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It was the first day of the school holidays. Vincent and Andrew planned to
climb Bukit Duku. They began their climb at 7 a.m. They were surprised that
the climb was difficult even when they started from the bottom of the hill.
Vincent walked into a rattan vine which had thorns on it and he did not like
this at all. His palms became bloody and his shirt tore. Andrew laughed, to
Vincent's annoyance. The slope became steeper. It was also a very hot day.
While they were complaining about the heat, they heard loud rumbles of
thunder. Suddenly it started to rain. The boys had forgotten to bring their
raincoats and soon even their shoes were wet. Andrew slipped and fell a few
meters down a slope. It was Vincent's turn to laugh.
Soon they were both not laughing. They could not see the trail they were
supposed to follow. They came to a fork in the trail. Vincent suggested they
take the left turning. As they climbed, the trail became more and more
narrow. The expected to reach the half-way hut after two hours of climbing,
but after three hours they still hadn't found anything. The boys knew they
were in grave trouble.
They felt miserable. Their sandwiches were wet so they had nothing to
eat. They were tired. Andrew wanted to rest but Vincent insisted they
continue to search for the hut. Both boys knew they were lost. How bad could
it get? They were uncomfortable, hungry and thirsty.
After what seemed like hours, the rain stopped. It began to get dark.
They knew they were hopelessly lost. They did not hear birds or even
insects.
When it grew really dark, Andrew started to cry. Both boys knew their
parents would be worried. They had promised to be home before dark.
'Don't worry, said Vincent. `They will look for us. This is not a
mountain, its just a small hill'. Meanwhile, mosquitoes and leeches were
feasting on their blood.
'Lets use my mobile phone to call home. I wrapped my phone in a plastic
bag. I'm sure it's dry. I only hope I can get through,' said Andrew.
The boys were hopeful. They each said a silent prayer. Andrew dialed the
number and to their great joy, Andrew's father responded. Their worried
parents had already called the police and the police and some orang asli
guides were already on their way up the hill! |
