It was not a moment too soon.
Just after Brandon and Emma had jammed themselves in with their helpful friend, they could hear a Japanese soldier enter the alley they were in. Emma hastily shoved the camera into her pocket while Brandon stuffed the textbook under his shirt, making sure that it was kept in place by the waistband of his trousers.
The soldier's boots thudded portentously in the puddles which the rain had left behind, and with each thud, Emma's heart leaped in her throat. In fact, her heart was beating so hard she was afraid she would either pass out or have a heart attack on the spot. Both would be disastrous. She gripped Brandon's arm tightly and closed her eyes.
"No one's here!" shouted the soldier in Japanese. With that, he turned on his heels sharply and left.
"He said no one's here! We can go now," whispered Emma thankfully to the two boys.
Brandon let out a shuddering sigh of relief. He started to get up but the Chinese boy pulled him back down, and motioned to him to stay put.
It was a good thing that the boy was cautious, for the Japanese soldier returned with someone who appeared to be more senior in rank. The latter seemed to be reprimanding the junior soldier, apparently for not being sufficiently thorough in his search.
"Did you search properly?" demanded the senior officer in Japanese. "What about those rubbish bins over there? The little squirt couldn't have run far away."
"One soldier just asked another soldier to search the rubbish bins!" Emma squeaked in terror.
"Sorry, sir, I didn't. I'll search immediately," the junior officer replied, and began walking towards the rubbish bins where the children were hiding.
"And he's coming our way right now!" interpreted Emma.
Just then, a wailing siren filled the air. Brandon and Emma clutched each other in fright, but to their surprise, their Chinese companion had a big grin on his face. A moment later, they realised the reason for his joy.
As the klaxon sounded, the Japanese soldier who had been about to discover their hiding place turned and ran out of the alley. There were shouts from the other Japanese soldiers, and soon, the children could hear the scary sound of the Japanese boots receding into the distance.
"Guess you won't be complaining about your Japanese lessons any more, Em," Brandon teased the girl when the last of the thumping boots had faded away.
Seeing that they were now alone, Brandon tried again to stand up. He had pins and needles in his legs and he felt that if he had to squat any longer, he would have to be carried out of the alley. Unceremoniously, the Chinese boy jerked his arm. "That was an air raid siren! Better stay here until the planes pass," he admonished.
Brandon sighed and reverted to his uncomfortable squatting position. True enough, a fleet of bomber planes soon flew overhead. A minute later, the children heard the high-pitched whining of the bombs as they were released. Fortunately, none landed near them. The Japanese soldiers must have stopped searching for us because they were desperate to get to an air raid shelter, Brandon realised.
When the all-clear siren sounded (what a welcome sound that was!), Brandon and Emma scrambled out from behind the rubbish bins. Brandon took one look at Emma and burst out laughing.
"Your face is as black as the charcoal we use for barbecue!' Brandon hooted.
Emma ran a tentative palm across one cheek and stared in dismay at the blackened palm confronting her. Looking up, Emma smiled sweetly at Brandon. "I'm not the only one who's dirty," she smirked, "you're just as filthy yourself, and your clothes are mucky too."
Interjecting their sniping, the Chinese boy asked in a puzzled tone, "What's a little dirt?"
"You are absolutely right," concurred Brandon, "and we've been very rude. We haven't thanked you for saving our skins! I'm Brandon and she's Emma," he introduced themselves. "Yes, thanks so much! I was terrified," Emma chimed.
"I'm Tian Wen. Nice to meet you too," the boy grinned at them. Then, looking at them askance, he frowned. "The two of you look different. There are no holes or mend marks on your clothes. Look at my shirt!" Tian Wen said, pointing at his grimy and much-mended cotton shirt. "Besides, although my friends and I are forced to learn Japanese in school, none of us can ever understand what the soldiers say. They always speak so fast! Who are you and where do you come from?"
Emma jumped in before Brandon could blurt out the truth. "A few years ago, my mother hired a tutor to teach me Japanese. You have to admit it's handy, knowing what our enemies are saying to one another!" She smiled hesitantly, uncertain of the reception her words would receive. Seeing that Tian Wen did not raise the alarm and get them attacked for being pro-Japanese, she went on, "We're neighbours who live in Tanglin and our parents have forbidden us to leave our homes, so our clothes haven't had much chance of getting dirty. We sneaked out today because we just couldn't take another day of staying indoors any more!" Emma ended.
"Oh, I see. Well, what were you doing so far from home? Now that the air raid is over, it should be safe for you to make your way back home," advised Tian Wen.
"We were planning to walk to Chinatown to see whether we could catch a movie at the Majestic. The trek took us about two hours and we're bone-tired," answered Brandon, hoping that Tian Wen would take pity on them and invite them to his home.
"The two of you do look exhausted and it's getting late," Tian Wen mused. He paused for a moment before going on, "You'd better come home with me. I don't think it's safe for you to wander about the streets unaccompanied. I live just a few streets away."
As they left the alley, Emma stole a quick backward glance to check that they had not left any trace of modernity behind. It would be devastating if she or Brandon dropped something from the 21st century. Fortunately, they had not left any incriminating object. Just as she was about to depart, Emma noticed a quick movement in the shadows. There was a faint outline which looked like the silhouette of a man. Fresh from her encounter with the Japanese soldiers, Emma did not linger to investigate. She hastened her footsteps to catch up with the two boys.
Slipping beside Brandon, Emma reminded him urgently to put his phone in silent mode. Bobbing his head, Brandon murmured, "It's always in silent mode. I don't want it to be confiscated in school." Congratulating themselves on their quick thinking, they picked up their footsteps and followed Tian Wen as he headed home.
"Tian Wen," asked Brandon of their new acquaintance, "why were you hiding back there? Were the Japanese soldiers chasing you?"
Tian Wen looked around swiftly before shaking his head and putting a finger to his lips. It was clear that they would not be getting an answer out of him just then.
Brandon and Emma contented themselves with looking in wide-eyed wonder as they strode along. It was amazing to see in real life all the scenes which they had thus far only seen or read about in books or watched in movies. Emma spotted slack-jawed coolies slumped on the floor of opium dens in Pagoda Street, puffing away their hard-earned cash. Perhaps that was the only enjoyment they got in life, Emma thought sadly. Further along, Brandon saw an itinerant hawker stir-frying noodles with vegetables and his mouth watered. He hoped that Tian Wen's parents would offer them some food upon their arrival. The packet of prawn crackers which he had consumed earlier seemed to belong to another lifetime. He was quite sure he could devour an entire piglet, to say nothing of a chicken.
Juxtaposed with scenes of quotidian life were constant reminders that Singapore was the vanquished party in a bitter war. Barbed wire coiled like serpents around the roadblocks set up at road corners, presided over by stern Japanese soldiers. At the roadside stalls, Emma noticed that the locals were using paper currency issued by the Japanese government, known as banana notes because there were pictures of fruits printed on them. However, instead of keeping their money in a wallet or purse, people would haul sacks of banana notes to pay for their purchases. She remembered that towards the end of World War II, the value of the currency had depreciated so much that a small fortune in banana notes was required for the acquisition of even simple items such as towels and tooth powder. The mood was grim and Emma wished they would reach Tian Wen's home soon.
Brandon, who had never liked exercise, was having similar thoughts. Just when he felt his legs were going to buckle, Tian Wen announced that they had arrived at his home. Brandon and Emma looked up thankfully at the shophouse in front of them.