As the rowing boat pulled alongside, I knelt and called out to the sailor.
“Private Khan, RIASC,” I told him. “My captain is right behind us.”
The young man looked surprised. He cannot have been much older than me. He wore a black tunic with a v-necked collar, black trousers and a matching round hat. His shirt was white, and his skin pink and rosy.
“You Indian?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Service Corps.”
“Any others with you?”
I nodded.
“Four hundred of my comrades,” I told him. “And two officers and a band of twelve or so Tommys.”
“Blimey,” the sailor replied. “Four hundred? That’s going to take some shifting!”
Captain Ashdown arrived behind me, as Vince sat and put his head in his hands.
“How many men per boat, lad?” the Captain asked the sailor.
“Fifteen, at most, sir,” the young man replied. “Maybe ten per dinghy. Able Seaman Jones at your command, sir!”
“Good to meet you, Jones,” said Captain Ashdown. “What about your vessel. Can it take four hundred or more men?”
“We’re a passenger ship, sir,” said Jones. “Eight hundred and twenty-two tonnes. It’ll be a squeeze. And we’ve already taken fifty souls on board, sir!”
“Not a problem,” the Captain told him. “Anything’s better than sitting here, waiting to be killed.”
“Yes, sir!”
As Jones’ mates arrived, we began to organise the men. There were ten vessels in total, six boats and four dinghies, with a half hour round trip between the jetty and the Merchant Navy ship. The first wave took an age to send off and braved an ongoing air raid to get back to their goal. But once the boats returned empty, the second wave went much quicker, as we’d organised the groups in advance. In total, the boats made four trips, often under a substantial onslaught, and the whole process took nearly two and half hours.
I stayed on with Mush, Vince and Captain Ashdown. Captain Morrow had gone ahead to liaise with the ship’s officers and smooth out any difficulties. I was impressed with Morrow’s change of heart, and happy that he’d decided to help us. I thought of Sergeant Buckingham too, and despite our differences, hoped that he would make it safely home. My heart bled for Vince, however, and the loss of his giant friend. I could not imagine how it might feel to lose Mush.
When the final trip was ready, I called out to Vince, who had not moved, nor stopped hoping that Milligan would turn up. He sat alone, staring out to sea, lost in his own thoughts.
“You need to come with us,” I told him. “I’m sorry, but Milligan is gone.”
“But, he can’t be,” said a forlorn Vince. “We were going to have a pint together, meet up after things calmed down, meet each other’s families. We’ve been through hell together, me and him.”
“Please, friend!” I told him. “We have no time. They will leave without us.”
He stared into my eyes.
“Vince!” I urged. “It is now or never! We must get going. If we lose this chance, we may not get another.”
“You’re right, Fazal,” he said. “There’s nothing to be done.”
He edged from the platform, into the sea, and climbed aboard a rowing boat, with Mush right behind him. Several other men had joined us, having waded or swum out from the beach. Captain Ashdown took them all, and then he turned and shouted up to me. Only, I did not hear what he said. I only heard the hornets and I froze. The Stukas were returning from yet another raid on the docks, but they had plenty in reserve for us. For close to three hours, we had managed to evade their sorties and evacuate over four hundred men. Now, they would not fail.
Machine-gun fire erupted all around us, followed by a bomb to the rear that threw up more water. The last thing I saw was Captain Ashdown’s horrified expression and Mush screaming as silently as the mules we had betrayed. Then I was falling again, blown clear from the makeshift jetty, but away from the now fast-receding boats. As I crashed under the water, I managed to right myself and swim for the surface. I told myself that I was safe underwater, but I was not. The bullets zipped past me, and I ducked under and swam towards the nearest vehicle.
I must have caught my head. I do not know, because I lost consciousness…
My grandfather laughed at me. He held out his hand, pulling me from the watering hole. The hornets buzzed all around us, a blanket of doom.
“I told you,” he said. “When the hornets swarm, they will follow you until they are satisfied. Not even the water will save you. They will simply hover until you come up for air, or watch you drown…”
“But what can I do?” I pleaded. “How can I save myself?”
My grandfather held a half-eaten mango, succulent and ripe and dripping with juice. He threw it as far as he could, and one by one, the hornets chased after it, until they were all gone.
“There is always a way,” he said.
Always a way…
I felt another hand, pulling me up and away. I screamed and kicked and tried to stay under.
“No!” I yelled. “The hornets are still waiting!”
A hefty slap stung my left cheek.
“COME ON!” a man shouted.
“He needs to be revived,” a woman’s voice added.
I felt sand against my back and pressure on my chest. Someone was pushing down with their hands, pumping and pumping, and then I tasted salt, as water and bile erupted from my mouth. I turned sideways, choking and spitting and trying to catch my breath.
“He’s made it!” the woman said. “He’ll live.”
Another person knelt beside me.
“Private Khan!” she said. “It’s me, Lillian.”
I opened my eyes to see her smiling down at me.
“You’re safe, Private,” she told me. “You’re back on the beach.”
“B-but…!” I began, only for her to shush me.
“Calm down and try to breathe normally,” she said. “You almost drowned out there.”
“The boats!” I croaked. “Where are the boats?”
“They’ve gone,” she replied. “You were blasted into the water and they left without you. Don’t worry, we’ll find you another boat, I’m sure.”
I turned and looked out to sea, and my heart sank. The makeshift jetty remained, despite being battered in places, but the sea beyond lay empty. They were gone, all of them. Mush and Captain Ashdown, and Vince. They had left without me, perhaps convinced that I had drowned after the explosion. Unable to wait for one man, when the lives of so many might be put at risk. I understood their decision. It made sense. But it did not help me. I was lost, and back where I had started. Only this time, I had no one to support me. No one I could call upon. I was all alone.
“NO!” I groaned.