For Tara and her brother, Suraj, the year their mother and grandfather fled the village of Morni in the middle of the night has been a nightmare. Their new stepmother is cruel and deceptive, and the village itself is lacking a healer. What's more, men of the village have been disappearing, often ...
She could not scream or move, so great was her fear born of thousands of tales she had heard about the fatality of a cobra’s bite. The snake slithered over the sleeping form of Suraj, closer and closer to his forehead. It stopped and raised its hood, preparing to strike. Silver light glinted off ...
The back door flew open. Tara screamed and flung herself backward, raising her arms to ward off an attack. Parvati staggered in, carrying an unconscious Suraj. Raka stood by the door watching them. His turban was askew and rivulets of sweat dripped from his haggard face. Tara ran to help her moth...
Tara ran to him. “How do you feel?” “What happened?” he asked, shivering. “I heard someone yelling.” “That was me,” mumbled Tara. “It’s not important.” “You fainted,” said Ananth. “But thank God you’re okay. Here, take my kurta. You’re cold.” Ananth stripped off his kurta and slipped it over Kabi...
The rain had driven everyone indoors, if only for a cup of tea, and by eight o’clock in the evening the dhaba was at its peak of chaos. Kunal gazed at the packed dining room through thick clouds of beedi smoke. Oil shone from the surfaces of the tables. The damp walls suck...