Walking On Seashells (Chapter 1 Excerpt)

“To remain here is a lie, to depart to another world is the truth.” – Tamil proverb

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Anjali’s eyes were beautiful, dark orbs nestled cosily in their sockets, perfectly symmetrical on her round face. She had her father’s eyes, strangers on the street often said, but he didn’t have the defiant, mischievous gleam that she had in hers. Tiny but plump like a mini Michelin mascot, her fists were constantly clenched as she stumbled here and there, searching determinedly for a new adventure in even the tightest, deepest crack in the pavement. Headstrong just like her father. Or so he’d like to think.

“Anjali! Please stop putting snails in your pockets,” Haresh called out from the kitchen exasperatedly. It had been raining heavily, causing snails to wander about the sidewalks and roads. Anjali had taken upon herself the very important duty of “rescuing” snails that came out from their flooded homes, and this rescue mission included picking up wet, slimy snails by their shells and placing them in the safest place in the world: her pocket.

Anak Haram (Excerpt)

I remember how dead I felt when I found out about the truth.

When I turned the tender age of 10, Adeline, the head of the orphanage, had brought me to her little office. The windows were dusty and tinted blue so the sky looked sadder than it usually did. I remember sitting on the flimsy, plastic chair and drawing up scenarios of the possibilities in my mind, jiggling my foot up and down impatiently as I waited for Adeline to finish pouring herself a cup of coffee.