कौआ (Kaua) – Chapter 4

A New Life – Conclusion Ranjubai slept fitfully through the afternoon occasionally crying out in pain as she turned on her thin cotton mattress. Her body was on fire. It was later that evening Dass returned lurching unsteadily through streets and singing loudly the latest Hindi song from the Bollywood movie currently being shown at Maratha Mandir theatre. He’d somehow been able to get past … Continue reading कौआ (Kaua) – Chapter 4

कौआ (kaua) = Chapter 3

Life on the Streets “What’s your name?” The girl repeated this in several dialects until it registered with Kaua. Kaua looked at the girl and his lack of language skills distressed him. How was he to prosper in this city unless he could communicate more. “My name is Kaua!” The girl looked at him incredulously, then burst into laughter. “Do you realize what you just … Continue reading कौआ (kaua) = Chapter 3

कौआ (kaua) – Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Survival After a while Kaua arose and looked around. He was hungry, tired and his muscles ached from holding on desperately all night. As he progressed back toward the station entrance and the usual cluster of barrows selling a variety of trinkets and foods his eyes focused on a stall where a young girl was frying bonda and selling it. Her parents … Continue reading कौआ (kaua) – Chapter 2

कौआ (kaua) – Chapter 1

Chapter One – The Escape Kaua was his name, well that was not his birth name, but he’d been called Kaua since childhood and had trouble remembering what his real name was. Kaua had vague memories of his parents in his ancestral village. His father had been a village toddy maker and brewed his noxious potions in among a collection of thorn trees by the … Continue reading कौआ (kaua) – Chapter 1

The Winds of Strife

An eerie glow in yonder sky The village stopped to stare, They’d seen it all in days gone by For it was hardly rare. The news reports on high alert For typhoons ran this way, The last one’s damage really hurt It’s memory to stay. The people had nowhere to go Their options very few, Another storm, a fatal blow Could they their hopes renew? … Continue reading The Winds of Strife

Bruce’s Life Adjustment

Bruce was in high spirits as he walked into the medical centre. He was a very methodical person, sometimes to the irritation of his spouse Gwen. He was careful to meet his regular scheduled medical check-up appointments. One can’t be too careful he intoned to those who had an interest in listening. Because that was his strong conviction he was careful with good health check … Continue reading Bruce’s Life Adjustment

The Morning Tamasha

Chandra paused from her work and listened with the practiced care of a mother who had children of her own. Baby Hilda was stirring and making muffled whimpering sounds from her cradle in the main bedroom. Memsahib had entrusted the little one to Chandra while she made a quick trip to the Darji on Main Street to find out why he hadn’t delivered dresses ordered … Continue reading The Morning Tamasha

Sheila Carter – Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Retribution It was on a fateful day, months after the dance at their farm district meeting hall Sheila was shopping on a day off work in a shopping centre in the suburbs. She usually met up with family members in from the country for a day’s shopping and accompanied them as they shopped and shared a meal together, but for some reason the … Continue reading Sheila Carter – Chapter 4

Sheila Carter – Chapter 3

Chapter 3. The Young Doctor It was difficult at first to return to a regimented program at the hospital. The Matron was stern and wouldn’t tolerate indiscipline or shoddy work and that was OK with Sheila. She had an interest in helping people and soon became a favourite with patients. Her cheery smile won over most. It was very occasionally someone made a disparaging remark … Continue reading Sheila Carter – Chapter 3

Sheila Carter – Chapter 2

Chapter 2. The Attempted Conquest That was then, this was now. Sheila Carter sat and pondered the stories handed down to her as she grew up. She was mixed race but in her heart, she identified with her tribal ancestors. This had been encouraged by her father Neville who despite his white skin, tanned brown over the years from hard labour on the farm was … Continue reading Sheila Carter – Chapter 2