Episode 1: The Farm Behind the Green Gate
The rain had stopped just before breakfast.
That was the first thing Eddy noticed.
The second thing he noticed was that everything outside the window looked as if someone had washed the whole world overnight.
The leaves of the banana trees were shining. Water droplets trembled on the tips of fern fronds. Beyond the old wooden fence, the hills of Teluk Bahang rose into the morning mist, dark green and mysterious.
Eddy pressed his nose against the window.
“Anna!”
No answer.
“Anna!”
From the other side of the room came a very serious voice.
“I heard you the first time.”
Eddy turned.
His elder sister was sitting at the small table with a notebook open in front of her. Anna was twelve, three years older than Eddy, and had the remarkable ability to look annoyed even when she was doing absolutely nothing.
She wore her hair in a neat ponytail and was writing a list.
Eddy leaned over.
“What are you writing?”
“Things we need to remember.”
“For what?”
“Our visit to the farm.”
Eddy grinned.
“You made a list?”
“Yes.”
“You always make lists.”
“Because somebody in this family has to remember things.”
Eddy pretended to be offended.
“I remember things.”
Anna looked at him.
“You forgot your shoes yesterday.”
“I remembered them eventually.”
“You remembered them after we left the house.”
“Still counts.”
Anna sighed.
Their parents had brought them to Teluk Bahang for a few days during the school break. Their mother’s old friend, Auntie Suri, managed a small spice farm tucked against the forested hills.
The farm was not one of those huge places Eddy had seen in pictures.
It was smaller, older and much more interesting.
There were rows of pepper vines climbing wooden poles, ginger growing beneath broad leaves, turmeric plants hiding their orange treasures underground, lemongrass waving in the breeze and several old nutmeg trees spreading their branches like umbrellas.
And then there was the strange part.
At the far end of the property stood a weathered green gate.
Nobody seemed to use it.
Eddy had noticed it the previous afternoon.
Naturally, he had immediately wanted to know what was behind it.
Anna had told him not to go near it.
Naturally, Eddy had immediately wanted to go near it even more.
At breakfast, Auntie Suri placed plates of fried rice on the table.
“After breakfast, you two can help me collect some herbs.”
Anna nodded.
“Okay, Auntie.”
Eddy was already looking through the window.
“What’s behind that green gate?”
Auntie Suri paused.
Only for a second.
But Eddy noticed.
“What green gate?”
“The one behind the nutmeg trees.”
Anna kicked Eddy gently under the table.
“Ow!”
Auntie Suri smiled.
“That gate has been closed for a long time.”
“Why?”
“Old farm section.”
“What’s there?”
“Mostly old trees.”
“Anything else?”
Auntie Suri raised an eyebrow.
“Eddy.”
“Yes?”
“You ask too many questions.”
Anna smiled.
“For once, I agree with you, Auntie.”
Eddy crossed his arms.
“I’m just curious.”
“That,” Anna said, “is exactly the problem.”
But when Eddy glanced toward the window again, he saw something.
A tiny flash of silver.
It appeared near the green gate.
Then disappeared.
He narrowed his eyes.
Maybe it was only water on a leaf.
Maybe it was a bird.
Or maybe—
“Eddy,” Anna said.
“What?”
“You’re making that face.”
“What face?”
“The face you make when you’re about to do something stupid.”
Eddy smiled innocently.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
Episode 2: The Strange Smell
By ten o’clock, the sun had burned through the morning mist.
The farm came alive.
Bees hummed around flowering plants. Cicadas buzzed somewhere beyond the trees. A pair of tiny birds hopped along a wooden fence while Auntie Suri showed them how to identify different spices by smell.
“This is wild ginger,” she explained.
Eddy sniffed the leaves.
“Smells like shampoo.”
Anna laughed.
“It does not.”
“It does.”
“Your nose is broken.”
“My nose is excellent.”
Auntie Suri handed Anna a handful of dried nutmeg.
“Try this.”
Anna smelled it.
“Sweet. Warm.”
“Good.”
