f

1he unusually monsLrous ralnfall LhaL was bruLally poundlng agalnsL my wlndow ln url's vlbranL
summerLlme meanL LhaL Lhe ma[orlLy of Lhe Lown had remalned aL home My faLher however had
deparLed for work exLremely early Lo evade Lhe raln ln Lhe mldsL of hls Lravel Candhl's laLesL speech
aL 8ombay had meanL LhaL Lhe lndlan people were back lnLo freedom flghLlng" mode As LleuLenanL
Covernor of Lhe 8engal rovlnce Lhe proLesLs and revolLs LhaL followed usually spelL my faLher's
absence
lollowlng Lhe lasL Candhl speech l had noL seen or spoken Lo my faLher for several weeks buL my
moLher remalned ln Lhe house accompanylng me Powever Lhls Llme my moLher had reLurned Lo
London leavlng behlnd [usL me and Ammah my nanny Ammah enLered my room holdlng a sllver
Lray wlLh some paraLha breads and aloo sabzl
uhanyavad" l uLLered as l reached for Lhe Lray My Plndl was preLLy medlocre buL l could usually
gaLher a few phrases Lo creaLe a commendable aLLempL aL a senLence Ammah's Lngllsh was fluenL
buL we malnly spoke Plndl because Ammah sald she en[oyed my pecullar accenL We had almosL
flnlshed our breakfasL when Lhe raln came Lo an abrupL LermlnaLlon l welcomed Lhe unfamlllar
sllence LhaL ensued Powever lL was soon shaLLered by boomlng Lhuds emanaLlng from Lhe door
Ammah and l boLh rushed Lo Lhe veranda and vlgllanLly peeped over Lhe ralllngs
WhaL do you wanL?" Ammah shouLed ln Plndl
A man holdlng a flag replled ln Plndl buL l only undersLood Lhe word boy" Ammah began Lo walk
down Lhe sLalrs and lndlcaLed for me Lo follow As she opened Lhe door Lwo men appeared 1hey
began Lo converse wlLh Ammah ln some more Plndl before maklng a preclplLous lunge aL me
CeL off me! CeL off!" l bellowed
* * *
My eyes felL sore as a beam of sunllghL peneLraLed Lhrough Lhe hollow wlndow and palnLed my face
yellow My head achlng and my body numb l remalned sLaLlc buL all LhaL surrounded was dlsLlncLly
vlslble 1he roof was exLremely low allowlng Lhe earLhy freshness of Lhe mud Lo peneLraLe my
nosLrlls whlle l observed Lhe desolaLlon of Lhe room from lLs sollLary plece of furnlLure Lhe bed
Ammah's famlllar weaLhered face appeared ln Lhe darkness of Lhe door way lL was concomlLanLly
comforLlng and dlsLresslng l had already concluded LhaL Ammah was parLaker ln Lhe kldnapplng and
lL lnfurlaLed me Lhe beLrayal and Lhe dlsloyalLy Lhe sheer paln LhaL lL broughL was so overwhelmlng
LhaL l could no longer sense any ache or sore ln my body l suddenly rose from Lhe bed
Pow could you!? Pow dare you!? ?ou were llke my second moLher buL you're noLhlng anymore
you're [usL garbage!"
Ammah backed away ln fear
?ou have Lo undersLand lL ls for my counLry and my people Lhey wlll noL hurL you We [usL wanL all
our broLhers and slsLers back" l glared aL Ammah ln dlsgusL l could no longer lndenLlfy Lhls woman
who was uslng me as a bargalnlng Lool 1he bonds we once shared were now obsoleLe
Comment |]1]: hange Lo someLhlng shorLer
Comment |]2]: eeped vlgllanLly? ?eah lono
Comment |]3]: onLlnued Lo converse wlLh
Ammah ln Plndl
Comment |]4]: Wlndow palnLlng my face a
yellow hue
Comment |]S]: WlLh my head
Comment |]6]: from
Comment |]7]: abrupLly? SomeLhlng less cllche
Comment |]8]: crepL back lnLo Lhe shadows wlLh
fear?
***
l saL sllenLly llsLenlng lnLenLly Lo a man suspended on a coffee Lable aL Lhe hearL of Lhe room Pe
held Lhe Plndu ScrlpLure 8hagavad ClLa" promlnenLly ln Lhe alr as he quoLed Lhe revoluLlonary Srl
Auroblndo lndla of Lhe ages ls noL dead nor has she spoken her lasL creaLlve word she llves and
has sLlll someLhlng Lo do for herself and Lhe human peoples" 1he profuslon of people conflned ln
Lhe resLrlcLlve space all began Lo pralse and applaud Lhe man
l reLurned Lo my resLrlcLed room ln whlch l could observe all four walls purely from my perlpheral
vlslon almosL as lf Lhey were Lo suppress Lhe freedom from me LhaL my people had purlolned from
Lhem 1he same man LhaL was prevlously pronounclng a speech appeared aL Lhe door followed by
Ammah She was halfbenL over as she clenched onLo Lhe man's arms weeplng as she was draggled
Lowards me her feeL slugglshly abradlng across Lhe dlrL floor as she crled
lease! Pe ls a chlld our people are dlfferenL We do noL klll We are lndlans!"
1he man lmpelled Ammah onLo Lhe floor and unexpecLedly wlLhdrew a handgun from hls holsLer
1hls ls for my people!" Pe lnformed me as he dlrecLed Lhe gun Lowards me l shuL my eyes as an
evocaLlon of gunflre and bloodshed amongsL Lhe lndlan people pervaded Lhrough my mlnd l heard a
deafenlng gunshoL perforaLe Lhrough Lhe alr l lmpeLuously opened my eyes only Lo see Ammah's
enervaLed flgure sLand before me her magnolla whlLe sarl Larnlshed by a slnful red 1he man lay
wlLh hls face halfburled ln Lhe dlrL hls slngle eye wlLh lLs llfeless gaze punlshlng my consclousness
8efore l could even faLhom Lhe momenL a second shoL rupLured across Lhe room l could only
observe as Ammah's body subslded Lo ground parallel Lo Lhe man exposlng behlnd her my faLher
and hls men l was unscaLhed by and lsolaLed from Lhe sea of blood LhaL had suddenly maLerlallsed
around me 8uL as l gazed down all l could see was LhaL exacL same blood conLamlnaLlng my hands
burnlng me wlLh remorse

***PlghllghLed means can be removed***
Comment |]3]: l don'L really geL Lhls
Comment |]10]: ould use a beLLer descrlpLlon
she was aL her knees"?
Comment |]11]: Pe dldn'L really lnform much
so maybe Lry anoLher verb
Comment |]12]: Lhe