Zsuzu

Chapter 1. The meeting "Suzie! Suzie stop! Suzie, you stop right there do you hear!!! SUZIE!! SUZIE!! SUZIE STOP!!! STOP!!! NNNOOOOOO!!!" A passing cyclist heard the screams coming from a portly black woman as she struggled to run after a little girl who, heedless of the heavy traffic thundering along the narrow road, was running dangerously close to the kerb. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the woman trip and fall heavily, spilling her shopping. The little girl of mixed race turned and laughingly cried out, "You can't catch me now Granny!" Oblivious to the danger, she suddenly she veered to the road. Taking in the situation the cyclist pushed the pedals harder to try and catch the infant. On the very edge of the kerb, Suzie paused and once more turned to call out to her grandmother. That call saved her life. The cyclist braked alongside her, preventing her further entry into the road. Suzie looked up, startled and saw the man leap off his bike and grab her around the waist. She screamed. To her he seemed awesome. Not just old like her granny but he had a long beard and wore baggy trousers and a woolly bobble hat. As she was about to scream again, the man's soft but forceful voice spoke to her, "Calm down, little one. You're not hurt but it seems your granny might be. I'm going to lift you on my bike and we're going to see how granny is doing. Okay?" Without waiting for a reply, he sat [...]