We took refuge in a cave deep in the forest. I dare not make a sound as I am afraid that the Japanese soldiers would find us.
After awhile my eyes were blurred with tears. Tears kept flowing down my cheek when reality sink in.
"How is my parents and my grandfather? Are they still alive? Are they captured by the Japanese? Why didn't they ran away with me? Why?"
All these questions kept circling my mind until I fell asleep due to exhaustion on the hard, cold floor of the cave.
I woke up the next morning to the sounds of bird chirping. It was a beautiful morning but my world was crumbling around me. My eyes were swollen after crying for so long yesterday.
I heard some rustling sound and saw my butler came over with a small cup of water for me to drink. He also brought along some wild fruits for me to eat but I pushed them away.
"Miss Sabrina you have to drink some water and eat. You have to keep your strength and stay hydrated," said my butler.
"How can I, when I do not know what happened to my parents," I replied.
"I promised you I will go back to look for your parents if you drink and eat," said my butler.
After hearing this I quickly gulped down the water and fruits.
"Wait for me here and stay still. Do not make any sound. I will go back to look for your parents and grandfather. I will be back as soon as possible," said my butler.
"Chen, promised me you will be back and be careful," I said.
"I promise you, Miss Sabrina," he replied.
My butler, Chen, then left to search for the news of my parents. It seemed like an eternity waiting in the dark, cold cave.
Many hours passed before Chen came back. When I saw him he had a sullen look on his face and his eyes were swollen. I quickly stood up and started bombarding him with thousands of questions.
"Did you find my parents? Are they alright? Where are they now?"
Chen just stood there quietly and when he opened his mouth he started sobbing uncontrollably. Judging from his reaction I knew deep down in my heart that something bad had happened to my parents and grandfather.
My heart broke into pieces. It was too much for me to take in. My world started to spin and then everything became black.
When I woke up, Chen was hovering over me. He let out a sigh of relieved.
"Thank God you are awake. You must have been too weak. I left for a very long time and you must have not eaten anything. Come now drink some of this broth. I managed to trap some hares just now. You have to replenish your energy. We still have a long way to go," said Chen.
"Chen can you tell me honestly what happened to my family. What did you see when you went back to the mansion?" I asked.
"Eat first then I will tell you everything. You need your strength," said Chen.
I sipped the hot broth slowly while preparing myself mentally for the news ahead.
Once I was done with the broth. Chen roasted some sweet potatoes which he managed to find in the forest for me. After that, he sat in front of me and started talking.
"When I reached the edge of the forest near the mansion, everything was quiet and still. There were no sign of any Japanese soldier. They must have left. So I came out from the forest and walked towards the mansion. As I approached the front gate, I can see many bodies lying around in the garden. Your father, mother and grandfather's bodies where among them. I believe master died trying to protect the mansion. They were all shot in the head. I managed to bury their bodies behind the mansion. When I was getting ready to leave the mansion. A few Japanese trucks were driving down the road towards the mansion. I managed to run back into the forest and hid there while observing them. Many equipment and supplies were unloaded from the trucks. They erected a flag pole and put up the Japanese flag. I believed they are using the mansion as one of their headquarters. As it was getting dark, I left and came back here."
My heart was torn into pieces when I heard Chen's story. I became an orphan in less than 24 hours. My childhood was taken away from me a day before my birthday.
I was forced to grow up as such a young age. I wanted to go back to the mansion to pay respect to my parents and my grandfather but I knew it was impossible. I started sobbing again. Chen came over to console me.
"Chen, I had nobody now. How can I possibly survived in this world?" I said between my sobs.
"You still have me. I promised your father that I will take good care of you and I will provide a safe passage for you to leave Malaya," said Chen.
"Safe passage? Leave Malaya? What do you mean?" I asked in a dazed.
"Master knew a few months ago that the Japanese was advancing towards Malaya. A war is inevitable. We did not expect it to be so soon. It seems that the Japanese reached an agreement with the Thai King which allows them to enter Malaya through Thailand and in exchanged Thailand is spared from the invasion. Your father then wrote to his close friend Mr. Lim, who live in Thailand. He wanted to send you, your mother and grandfather to stay with his family until the war is over. He already bought all the train tickets and made arrangement with Mr. Lim. He planned to send all of you there the day after your birthday. I was to accompany all of you there."
I sobbed after hearing what Chen said.
"Take a good rest, Miss Sabrina. We will travel by foot through the dense forest towards the train station in the nearby town tomorrow. It will take us half a day. The train is scheduled for tomorrow's afternoon. I know this jungle well as I grew up here, so there is nothing to worry about."
That night before I went to bed, Chen came over and handed me a gold necklace with a love pendant.
"Happy birthday, Miss Sabrina. This is a gift from your parents for your 10th birthday."
He helped me to put it on. A tear fell down my cheek.
This was the last birthday present which I received from my parents. I will cherished it forever.