I remember having met someone who told me that they once heard the terrifying laughter of a pontianak while on a camping trip in Sabah. It was too eerie to describe, they said. At times they could still hear the sound of her laughter ringing in their ears which would send cold shivers down their backs! 

     How could the sound of laughter have such an effect on people? Later, I was to find out for myself.

     One night around midnight, I was returning home from a club. I was feeling happy because I had won a few thousand dollars playing poker. I was humming a tune as I drove along the almost deserted road towards my condo apartment, when I heard in the distance... the sound of a woman's high pitched laughter.

     It was getting steadily louder because it was coming close to me. It sounded like the screams cockatoos make when they are frightened but yet again, there was a more human and feminine touch to this laughter.

     Then it stopped.

      Suddenly, I was shivering with fright because the eerie, mocking laughter was coming from right behind me! Whatever it was that was causing it, was in my back seat and I could sense it was evil! I felt my body become limp as sweat dripped down my face. My throat had gone dry. Then the loud laughter ended abruptly and it became soft and gentle. I got the foul stench of rotting flesh on its breath and knew the mouth of this demon was close to my neck... so close, I could feel its lips touching my left ear.

     My heart was pounding in my head and subconsciously, I continued driving very slowly and turned into my apartment block. I stopped the car. When I tried to open the door to call out for help, I found I hadn't the strength and I could feel this thing still breathing down my neck.

     I remember throwing up and then I must have blacked out.

     I was awakened by someone banging on the front door window as I lay slumped over the steering wheel. I saw the faces of my wife and our maid. Very slowly, I turned around to look - the evil thing had gone.

     "What made you so ill?" asked my wife later, as I was resting.

     Should I tell her the truth and scare her too? I decided against it.

"It must have been something I ate," I replied.