The War - Chapter 1

Everyone was crying. The bus was filled with chaos and uncertainty. I sat quietly beside two 5 years old boys who were crying very loudly. The bus was filled with children, aged between 1 to 12 years old. There were even infants inside the bus, carried by some girls.

Everyone was screaming and shouting. Outside the bus, the mothers of these children cried and sobbed, waving their woven handkerchiefs. Their cheeks were wet, their face desolate. My mother was standing between the other mothers - wearing a red shirt with a black skirt. Unlike the other mothers, she was not crying. She just simply waved her handkerchief. A white one.

Then the bus jolted as the engine started. It moved slowly towards the road while the mothers followed the bus. The screaming in the bus grew louder. Then a woman appeared. She was my neighbor, Mrs Johnson.

"Children please sit still, we don't want you to get injured"

Then two other women appeared from the back, asking the children to sit still. One of them was one of my teachers in school, Mrs Edward. But I didn't recognise the other one.

Disobeying them, I jumped out of my seat and moved towards the back of the bus. I looked over the window and saw my mum standing on the exact spot where she was standing just now. She did not chase the bus. She simply stood still on the same spot, still waving the handkerchief.

That was when I parted with my mother.