A Quiet Day in Coney Island

Singapore is a crowded fish tank of people. If you divided the island into a grid of twelve-by-twelve meters, one person would occupy every square. So it's no surprise that when I first visited Coney Island, the dirt roads were teeming with youths and families. Teenagers played music from their bicycles and photographers (both amateur and professional) wandered in lalang grass. It was a weekend. With such a crowd, I never expected to find myself alone on a Monday afternoon at the same place...

Ashen green casuarina trees emerged behind the fenced gate that led into Coney Island, its shade offering a reprise from the warm cycle. It was a cloudless day; the blue sky a reflection of the deserted entrance that lay before me. Birds made playful dives into the ocean and the fuzzy branches of casuarina trees swayed in the sea breeze, as if inviting me onto the island. But I stopped before the gate, hesitant. Suddenly the shade behind the gate seemed intimidating. Where were all the people I saw last time?

I couldn’t let my trip go to waste, so with a stiff tread I pushed my bicycle past the gate. Under the shade, the distant rumble of cars faded into a song of chirping birds underpinned by shuffling leaves. The small path led to a wider dirt road and soon I was on my bicycle again, riding deeper into the island. As the sounds of cars grew dimmer, I was increasingly aware that I was alone.

Tall grass separated the dirt road from the surrounding woodland. Glancing past them, I imagined the nightmares that laid in ambush in the thick undergrowth. A serial killer? A vengeance-seeking wild boar? I wasn't sure which was worse. I pedaled faster. Treading faithfully along the center of the dirt road, I willfully ignored the narrow pavements that branched off into the undergrowth. It tugged at my curiosity but I couldn’t bring myself to venture away from the safety of the wide road.

It took ten minutes of encroaching anxiety before I saw a glimmer of hope: a pair, endearingly human, emerged from a side road ahead! A knot in my chest unwounded. With renewed reassurance I decided the special path was safe. If a vengeance-seeking wild boar didn’t already devour the pair, it wouldn’t be interested in me. The pavement meandered towards the coast, and every turn brought a confidence boost. Eventually the pavement reached a beach hidden behind a line of trees. The sea twinkled in the sunlight and waves crashed onto the shore, as if applauding my arrival. Cargo ships sailed in the distance. As I lingered on the beach it dawned on me that now I have to pluck up the courage to pedal out of the deserted island.