Chapter 33 -A Moving Snake
“I am hot and tired,” Pratima complains, it’s been hours from sunrise since the workers began. “It is finally looking good. Our bridge fort is all but done.” Her voice is tinged with sadness.
“In three months, when the weather is cooler,” Darlana promises, “the river is beautiful. After the monsoon ends.”
“We need some shade and a cool drink.” Pratima all but whines. Odd for so staunch a worker, Darlana thinks. Is it because this task is done? “You understand so much—about this river—yet you haven’t seen it in well, years.”
“The river talks to me,” Darlana shoots back. “It is a moving snake that rustles between the banks and bounces noisily off every stone and wooden plank.”
“Yes,” Pratima admits. “You are right, you know what it looks like.”
“Next, the rea
