Instead of trees, lamplit stalls and vendors’ carts clustered before her. An explosion of light and noise and color hit Lila. She sniffed deeply, wishing she could bottle it up and take it home.Ībruptly, the scent of jasmine was replaced by a strong aroma of fried fish. The fragrance of jasmine permeated the air.
#FAT CAT STANDS ON TWO FEET SKIN#
Lila walked into the tunnel, goosebumps prickling her skin as the fireflies alighted on her. It was an unequal fight prudence had never been her strong point. This isn’t what the forest normally looks like.īut-the fireflies! gushed the imprudent part. Stop, warned the prudent part of her brain. As the cat trotted into the tunnel, the fireflies settled on its fur, making it glow. Lila followed the cat across the shadowy field, over the irrigation ditch, and round the massive banyan tree that marked the end of the cultivated plots and the beginning of the forest.Ī tunnel of arched trees stretched before her, glimmering with fireflies. Ma will be looking for you.īut that was a blatant lie, and her feet refused to listen. Lila’s feet propelled her forward, quite independently of her brain. Hadn’t she heard stories about nights like this, stories of monsters with bloodshot eyes, knife-like teeth, and excessively long claws? Why was it so dark? She glanced up at the sky and froze. She arrived in the fields bordered by the forest, and a frisson went through her. The sounds of music and laughter faded away. She rounded a bush, caught sight of the proud tail behind a sheaf of maize, and picked up speed. It was a cat that was meant to be followed. The cat shot her a scornful look and stalked away, tail held high in the air like a pennant. “Here, kitty,” she said hopefully, holding out the crumbs. Lila stuck her hand in her pocket and came up with a few crumbs of popcorn. Cats were a rare sight in the village of Rampur, which was overrun by a pack of pye-dogs.īut the cat shrank back from her, its topaz eyes gleaming with disdain. Delighted, she reached out a tentative hand to pet it. But one end was bitten off, like a monster was nibbling the edge, swallowing it in slow motion.īefore she had time to get worried about this, a large black cat materialized in front of her, making her jump. Such a lovely moon tonight, fat and silver. The moonlight stroked her skin, its touch like silk. Her two older sisters laughed and whispered to each other.
Sulkily, she retreated from the fire to a cool spot on the grass further away. Lila gorged on peanut brittle, popcorn, and sesame candy until her mother told her not to be a pig. It had been a good year, an excellent monsoon season. The beats of a dholak clashed with the twanging of a sarangi. The villagers had gathered around a crackling fire, the men drinking arrack, the women singing folk songs, the children dancing. It was the night of the Harvest Moon, and the maize and the soybean were almost in. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say the cat market found her. Lila found the cat market when she was seven.
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