Eddy reached for it.
Before he could smell it, a breeze swept across the farm.
And Eddy froze.
There it was.
That strange smell.
Not ginger.
Not nutmeg.
Not pepper.
Something sharp and sweet at the same time.
Like crushed leaves mixed with rain.
“Do you smell that?”
Anna sniffed.
“Smell what?”
“That.”
He pointed toward the far side of the farm.
Auntie Suri had gone quiet.
Eddy noticed.
Again.
“Auntie?”
“Yes?”
“What is that smell?”
She looked toward the green gate.
“I don’t know.”
That answer was strange.
Auntie Suri knew every smell on the farm.
Eddy was certain of it.
She could identify spices while blindfolded.
Yet now she looked almost worried.
“Maybe it’s something from the forest,” she said.
Anna closed her notebook.
“Come on, Eddy. We have work to do.”
But Eddy did not move.
The silver flash was there again.
Near the gate.
This time he was sure.
It was a small metal object hanging from the old wooden post.
He waited until Auntie Suri walked toward the drying shed.
Then he whispered:
“Anna.”
“No.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“You don’t need to.”
“Come on.”
“No.”
“Just five minutes.”
“No.”
“Three.”
“No.”
“One?”
Anna stared at him.
“You are unbelievable.”
Five minutes later, they were walking toward the green gate.
Anna was not happy about it.
“I want it officially recorded that this was your idea.”
“Okay.”
“And if we get into trouble—”
“I’ll say it was my idea.”
“And if there’s a snake—”
“You’ll save me.”
“I will leave you.”
“Very supportive.”
They reached the gate.
Up close, it looked even older.
Green paint peeled from the wood. Moss covered the hinges. A rusty chain hung across the middle.
But the chain wasn’t locked.
Eddy touched it.
It moved.
Anna frowned.
“That’s weird.”
“What?”
“Auntie said nobody uses this gate.”
“Maybe someone forgot to lock it.”
“Who?”
Eddy smiled.
“Now you’re asking questions.”
Anna gave him a look.
He lifted the chain.
It fell with a soft metallic clink.
Beyond the gate was a narrow path disappearing between trees.
The strange smell was stronger here.
Eddy stepped through.
Anna followed.
“Just for five minutes,” she said.
“Of course.”
The path led uphill.
The farm on the other side looked completely different.
The plants grew wild.
Old nutmeg trees leaned over the trail. Vines twisted around tree trunks. Fallen leaves covered the ground in a thick brown carpet.
After about twenty metres, Eddy stopped.
There was something carved into a tree.
A circle.
Inside the circle were three tiny lines.
Anna crouched beside it.
“This looks deliberate.”
Eddy’s eyes widened.
“I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“There was a secret.”
Anna stood.
“We don’t know that.”
“There’s a mysterious carving, a locked-up farm section, a strange smell and a metal object on the gate.”
“That’s not proof.”
“It is excellent proof.”
Anna sighed.
“Fine. But we’re not touching anything.”
Eddy nodded.
Then immediately pointed.
“What about that?”
Anna followed his finger.
Half-buried beneath the leaves was a small wooden box.
Episode 3: The Wooden Box
The box was not large.
It looked handmade.
Its surface was dark with age, and a simple symbol had been carved into the lid.
The same circle.
The same three lines.
Anna carefully brushed away the leaves.
“Don’t open it yet.”
Eddy looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because we don’t know what’s inside.”
“That’s exactly why we should open it.”
“That’s not how sensible people think.”
“I’ve never claimed to be sensible.”
Anna considered this.
“Fair.”
There was no lock.
Instead, the lid had a tiny wooden latch.
Anna lifted it.
Click.
The box opened.
Inside was a folded piece of cloth.
Underneath it were three things:
A brass key.
A dried seed.
And a small notebook wrapped in oilcloth.
Eddy whispered:
“Whoa.”
Anna picked up the notebook.
“Someone kept this hidden.”
The pages were yellow and fragile.
Most were filled with handwritten notes.
