Feeling

Chapter 14 - Trouble in the town

The bus took me directly to the centre of town, and the driver helped me off the bus. I gave him €5 as a thank you for all the help, and for the lift to a place with no bus stop. I saw a woman nearby who was selling bracelets and necklaces, and maps of Cala D’or. I figured one of these would be useful so, I bought a map and a necklace for just €2.

I found the souvenir shops a lot faster than I expected. It was nearly 12 now so I was starting to get hungry having not eaten much breakfast. I went into a shop that sold a variety of things. Bobble head animals, magnets, bags, purses, old currency, t-shirts, hats, sandals, flippers, snorkels, and all in hundreds of colours. I’d never seen so much stuff for tourists.

I picked up a t-shirt with a VW camper van on the front. I was planning on giving Sam the necklace I’d bought, and finally I went into the kids section. I looked around at all the items, and looked for something perfect for Jane. I wanted to give her things that I could say my mum liked too.

I found a dot-to-dot colouring book that had over 500 different pictures to colour in. I also grabbed her a Barbie Doll, I knew we had one of mum’s ones up in the loft somewhere. With my slightly odd range of gifts I went over to the counter to pay. As I stood in line, I saw a large group of people walking across the street. And by large group I mean, 75-100 people. Interested by the hassle outside I quickly paid for my things and shoved them in my bag.

I made my way to the pavement outside, there were people shouting and screaming, the large group were marching down the street holding signs. I wasn’t fast enough to get in front of them to see what they said, but I gathered they were protesting. I carried on walking down to see if I could find a place for lunch.

A police car came past me at frightening speeds. It scared the life out of me. I was so shaken by the fast movement I had to rest in the shade. I shut my eyes and breathed slowly in the humidity of the town. I gradually began to calm down and was coming back to life. My relaxing was interrupted, I heard a loud bang, like gunfire come from down the road, followed by large amounts of screaming.

I quickly made my way in the opposite direction, but everyone seemed to be going towards the gunfire, they must be used to it, after a couple minutes of going in this direction I realised why people were going the other way. The café down the road was on fire, and it was quickly spreading from building to building. In utter panic that I may get caught by it I changed direction and went the other way, I passed a shop and saw a lady with 2 babies and a toddler inside, she couldn’t carry them all, and they couldn’t walk.

I went inside through the smoke and screamed “Follow” at her, I grabbed the toddler by the armpits and slopped him on my lap, I wheeled myself as quickly as I could out of the shop, and the stock in the corner began to set alight. I gestured to her to follow me and she grabbed her kids and ran out the door as the ceiling began to collapse. The nearby fire made the heat of the sun even more unbearable, and I felt like my hands were melting on the heat of my tyres. The noise was insane, all you could hear was burning and screaming.

We rushed down the road away from the flames tearing the buildings apart. As we went down the poorer roads we saw loads of people sat on the floor. Their hands were out to us, begging for money, we had to help them. I threw coins at them and pointed at the fire behind me. With no more words they stood and ran, the lady who’s child I was carrying had run away, I was left with this toddler crying on my lap.

I needed to get him to safety, I quickly rushed to the nearest sheltered area on the opposite side of the road. I placed him down and held out my hand in a ‘wait here’ gesture. I fled to the telephone and rung my hotel.

“Can you put me through to room 12 please, I’m a resident of the room and this is an emergency.”

The phone rang for a few seconds before Dad picked up the phone crying.

“Dad help me. I’m in the town and the houses are on fire and I had a kid and I don’t know what to do with him or where his mother has gone.” I started to hyperventilate down the phone, dad probably didn't notice.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll come and get you.”

Dad hung up the phone before I could, I rushed away to find the toddler. I saw his mum looking around frantically and mistakenly I waved at her.

She didn’t have her other two kids now, she was alone, and she came raging over to me crying. “You English?” She said, with her angry Spanish accent filled with hate and regret.

“Yes” I nodded and looked deeply into her eyes before realising I’d left her son on the pavement and now he isn’t there.

“Where my baby?” She spoke desperately and shook me by my shoulders. I didn’t know what to do, what was I supposed to say? I pointed to the nearest building that wasn’t on fire and started to wheel myself out of the town centre. I went to the telephone in case I needed to call again. The bus drove past me and I waved hysterically at it, but the bus didn’t stop.

However the bus did come back, and stopped just outside. It was filled with people, people with injuries, it was the same driver that took me here. “Get in” He said viciously. “I’m going to hospital but then I take you home” The man who drove the bus was short and fat, he had a bald head but a slight stubble beard. He began driving as soon as I was in place, and we drove past the houses that had been burnt to ashes.

Families were sat around in the shade, the woman who I tried to save was standing outside her shop. I noticed she had one child with her, the toddler. She must have found him. But what had happened to her two babies I’ll never know.

I was meant to spend a relaxing day in the town by myself, but I spent 5 hours starving on a bus, trying to get to the nearest hospital that was 2 hours away. I blanked out thinking about the horror of the day. Nothing seemed to add up. A group of protestors, a police car, a gunfire, and a whole road burning to nothing. I suppose the protestors could have started the fire, maybe one of them had a gun. I was never going to know.