The Legend of the Locksmith

Once upon a time in the faraway island kingdom of Borneo, there lived a beautiful princess with a terrible protective father. To circumvent the hordes of ardent suitors vying for her fair hand, her father the king had placed impenetrable doors and gates all around the towering castle with a complicated series of cunning locks that threatened to daunt even the bravest.

However ubeknownst to the king, the very same locksmith he had hired had glanced upon the lady fair at her tower window and nothing would do but to rescue her from her miserable fate. So one dark fateful night with the lockpicks in his crafty hands, he made for the castle and stole her away.

Finding the princess missing the next morning, the king flew into a towering rage. Whereupon the wrathful king banished all locksmiths from his riverside kingdom.

And that place became Miri.

How else to explain why there are no locksmiths in town?


Damn. I've locked myself out!
Seriously peculiar. No doubt with the shocking prevalence of violent crimes going on here, I assume the triads have all the canny locksmiths locked up on a secret isle. Possibly forcing the poor souls to manufacture keys in mass production for their nefarious purposes.

So you can imagine how difficult it was for me to find one to duplicate my office key ( yes, I have an office but more on that later ). Checked out all the usual suspects such as the neighbourhood malls but no one seemed to know where to find the locksmith. With the blank, confused stares I've been receiving from the locals, I might as well be searching for the long lost valley of Shangri-La.

Paul : Do you know where I can find a locksmith?
Bystander : Locksmith?
Paul : They make keys? Locks? Locksmith? 钥匙和门锁? Tukang kunci? Serrurerie? Cerrajero?
Bystander : Good gracious. Haven't heard or seen one in years. Last I heard there was one plying his trade over by the riverfront.
Paul : Oh! Thanks.
Bystander : But that was ten years ago. Theyc ould have gotten him by now.
Paul : Gotten him? Who?
Bystander : I've said too much! I've gotta go.

Okay. I added that last bit.

But you can imagine how difficult it was to find a locksmith. Seemed to be none hocking their business in town. Seriously. So what do they do if they have a bent key? Or if they lose their keys? Do they break down the entire door? Do they immediately shift to another house?

Strange.

Finally found the sole locksmith in town hidden inconspicuously behind the old fish market over at the riverfront. Just as the spluttering bystander claimed. From the aged soul manning the shack, I found that the variety of keys can be mind-boggling, and even those that look almost identical can be differentiated right from left. Even with the dazzling array of keys in front of him, the locksmith couldn't decide. Seems the keymakers in the hospital adhered to the principle of choosing the most unique keys possible - hence I'll have to wait a few days or so to find a proper duplicate.