But the writing was difficult to understand.
Some pages contained drawings of plants.
Others showed maps.
Then Anna found a page with a sentence written in darker ink.
She read it aloud.
“When the rain comes three nights in a row, follow the scent of the sleeping spice.”
Eddy stared at her.
“Sleeping spice?”
Anna turned the page.
Another drawing showed a plant with narrow leaves.
Below it was a word.
“Serai?” Eddy guessed.
“No.”
Anna studied the drawing.
“Something else.”
She turned another page.
A rough map appeared.
It showed the farm.
The green gate.
The old nutmeg trees.
A stream.
And a small structure marked with an X.
Eddy pointed.
“That’s it.”
“What?”
“The place.”
They followed the map.
The path curved around the hillside until they reached a narrow stream.
Water rushed between smooth stones.
Across the stream stood an abandoned wooden hut.
The roof was partly covered with vines.
Eddy grinned.
“Secret hut.”
Anna looked at the map.
“According to this, yes.”
They crossed carefully.
Inside the hut, dust floated through shafts of sunlight.
There was an old table.
A broken chair.
And a shelf filled with empty glass jars.
Anna examined them.
“Someone used this place to dry spices.”
Eddy noticed something on the floor.
A line of tiny brown seeds led toward the back wall.
He followed them.
“Anna.”
“What?”
“Look.”
Behind an old wooden panel was a second doorway.
Anna stared.
“You’re kidding.”
Eddy pushed it gently.
The door opened.
A cool breeze touched their faces.
The strange smell returned.
Stronger.
Sweet.
Sharp.
Almost electric.
Beyond the doorway was a narrow stone tunnel leading into the hill.
Anna stepped back.
“Nope.”
Eddy looked at her.
“What?”
“We’re not going in there.”
“But—”
“No.”
“Anna.”
“No.”
“Please?”
She hesitated.
Then she looked at the notebook.
At the map.
At the tunnel.
Finally, she said:
“Ten minutes.”
Eddy pumped his fist.
“Yes!”
“And if I say turn back, we turn back.”
“Deal.”
Episode 4: The Sleeping Spice
The tunnel was not very deep.
At least, that was what Eddy hoped.
Their footsteps echoed against the stone.
Water dripped somewhere above them.
Anna held the brass key in one hand and the notebook in the other.
Eddy carried a small torch.
“Do you think this is really a secret tunnel?”
Anna whispered, “Obviously.”
“Then why are you whispering?”
“Because secret tunnels require whispering.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Keep walking.”
The tunnel opened into a small underground chamber.
Eddy’s mouth fell open.
Plants grew there.
Not ordinary plants.
They grew from cracks in the stone, their leaves pale from lack of sunlight.
At the centre of the chamber stood an enormous old clay pot.
And growing from it was a strange plant with silver-green leaves.
Its tiny flowers were white.
The smell filled the chamber.
Anna slowly opened the notebook.
She found the drawing.
Her eyes widened.
“This is it.”
“The sleeping spice?”
She nodded.
A note beside the drawing explained that the plant released a powerful scent after several nights of heavy rain.
Long ago, the farmers had used it to preserve herbs and protect stored spices from insects.
But there was something else.
A final note said:
“The secret is not the spice. The secret is what it protects.”
Eddy looked around.
“What does that mean?”
Anna searched the chamber.
“Maybe there’s something else here.”
The brass key suddenly caught her attention.
On the wall was a tiny iron door.
She inserted the key.
Click.
The door opened.
Inside was a narrow compartment.
There was no treasure.
No gold.
No jewels.
Instead, there were old envelopes.
Dozens of them.
Each one carefully wrapped.
Anna pulled out the first.
Inside was a letter.
It was written many years ago by the previous owner of the farm.
The letters told the story of the farm.
During a difficult season, the farmer had discovered that several rare spice plants were disappearing from the area.
Not being stolen.
Being forgotten.
As farms changed and old planting methods disappeared, certain varieties had nearly vanished.
So the farmer had created a hidden garden.
