The last boat out of the port of Rangoon had already left. Cecil and his family had prepared to get on it prior to its sailing, but had missed it for the reason that it had left a day prior to its schedule of departure, prompted by the fact that the enemy was closing in and was already on the verge of invading the port.
The Lion and the Sun – Chapter 10 – Part 2 (The Rising Sun) – Cont’d.
In deference to the astrologer’s calculated advice, Maung Ba and Rose were married in a simple ceremony, on the second week of December 194l. The reception at the Moncreif residence was considered to be modest, in comparison to some of the more spirited occasions that were held previously. It had to be expedited for the reason that there was no time to waste, considering the fact that Rangoon was marked for an imminent invasion at any time now. Ironically, it seemed Providence had planned that the ceremony was meant to take place at the Moncreif residence after all, in compliance with the bride and groom’s previous request, which would have turned out to be otherwise, had Cecil and his family not missed the last boat out of the port of Rangoon.
On the morning of December 23, 194l, the dreaded siren wailed, signaling an air raid. Enemy bombers were flying in formation at a considerable high altitude, making repeated dives, as they began bombing and strafing indiscriminately. The air raid continued for a long while, in the wake of which there were innumerable corpses littering the streets. The terrible carnage was mostly due to the fact that the majority of the populace had paid little or no attention to what was expected and had, as a result, become easy targets for the swooping planes.
After the air raid, Maung Ba rushed out of the office. He was terribly anxious about Rose, hoping that nothing untoward had happened to her. On the way home, the gruesome spectacle of the dead and wounded nauseated him. He had to skip over dead bodies while crossing the streets. Gripped with the strange fear of death, he began running in panic, while he suddenly felt his knees weaken. The stench of thick, spattered blood was too much to endure. He felt the urge to vomit at the sight of dismembered limbs and headless bodies. It seemed as if he had lost his faculty to keep running, as he began dodging obstacles of rubble where there were buildings previously.
Finally he spotted a landmark where there used to be a marketplace. He hoped that not far away from that location, he would see his house, hesitating to look in that particular direction, lest he might come across nothing but another rubble instead.
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