Kalia

Kalia watched the dancing water gradually become calm, even as he readied to disturb it again. One rough callused hand fingered the smooth round flawless surface of the second pebble. His eyes, although still young and sharp, were red rimmed and hooded with crusty lids and small sparse eyelashes. At the moment they were narrowed and shielded by his shaggy eyebrows, puckered and closing ranks together against the blazing afternoon sun. With the other hand he brushed back the tail-end of his turban, now soggy with sweat and moisture of the humid air of Fatehgarh village, tucking a stray lock...

Read the full story in the Volume Nine, 2011 issue of Kansas City Voices

or

Request to read the original story via email for just 99p! (T&C apply)

1900 words
Fiction/Drama
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"We feel that it has a unique voice and that the description of the characters and setting are excellent."

Susan Peters

Prose Editor

Kansas City Voices

"The detail is good and the images are strong"

Melinda Selmys

Editor

Vulgata

"It’s a well-written story, and we were impressed with your craft. Clearly it came from a capable hand."

Luc Saunders

Editorial Associate

The Sun

"It is a pleasure to accept your manuscript... fine contribution."

Nathan Grant

Editor-in-Chief

African American Review

Kalia

The stone dropped with a soft plop into the murky water and the ripples began... smaller, then in ever-widening circles, until the outermost lapped his ankle ambitiously. The sound reminded him of the limp slap of a heavy curtain’s resisting hem flapping in the wind against a window sill. A hardened donkey nearby drank deeply from the edge of the water with noisy slurps. Its thick lips caressed the water’s surface and caused more tangential ripples to form. Further downstream a woman was washing clothes. She dipped a shirt into the water, rubbed it vigorously with soap that was rapidly...

Read the full story in the Spring/Summer 2011 issue of Existere

or

Request to read the original story via email for just 99p! (T&C apply)

3260 words
Fiction/Drama
Canada publication

***********************

Words from the Wise

"The detail is good and the images are strong"

Melinda Selmys

Editor

Vulgata

"It’s a well-written story, and we were impressed with your craft. Clearly it came from a capable hand."

Luc Saunders

Editorial Associate

The Sun

"It is a pleasure to accept your manuscript... fine contribution."

Nathan Grant

Editor-in-Chief

African American Review