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By Root 1321 0

with Margaret and Caroline on either side of her. They were on the last stage of the journey, Caroline was bored and Philip was pale and quiet. When they reached the Gap rest house, they all piled out of the car to join the other travellers waiting for the boom gate that would change the flow of traffic from down the hill to up. Two army tanks would travel with the convoy through the mountain pass and up the final climb to Fraser’s Hill. While they were waiting they sat down to tea and sandwiches. Caroline raced around expending energy and Margaret caught up with several of her friends.

Bette glanced at Philip. ‘You’re very quiet, are you all right?’

‘I get car sick. I hate the winding road.’

‘You’ll be fine,’ said Bette. ‘Keep looking straight ahead. Your mother says that we’re on the last leg now.’

When the boom gate was finally raised, the sisters found that they were the last in the line of vehicles on the narrow one-way road to the peak. One of the tanks brought up the rear.

Hamid drove carefully and slowly, as the road twisted and turned. But even Hamid’s careful driving became too much for Philip and he suddenly gulped and called to Hamid to pull over.

‘I’m going to be sick!’

‘We can’t stop here. Just wait a few minutes,’ said Margaret.

‘The tank is behind us, Margaret. We’ll have to let Philip out, or he’ll be sick in the car.

Hamid braked, stopping in the middle of the road and Philip scrambled out onto the side of the road, which dropped down into a sheer ravine. He stood there retching, coughing and spluttering. Bette got out and stood beside him as Caroline clambered out of the car too. Margaret took a handkerchief from her handbag to wipe Philip’s face. The heavy tank came up behind them and a soldier leaned out.

‘You can’t stop here. It’s too dangerous. Please get back in the car.’

‘We have a sick child. We’ll only be a few minutes,’ called Margaret.

‘We have to stay together in the convoy,’ said the soldier.

‘You just go around us and we’ll catch up as soon as we can. Hamid, move the car, please. Caroline, come here.’

‘Yes, mem. I will go ahead, where the road is wider, and I can pull over to let them past and then I will come down here to you. Just a few moments.’ Hamid then drove around the hairpin bend just ahead of where they stood.

The women heard the tank pick up speed as it overtook Hamid and then they saw the Oldsmobile inch back around the corner and reverse down the road towards them.

‘Do you feel better?’ Bette asked Philip.

‘For goodness’ sake let’s get back in the car and catch up to the others,’ said Margaret.

Hamid stopped the car a little ahead of them. As Caroline ran ahead of the others, Hamid got out to open the doors in readiness, but something made him glance up to the thickly forested hillside. A different shade of green and a glint of metal suddenly sent him spinning around and he shouted as he ran towards the little girl who was racing towards the car.

‘Get down, mem!’ Hamid flung himself at Caroline, pinning her to the ground while bullets screamed around them.

Margaret heard the whine of bullets, she saw Hamid cover her daughter and, as she turned, she saw her son rush not to her but to Bette, tackling her sister, wrapping his arms about her, and covering Bette’s body with his own as they fell to the ground. Margaret started to run, stumbled, but ran on – despite the continuing gunfire – to where Hamid lay, his blood spilling onto the road.

‘Caroline!’ she screamed. She pushed Hamid’s limp and bleeding body to one side and was dimly aware that there was now more heavy gunfire, this time coming from the direction of the hairpin bend.

Caroline was covered in Hamid’s blood.

‘Get into the car, quickly. Lie on the floor,’ said Bette, pushing Caroline and Margaret towards the car. Staying low, Philip opened a door and they all scrambled into the back seat and lay flat. The firing from the hillside continued.

Suddenly a spray of bullets hit the car, shattering a window and pinging into the metal. There was a small explosion and then all was silent. Caroline whimpered