Three friends had made a visit to Malacca for a holiday. They stayed in a well known local hotel, located nearby.
'Marie, can you please get the shampoo from my bag? I don't like these shampoos they provide. It makes my hair dry and their conditioner is useless.' Stacy complained.
Marie rummaged through Stacy's bag and took out the 'Head and Shoulder' shampoo, a favorite of Stacy's. She handed it over to Stacy who was waiting, peeping from behind the bathroom door.
Stacy took the small white bottle and closed the door enjoying her bath. As she was soaping herself, she thought she caught a silhouette of someone standing in front of her on the hot tub, through the big mirror. But when she looked closely, through the steamed up mirror, she saw nothing.
After a warm shower, she blow dry her hair while looking through the mirror. Just then, a faint smell of burning tobacco hit her nostril. She looked around her to find nothing and decided that perhaps the steam had caused the room to smell. Wiping herself dry she opened the door and felt the rush of cold air hit her warm skin.
Annie was lying on the bed listening to music, her eyes closed and her head gently nodding to the beat. Marie was reading a magazine that she had bought in the local store, while the television was turned on, screening to no one in particular.
'Marie, you want to hit the shower?' asked Stacy as she pulled on a pants and a t-shirt.
'Yeah,' Marie replied, grabbing her toiletries and walking into the steaming room.
Marie placed her toiletries at one corner of the sink. She tied up her hair into a bun and squeezed a small portion of facial wash onto her palm, washing her face with it. As she was splashing water onto her face, she saw a dark movement at the corner of her eyes and she turned immediately. No one was in sight.
Thinking it was a figment of her imagination; she took a quick shower and rushed out of the bathroom.
In the middle of the night, Annie woke up and walked into the bathroom. She opened the door and was hit by a strong smell of tobacco. She brushed away the weird feeling and thought that it may be due to the stall air.
The next day, the three friends took turns to shower and then left their room for a shopping spree in a nearby shopping centre.
The day was fun and exciting as they shopped for hours only to return back in the evening. The moment they opened the door, a strong gush of tobacco hit their nostrils. All of them stood at the doorway, looking at each other, surprised. None of them were present in the room to have caused that smell.
Alarmed, Stacy told Annie to call the manager. 'Someone must have broken in!' She exclaimed. As Annie rushed to get the manager, Stacy and Marie went into the room, stealthily.
There was no one else around. Being the bravest in the group, Stacy ventured further as the smoke engulfed her. It was getting worst, choking her. She gagged at it and looked around. Marie held her and made her sat on the bed. That was when she saw a man propped up on the bed.
He was dark skinned, lightly muscular and he was half naked with a long black pants. His hair was uncombed and was growing with few white strands all over. He looked dirty and he was smoking a cigar.
When she looked at him, he gave a wide grin, as he puffed away at his cigar. Shocked and surprised, Stacy started to scream.
Next thing she knew, she woke up in the arms of her friends. The manager was in the room with them, looking down at her worriedly. Annie and Marie helped Stacy as they got themselves transferred into another room on another level.
It seems that a foreign man had taken his own life long time ago in that very same room. It was not known as to why he did it but he was a cigar smoker. Many of them had complained of the lingering smell. Even the house keepers had complaint of a presence, especially in the bathroom. His body was found in the bathtub.