Educational Purposes

The Curse's Synopsis

“The Curse” is about a girl, named Azreen, her parents and sister, Madhuri. Azreen, a strong-headed girl is studying in London but has to take a leave from her study when she receives the news about her sister’s death. She is curious about the cause of her sister’s sudden death. When she reaches home, her sister’s body has been brought to the cemetery. She overhears a village gossiper, Puan Normala talks about her sister’s death. Normala claims that her sister has been murdered and has shed white blood.

On her return, Azreen discovers a few truths about her family and people around her. First she finds out that her sister has been in love with Asraf, and has planned to marry and divorced her husband, Hj Ghani. Second, Awang, the Shaman has actually caused the accident which his parents are involved in and causes her mother to become paralysed. Third, she learns that Madhuri is actually her adopted sister and the crazy woman is Madhuri’s biological mother. Fourth and finally, she discovers that Madhuri has accidentally been killed by her father.

There is one old woman whom Azreen has turned to for emotional support. The old woman lives alone in an abandoned house in the jungle. Azreen learns a lot about life from this wise old woman. The old woman however dies in a fire started by Asraf who has blamed her for his grandmother’s death.

At the end, Azreen returns to London to finish her study. She has learned a valuable lesson from her short break at her little village in Langkawi Island. She has learned to forgive others and to look ahead.

The Curse's Characters

Azreen Saleh

Azreen Saleh is the daughter Saleh Abdullah. She is the total opposite of her sister, Madhuri who is pretty, sweet, polite and obedient. Hence, she was always compared to her and she hates it. She was a tomboy when in school, and she often got into trouble. Her bestfriend in school was Asraf. She would do anything to help him, even if it meant taking the blame for his faults. She did had feelings for him, but Asraf was in love with someone else. She seems not to get along with her father. She joined a foster programme and met her foster parents, Datin Sharifah and Datuk Zulkifli, and they remain close even when the programme ended. She was offered a scholarship to study in UK, and she hadn’t gone home for a long time – not until Madhuri’s death.

Madhuri Saleh

Madhuri Saleh is the adopted daughter of Saleh Abdullah who has kept it a secret. He found her seemingly abandoned at a paddy field. He fell in love with her immediately and raised her as his own. She married Haji Ghani, the village headman and was his second wife. She had an affair with Asraf though, and they planned to get married and run away together. But she was murdered by Saleh when he caught them together at the rubber estate.


Saleh Abdullah
Madhuri and Azreen's father. Active and strong for his age. A stern father to Azreen since when she was young. Not on good terms with Azreen since the motorcycle accident which paralysed Azreen's mother. A manipulative father who let Madhuri become Haji Ghani's second wife in order to protect his interests. An egoistic person who could not accept Madhuri's love affair with Mohd. Asraf and in the end killed Madhuri in a fit of anger at the rubber plantation.

Mohd Asraf

Mohd Asraf is Azreen’s bestfriend since school. He works as a teacher. He had feelings for Madhuri since the first time he met her, and so did Madhuri, eventhough she was married. They planned to get married and run away, but she was murdered before they could. He was even more devastated with the death of his grandmother and he was convinced it was the doing of the Old Lady. He went there with an angry mob and set her house on fire.

Mak

Azreen and Madhuri’s mother. Her feet were paralysed in an accident. Her Alzheimer was getting worse, so Saleh didn’t want to tell her about Madhuri’s death. She died not too soon.

Haji Ghani

Haji Ghani is the village head. He took Madhuri as his second wife. Knowing Madhuri had an affair and was murdered, he decided to cover up the murder and make it look like an accident.

Puan Fatihah

Puan Fatihah is Haji Ghani’s first wife. Her life changed since Madhuri entered their lives. She felt bitter then, and she even feels bitter now that Haji Ghani is mourning the death of Madhuri and always angry at her. She plans to get a charm from the village witchdoctor to get her husband back but didn’t when she bumped into Madhuri’s mother who looks like a ghost.

Awang

Awang is the well-known ‘bomoh’ of the village. He is a rather strange man, but people do look for him for cures and charms. His actions seem suspicious, but he does it all for good, and he always mean to return the things that he took from the neighbours. He was the one who revealed to Azreen that Madhuri was not her sister. He is indebted to Azreen’s brave deed, that is taking the blame of not closing the buffalo’s gate which caused the accident of her mother, as he was the one who did it. So, he would help Azreen in any way he can since then.

Siti

Siti is Puan Kamsiah’s daughter. She is Asraf’s student. Although people keep telling her that Azreen is a bad influence and that the Old Lady is evil, she thought the opposite of them when she met them. She is probably the only in the village who holds no prejudice against people.

Nek

Asraf’s ailing grandmother. She raised Asraf after the death of his parents. She was cured by the Old Lady, but died a few days later.

Puan Kamsiah

Siti’s mother. She is influenced by every rumour that she is told, and wanted Siti to stay away from Azreen and the Old Lady.

Puan Normala

The village’s biggest gossiper. She is very superstitious too. She claimed to see Madhuri bled with blood, and she believed that the whole island is cursed. The bad weather, people quarrelling and the appearance of the Old Lady in the village were bad signs for her. When she saw the Old Lady in Asraf’s house, she led a pack of people to get rid of her. However, they were stopped by Saleh.

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TO BE CONTINUED~~