Page 88 of Sisters Under The Rising Sun

‘I think we have to keep her in the house while our captors decide where and how to bury her,’ Norah says, when they are outside once more.

‘And how long will that take?’

‘I don’t know, but I doubt we’ll have an answer today.’

‘Will you let me know as soon as you hear something? The women here will look after her. Oh, look, here’s Nesta.’

‘Mrs Hinch, Norah, I’m so sorry,’ says Nesta, sighing deeply. ‘I just came to pay my respects and ask if there is anything I can do.’

‘That’s very kind, we’ll look after Mary until the sergeant tells us what we can do to give her a decent burial.’

‘I don’t think you should keep her in the house. With this weather, it will very quickly become unpleasant for everyone,’ Nesta says.

‘You’re quite right. How about we move her to the school building? That way, the air can circulate,’ Mrs Hinch suggests.

‘I worry about the rats, and those feral dogs that wander the camp at night,’ Nesta says.

‘We’ll stake a lookout for all of that,’ Norah says.

The school is closed, and Mary is moved to the open-fronted building. For the remainder of the day and overnight, friends take turns to chase away the rats and mice attracted by the smell. The next day, permission is granted for Mary to be moved outside the camp, just beyond the guardhouse. Ah Fat has instructed them to leave her there until he can have a coffin made.

‘Well, that’s not going to happen,’ Margaret asserts. ‘We’ll move her, but she will not be alone, not for one minute, until she is buried underground.’

Moved outside the camp, volunteers once again take turns sitting with Mary. The day passes, another night comes and goes, and no coffin appears.

The next morning, Ah Fat finds Mrs Hinch talking to Norah and Audrey.

‘Come with me, please,’ he says to the group.

The three women follow him outside the camp, past Mary, and several hundred yards into the jungle to a small clearing.

‘We will give you something to dig a hole, this is where we will bury people,’ he tells them.

Returning to the camp to fetch more volunteers, they see a simple wooden coffin has been placed beside Mary. Everyone helps to move Mary’s body into her final resting place.

‘Well, she’s protected now,’ Mrs Hinch says. ‘Ah Fat is getting us, hopefully, some shovels, so we can clear an area and dig a grave. Go and get something to eat and drink, and we’ll let you know when we are having the burial,’ Mrs Hinch tells the women.

A few hours later, the shallow grave dug, Margaret leads a long line of women to the coffin, where six of Mary’s friends gently pick it up and carry it to the gravesite. Norah and Audrey move towards Nesta and Jean who are representing the nurses, watching as the coffin is placed in the ground.

‘Where’s Ena?’ Nesta asks.

‘She’s stayed behind with June. As much as we tried to protect her and the other children, they know someone has died and we thought it was better Ena stay with her and try to explain what is happening,’ Norah says.

Margaret reads from her Bible. Several of Mary’s friends speak of their friendship, telling stories of the life they knew she had enjoyedbefore.

Margaret concludes the brief service. ‘We thank you, Mary, for everything you were and all that you gave, and may you now and forever rest in peace with the certain knowledge that you were, are, and will always be dearly loved and terribly missed. Farewell.’

‘Amen.’

Using their hands, the women take turns placing the soil back in the grave.

Chapter 17

Camp III

October 1943–October 1944

On April Fool’s Day, Kato appears to have vanished and a new camp commandant arrives with pomp and ceremony. His name is Captain Seki. He demands that every woman and child is presented to him, to bow and pay homage. He is accompanied by Ah Fat.