Free Princess Play by Barbara Ismail Page A

frustration, her father slapped her, hard. She fell silent immediately. He looked over at Daud, abashed, but relieved to have quieted her. ‘Now, tell me!’ He commanded her. ‘Where is he?’
    â€˜I don’t know!’ She threatened to break into tears again, but a good look at her father’s face convinced her to avoid it. ‘I thought maybe …’
    Osman shouldered his way into the crowd, and looked down with evident surprise at the girl squatting in the dirt.
    â€˜She tried to grab Aliza,’ Daud explained quickly. ‘She chased her to stop her from coming home, and she tripped on a rock. We need a doctor here too.’
    Osman turned and signalled his men; the doctor was now working on Maryam and would next move on to Aliza. Osman hated to see the whole family involved.
    â€˜We’re trying to find out why. Which is hard!’ Daud added in frustration.
    Osman turned to Zaiton, ‘Well?’
    â€˜I was looking for Rahim.’
    Osman looked confused. ‘Why Rahim? Why Aliza?’
    Zaiton gave a monumental sniff and looked around the faces before her. None seemed particularly sympathetic – or that patient, for that matter. She decided it best to talk quickly, before her father moved to hurry things along again.
    â€˜I thought he might be here. Because, you see …’
    Aziz snorted impatiently. ‘Listen to me, daughter, you’d better talk and talk fast, or else …’
    â€˜I thought he might come here to talk to Mak Cik Maryam. About my mother’s death. If he were here, I wanted … to know,’ she finished lamely.
    â€˜Did you think he might hurt her?’
    â€˜No! Of course not! No, I just wanted to find out what happened to Mak Cik Maryam.’ She turned to her father and spoke rapidly. ‘He wouldn’t hurt anyone, Ayah . He’s a good man. No, I wasn’t worried about that, just that I didn’t know what happened, so I was … worried.’
    â€˜What did she say?’ Osman asked Daud, cursing himself again for not understanding.
    â€˜She only wanted to find out what happened.’
    The doctor came down the stairs, looking for his next patient. ‘How is my mother?’Ashikin asked while cradling the still quiet Aliza.
    He grunted. ‘I’m putting her in the hospital now; it’s just to be on the safe side. Concussion possibly. But we have to be careful. That’s going to leave a nasty bruise, I haven’t seen an enam sembilan attack for … I don’t know how long. What’s it about?’
    Ashikin shrugged.
    â€˜Another concussion? What’s going on here?’ The doctor then knelt down next to Aliza, looking concerned. He wiped away the blood, still streaming down her forehead. He shook his head sadly.
    â€˜She’s also going to the hospital. Her daughter?’Ashikin nodded, tears spilling from her large eyes.
    â€˜They should go quickly,’ he said to Osman. ‘I’ll go with them.’
    Moments later, an ambulance came screaming into the kampong , lights flashing. Maryam, Aliza and the doctor, accompanied by several policemen with strict orders not to let the two women out of their sight, were soon rushing back to Kota Bharu.

Chapter XI
    Osman thought he would go mad with worry. He had patrolled the hallways of the Kota Bharu General Hospital too often. In fact, Rahman (his sidekick, as he thought of him) had only recently been released after a serious head injury nearly cashiered him. And now Maryam and – worse – her young daughter were here with similar injuries. (Although, he fervently prayed, not as critical as Rahman’s.) He ought never to have asked Maryam to help him, but how was he to know her daughter would also get involved? He peeked into their rooms, and continued to pace the corridors.
    Maryam was awake, but groggy, constantly running her fingers along the heavy rope pattern on her forehead. Mixed into her