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"Sam!" Cat screamed "Oh God, no, no SAAAAM"

She tried to push forward but a wall of people was pushing her back and she alo the way they were going, to get out of the way of the falling debris "My son’s in there, I have to get to rabbing her arainst the ht pink quilted jacket was pressed up to her so that the quilting was in her face, she could s down The , as the loudspeakers were switched off one by one, and then the generators began to fade, and after a while the only sounds were of the still-cracking, crushed ghost-train building and of hu orders fro

Serrailler, pushing through the crowd and shouting "POLICE’, reached the fallen ride at the same time as a dozen other officers and St John A in the distance

The s and dust and oil was acrid, the whole structure had toppled in on itself so that it was impossible to tell what had coround workers were already hauling at great bea thean to rue in the brokenas he was clae runway

"Simon, Jesus, where are you? Sam was on the ride, Sam--"

"OK, I’m up there now Where are you?"

"I don’t know, on the other side, by a stall, I’ether--"

"Stay exactly where you are Don’tis on its way Stay there, Cat"

He cla and canvas, a couple of armed response men behind him There were shouts and cries from all around theuv, it isn’t stable, watch where you’re putting your weight"

"Wait for the fire crews Listen, there’s someone just here, Paul, shove this plastic sheet out of the way, hold me steady" Clive Rowley balanced on a broken piece of rail at an angle

"Shut up Listen"

They stood in the small pocket of silence they had constructed out of the noise crazy all round them

"Left, to your left and then down, Clive"

"Hold this steady"

"Watch yourself You need an axe"

"Haven’t got a fuing axe Hang on Hold it steady, will you?"

He squatted and began to rip the plastic sheeting apart It ca a cavern of black twistedup into the air Below it, so softly in pain and fear He put his foot forward Beside hiirder fast

Clive reached his hand and then his arm into the dark space beneath him and felt around

"Hello Where are you? I’ went on without a pause but it was near, al the surface cautiously, then inched along and put his head to the hole

"Can you hear me?"

"Help me, help me"

"Gotcha OK, we’ll have you out of there in aa hand and feeling round for mine" He half turned his head "Get a torch, can you? I need to see in here"

The sirens were in the square now, vehicle after vehicle turning in and stopping, the flashing lahts, hoses

"Get me a torch"

A torch was in his hand from somewhere behind

"Steady, watch that wooden platfor"

There was a creak and a splintering sound but Clive held steady and the girder did not ain in the blackness and then et the torch in but all he saas a mess

"Can you still hear me?"

No reply

"Reach your hand up"

Silence

He wiped the sweat off his face

"I’m still here I’m Clive Can you hear , "Oh my God, oh , Clive felt so touch his hand and rip

"Yessss"

Gradually, arc lights began to co run up the fallen stands, one after another A child was crying in the blackness deep down under the broken girders

"I’ain?"

After a ripped weakly He crawled forwards cautiously an inch or two, set the torch down and reached both his arms into the hole

"Grip," he said "Grip hard and hold on Can you s free?" A groan of pain but then asound "Be careful Slowly, do it slowly Can you hten on his wrists He held fast Sos behind and there was a ladder beside him

"You can do it," he said into the hole "You’re nearly there Just try and free your legs very carefully Do your legs hurt?"

He could not make out the words Sweat dripped froripping his wrists A beaht the black hole and held it and in its vivid white light he saw the tangled wreckage, the wheel, and the woreen jacket Dark hair Her legs, one free, the other angled out of sight His wrists were burning and his back felt as if soradually, very gradually, he began to move the woman up out of the dark pit, painfully slowly Then, other arms reached out and took the strain with hi isn’t free Watch it, watch it"

But after hours of the night and another lifetime beyond those, her head and then her shoulders were up and into the cool air and the brilliant arc light and so away the