li muttered.

“Just joking, don’t be so sensitive.” Lina took a bite of lok-lok, little fried things on a stick.

Uncertain if laughing was the right thing to do, she said nothing.

Lina grinned. “Hey, if you’re not doing anything, come on the ghost train. I’ll pay.”

Siew Li hesitated, and Lina abruptly swung round. “Boo!” She jumped. “Unless you’re scared.”

“No. I mean, I’ll come.” It was a bit sad of her to be wandering around the amusement park alone, she thought. Better to be with someone. Then again, wasn’t Lina also alone?

“My friends abandoned me,” said Lina conversationally, popping the last lok-lok into her mouth and tossing the bamboo skewer in a bin. “Stupid idiots, said they were going home to sleep, but I think they’re secretly meeting boyfriends or something. Hey, you ready?”

The other people in the queue for the ghost train didn’t actually look scared. Most of them were couples, presumably wanting to be alone in the dark. Still, Siew Li felt a faint tickle of apprehension as the dumpy ticket collector lethargically took their little slips of paper and waved them on into the dark. They hunched into their allocated box, knees beneath the safety bar. The cars were spaced out enough that they couldn’t see anyone else, just an eerie silence as they sat in the gloom, waiting to set out.

“Try not to wet yourself,” said Lina cheerfully as the rails clicked and they started moving. A quick ratchety climb, then a plunge fast enough to make both girls gasp. Halfway down, a hanging corpse plopped in front of them, dangling obscenely. Lina screamed with gusto, apparently in enjoyment. They plummeted towards its gruesome grin, which whisked out of their way just in time.

“By the way,” said Lina at the next level stretch, “You know we need people for the organising committee, right? I didn’t see your name on the sign-up sheet. How come?”