A place where rare local plants could survive quietly.
The secret garden had been protected for generations.
But the final letter contained a warning.
“If the green gate ever opens again, make sure the garden is cared for. A secret is useful only when it protects something worth remembering.”
Eddy looked at Anna.
“So that’s the secret.”
Anna nodded.
“The farm isn’t hiding treasure.”
“It is hiding plants.”
“Rare plants.”
Eddy smiled.
“That is still pretty cool.”
Then they heard a sound.
CRACK.
Both froze.
Something had moved outside the chamber.
Anna grabbed Eddy’s arm.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yes.”
Another sound.
Crunch.
Leaves.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching.
Episode 5: Someone Else Knows
They switched off the torch.
The chamber became almost completely dark.
Eddy’s heart thudded.
A shadow appeared at the tunnel entrance.
Anna whispered:
“Stay behind me.”
Eddy whispered back:
“Why?”
“Because I’m older.”
“That doesn’t make you stronger.”
“Eddy.”
“Okay, okay.”
The figure stepped closer.
Then a familiar voice said:
“Hello?”
Eddy nearly shouted.
It was Auntie Suri.
She switched on a lantern.
“What are you two doing down here?”
Anna immediately looked guilty.
“We found the box.”
Auntie Suri closed her eyes.
“Oh dear.”
Eddy pointed toward the plant.
“What is this?”
Auntie Suri walked over.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Then she smiled.
“My grandmother used to call it the sleeping spice.”
“So you knew?”
“I knew about the old garden.”
“But you said the gate was closed.”
“It was.”
“Then who opened it?”
Auntie Suri looked at the brass key.
“I thought I had lost that key years ago.”
Anna frowned.
“Then why was the box outside?”
Auntie Suri became serious.
“I don’t know.”
That answer made Eddy uneasy.
They returned to the farm.
Auntie Suri explained that the hidden garden had been neglected after the previous caretaker became too old to manage it.
She had recently started repairing parts of the farm but had not yet reached the secret garden.
Then she showed them something.
The silver object hanging near the green gate.
It was not a random piece of metal.
It was an old bell.
“When the wind moves this bell,” she explained, “the sound used to remind workers that the gate had been opened.”
Eddy looked confused.
“But who opened it?”
Auntie Suri shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Anna examined the chain.
“There are fresh marks here.”
Everyone leaned closer.
The chain had been cut and reattached.
Someone had deliberately opened the gate.
Auntie Suri looked worried.
“Maybe we should check the garden.”
They went together.
Inside the old hut, they found something new.
A sack.
It contained small gardening tools.
And several empty plant pots.
Someone had clearly been preparing to move the rare plants.
Eddy’s stomach tightened.
“They were going to take them.”
Anna nodded.
“But who?”
Auntie Suri looked around.
“Let’s find out.”
Episode 6: The Clue Under the Floor
The three of them searched the hut.
Anna was methodical.
Eddy was enthusiastic.
Auntie Suri was practical.
Together, they made a surprisingly good team.
Anna checked the shelves.
Auntie Suri examined the pots.
Eddy crawled beneath the old table.
“Eddy,” Anna called.
“What?”
“Don’t crawl under things.”
“Why?”
“Because this is exactly how people discover spiders.”
“I am prepared.”
“You are never prepared.”
Eddy ignored her.
Then he saw something.
A loose floorboard.
He tapped it.
Hollow.
“Anna!”
She crouched beside him.
They lifted the board.
Underneath was a small metal container.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
Anna read it.
Her face changed.
“What?”
She handed it to Auntie Suri.
The note was short.
“I will return for the plants after the next heavy rain.”
Eddy looked toward the sky.
Clouds were gathering over the hills.
“That’s tonight.”
Auntie Suri nodded slowly.
“We need to protect the garden.”
Anna studied the note.
“There might be another clue.”
She turned it over.
Nothing.
Then she remembered the strange symbol carved into the tree.
The circle.
Three lines.
She drew it in her notebook.
Eddy stared at it.
“Wait.”
