"On that particular Sunday, Henry had decided they should walk backwards up the hill at Bukit Timah nature reserve. He wanted to walk up Bukit Timah hill for health reasons on the advice of his doctor, and because he liked to imagine being there in February 1942 as one of the last tigers on the island, taking refuge in the undergrowth while Japanese soldiers surged through the jungle sweeping towards victory over the colonial power. Henry’s doctor advised him to walk up the hill backwards because this would result in less strain on the knees."
"Margaret didn’t want to go up Bukit Timah hill either forwards or backwards. She wanted to visit Bukit Brown cemetery instead, because large parts of it weren’t going to be there very much longer and it looked the way she felt: old, green and tangled- up inside. As always, Henry had his way and Margaret would have to explore Bukit Brown another day."
Excerpt from Walking Backwards Up Bukit Timah Hill, a story in We Rose Up Slowly
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