THE CALL OF DARKNESS
turned around abruptly. No one was behind her. O
nough " sh
r, flung it open and
th just the silver light of the moon fil
and cool. But her sk
The sound of creaking floorboards and foot
ed candle. Laks must have looked insane becau
n... What's goin
frequently in Calcutta. We lose power often here, it
noises in my room
ois
, rustling... Tha
a friendly smile
the colonial period. What you're hearing is the house settling
s it built back when India was s
years old and it's never bee
an's voice coming from the f
ck to your room " Priyan
up, and you're underdres
i noticed that Priya
e her bedroom in pajamas, that's why
te my room in the dark, I didn't mean to
he eyes of the dancer but in those of the onlooker
r your candle? " Laks gave Priyanka a pleading look. The thought
it. But do you really ne
n imagine how m
hey wished eachother good night. Laks
≈ ≈
again. In the daylight, all of her fears
e on her nightstand by the b
a knock
in " sh
iyanka greeted entering the
I came in to bring you somet
what " Lakshmi
s in priyanka's hand and a s
sari! And if you're dressed in Indian clothes, passers by will be less interested in you. The British aren't particularl
ending a foreigner isn't as scary as offendi
couple of minutes to wash up " Laks
yanka began to show Laks
llow sari. She spun around to see he
wearing a sari! I wonder if I'll ever
ix your hair and pick out some
" You're beautiful. I know you like it here in India, but i
d look herself in t
ve breakfast "
minutes. I want to call my
er? " Priyanka
mi as strange. She seemed
iran . He remained i
of sunshine. Such a love
He was a last child, so he was like the sun t
ortune and peace. Probably you were your mother's good fortune and
chest as she looked away " The k
om leave us? If we meant so much to
the millionth time, especially in front of a stranger. Her
t because she needed to care for h
ibility. She didn't have time to cry. But the tangle of
f miss someone who doesn't even care about us. I'm not going to w
her a quick smile " My brother is with a nanny,
ies shouldn't be a
while when schools break up
lcutta? " Pr
d him a hotel or somethin
ld is t
n. He's j
ou won't have to worry, and the
stay here? " La
e plenty of space " Priyank
no words to express my gra
nce more before leaving the room
the hallway in searc
ed the London number and beg
conds, she hea
han's home
f her younger brot
I finally found a
dn't call because you ac
n't be silly.
. I failed my Engli
re responsible while I
er on the court! I think he'll make me t
ow's grandma? Are you
ual. Alright, I'm gonna go back to bed. I
ou up. I miss you so
Me too, see
it. Okey, go get some sleep. I
h U
at the other end o
time for me now " she hung up
us bright room and wal