THE car we were traveling in was brought to a sudden halt by a thin man screaming Stop, stop, at the top of his voice. Another man was shouting, Get out! Out! He was carrying a walkie-talkie. His eyed us fiercely as he drew closer. We could even hear him grinding his teeth. His anger was clear for all to see.

He was wearing a black jacket, and under it we could see a blue civil defense uniform. The more I looked at him, the fiercer he seemed to be