“What?”
He took the original map from the wooden box.
The symbol appeared near the stream.
Then near the old hut.
And once more beside a tiny drawing at the edge of the farm.
Anna suddenly understood.
“These aren’t just symbols.”
“What are they?”
“Markers.”
“For what?”
“A route.”
They followed the symbols.
One marked the tree.
Another marked a stone near the stream.
The third pointed toward an old wooden bridge.
Beneath the bridge they found fresh footprints.
Small.
The mud was still wet around them.
Eddy crouched down.
“Someone was here.”
Anna looked at the footprints.
Then at the direction they pointed.
“They came from the village side.”
Auntie Suri frowned.
“There’s only one person who knows enough about this farm to know where the old garden is.”
“Who?”
Auntie Suri hesitated.
Then she said:
“Uncle Rahim.”
Eddy’s eyes widened.
“Is he the thief?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then why—”
“He used to work here.”
They found Uncle Rahim near the lower field that afternoon.
He was an elderly farmer who sometimes helped neighbours repair fences and irrigation pipes.
Auntie Suri asked him about the hidden garden.
He became very quiet.
Finally, he admitted that he had opened the gate.
But he denied planning to steal the plants.
“I was worried,” he said.
“About what?” Anna asked.
“The garden was dying. I thought I could move the plants somewhere safer.”
“Without telling Auntie Suri?”
He lowered his head.
“I didn’t think she would understand.”
Eddy frowned.
“That doesn’t explain the note.”
Uncle Rahim looked surprised.
“What note?”
Everyone stared at him.
Then Anna whispered:
“Someone else is involved.”
Episode 7: The Night of Rain
By evening, the rain began.
Not a gentle drizzle.
A proper Teluk Bahang downpour.
Rain hammered the roof.
Water rushed along the paths.
The hills disappeared behind curtains of grey.
Auntie Suri gathered everyone inside the farmhouse.
“The garden is vulnerable tonight.”
The sleeping spice would release its scent after the rain.
That scent was apparently what the mysterious thief was waiting for.
Eddy looked through the window.
“Maybe they’ll come tonight.”
Anna nodded.
“We need to watch the gate.”
Auntie Suri wanted them to stay indoors.
But Anna had an idea.
They wouldn’t confront anyone.
They would simply observe.
So after dark, they watched from the farmhouse window.
The rain weakened.
The farm became silent.
Then—
Ting.
The little bell at the green gate moved.
Eddy grabbed Anna’s sleeve.
“Someone’s there.”
A shadow slipped through the gate.
Another followed.
Two people.
Anna whispered:
“Don’t move.”
The figures headed toward the old hut.
Eddy recognised one of them.
Uncle Rahim.
The other was a young man he had never seen before.
They carried empty plant boxes.
Auntie Suri stood.
“Stay here.”
But Anna shook her head.
“We need to know what they’re doing.”
They followed quietly.
The two men entered the hut.
Through a gap in the wooden wall, Eddy heard voices.
“The plants are worth more than I expected.”
“Careful,” Uncle Rahim said.
“So you knew?”
“I knew they were rare.”
Eddy’s eyes widened.
Anna looked at him.
This was not good.
The younger man began lifting pots.
Uncle Rahim hesitated.
Then he said:
“We shouldn’t take them.”
The younger man laughed.
“You already opened the gate.”
Auntie Suri stepped forward.
“That’s enough.”
Both men spun around.
The younger man dropped the pot.
Anna grabbed Eddy’s hand.
“Stay back.”
Auntie Suri stood firmly in the doorway.
“These plants are not yours.”
The young man tried to run.
But the wet ground betrayed him.
His foot slipped.
He fell into a muddy patch beside the hut.
Eddy couldn’t help himself.
“Whoa!”
Anna whispered:
“Don’t laugh.”
Eddy covered his mouth.
The man scrambled up.
Uncle Rahim looked ashamed.
“I am sorry, Suri.”
Auntie Suri shook her head.
“You should have told me.”
“I thought the garden would disappear.”
