WHILE his two friends perched themselves precariously on the window ledge just seconds before plunging to their deaths, he lay in fear under a blanket in the room.

Just hours earlier, 16-year-old William (not his real name) had been invited by self-professed teen medium Ku Witaya to join him in a suicide pact. They had been at a barbecue at East Coast Park.

While he initially thought it was a joke, he soon learnt that his friends were dead serious and seemed not to be scared about ending their lives.

But William was afraid. He thought about his family and told Witaya that he did not want to go through with the deed.

'Witaya said 'if you don't want to, you can go home',' William recalled in a phone interview with The Straits Times.

William chose to stay. Eight of them, including himself, went back to Witaya's home in Jalan Damai, where they were to hold hands and jump from the block together. But the door to the roof was blocked. So, they went back to Witaya's four-room flat on the ninth floor instead.

William realised that he was not the only one getting cold feet. 'We hesitated for about one hour. Everyone was thinking twice but Witaya was insistent.'

One friend broke down and cried, and went home. Meanwhile, those who remained discussed who would jump first. As the window ledge was not big enough for all of them to jump at the same time, they had to go in batches. Witaya would go first and his closest friend Sia Chan Hong volunteered to jump with him.

The two, however, got down from the window twice as Chan Hong was scared and Witaya had to calm him down. On their third try, Witaya and Chan Hong carried their intentions through. As they climbed out on the ledge, William hid under the bed covers in fear.

When the two boys counted to three, all the other five boys turned away, not able to look. When they heard loud thuds, all of them rushed to the windows. Looking down, they saw Chan Hong writhing in pain.

The next three boys in line still climbed onto the ledge intending to go next. They aborted the plan only when they saw a car drive past and heard Chan Hong's groans.

'I couldn't hear Chan Hong clearly but he said he was in pain and I heard him say 'don't jump',' recounted William.

William said the group was devastated by the deaths of the two.

But he has never thought of leaving the group because they are friends. Even without Witaya, the group still meets regularly.

William no longer believes in mediums and is taking Buddhism classes at a temple. He will sit for his N levels this year. He has learnt that life is precious and now thinks committing suicide is a 'very stupid' idea.

'My mum cried when I told her about our suicide attempt. But I told her I never wanted to jump anyway.'

CAROLYN QUEK

This article was first published in The Straits Times.