“It won’t.”
She pointed toward the rare plants.
“We’ll protect it properly.”
The young man looked confused.
“But you don’t understand. These plants are valuable.”
Auntie Suri replied:
“They are valuable because they belong here.”
Episode 8: The Secret Comes Into the Light
The next morning, the storm had passed.
The hills were covered in mist.
The farm smelled of wet earth, leaves and spices.
Auntie Suri gathered everyone around the old green gate.
Uncle Rahim explained everything.
The younger man had heard about the rare plants and wanted to sell them elsewhere.
Uncle Rahim had agreed to help move some plants because he was afraid the hidden garden would eventually disappear.
But when he realised what was happening, he regretted it.
Anna looked at the old garden map.
“What if we restore it?”
Auntie Suri smiled.
“That is exactly what we’ll do.”
Over the next few weeks, the hidden garden changed.
The broken paths were repaired.
The old hut was cleaned.
The rare plants were carefully catalogued.
Anna made lists.
Of course she did.
Eddy made signs.
Some were slightly crooked.
One said:
PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE MYSTERY PLANTS.
Anna changed it to:
PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE RARE PLANTS.
Eddy complained.
“The mystery makes people interested.”
“The plants are enough.”
“No, they aren’t.”
“They are.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Auntie Suri laughed.
The green gate was no longer kept secret.
Instead, it became the entrance to a small educational garden.
Visitors could learn about the old spice plants and the farming traditions that had nearly been forgotten.
The wooden box was placed inside the hut.
The old notebook was carefully preserved.
And the brass key hung beside it.
One afternoon, Eddy stood beneath the ancient nutmeg trees.
He looked toward the hills.
Anna joined him.
“You know,” she said, “you were right.”
Eddy turned.
“About what?”
“There really was a secret.”
He grinned.
“I told you.”
“But you were wrong about one thing.”
“What?”
“You thought the secret was treasure.”
“I never said treasure.”
“You definitely thought treasure.”
“Okay, maybe a little.”
Anna smiled.
“The secret was something people almost forgot.”
Eddy looked at the green gate.
The little silver bell moved in the breeze.
Ting.
He smiled.
“That’s better than treasure.”
Anna raised an eyebrow.
“Really?”
Eddy thought about it.
“Well…”
She laughed.
“You still want treasure.”
“Obviously.”
Episode 9: The Last Mystery
A month later, the farm was busier than ever.
Children visited the garden.
Farmers exchanged planting ideas.
People came to smell the spices and learn their stories.
Eddy loved showing visitors the hidden tunnel.
Anna preferred explaining the old notebook.
Everything seemed settled.
Until one afternoon, Eddy found something beneath the old nutmeg tree.
A small stone.
On it was the familiar symbol.
The circle.
Three lines.
But this time, there was something beneath it.
A fourth line.
Eddy ran to Anna.
“Anna!”
She looked up from her notebook.
“What now?”
“I found another symbol.”
She followed him.
They crouched beside the stone.
Anna brushed away the soil.
A tiny arrow pointed toward the forest.
Eddy’s eyes sparkled.
Anna stared at it.
“No.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Come on.”
“No.”
“There could be another secret.”
Anna stood.
“We already found the secret.”
Eddy pointed at the arrow.
“The arrow disagrees.”
Anna looked toward the forest.
The late afternoon sunlight slipped between the trees.
For a moment, neither sibling spoke.
Then Anna sighed.
“Fine.”
Eddy smiled.
“But this time,” she added, “we tell Auntie Suri first.”
Eddy groaned.
“Why?”
“Because that is what sensible explorers do.”
“You’re becoming boring.”
“And you’re becoming responsible.”
“Never.”
Anna laughed.
Together, they walked toward the farmhouse.
Behind them, the little silver bell rang softly in the breeze.
Ting.
And somewhere beyond the spice garden, hidden among the ancient trees of Teluk Bahang, another mystery waited.
Not forgotten.
Not lost.
Just waiting for the right pair of curious siblings to find it.
The End…
