Bone China. Roma Tearne. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Roma Tearne
Издательство: HarperCollins
Серия:
Жанр произведения: Книги о войне
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9780007284078
Скачать книгу
could. Two young people with no idea of what their future held, but planning it anyway.

      After a while they decided to go back up the hill towards the centre. Someone said there was a street fair and Christopher thought they might try the tombola. He had forgotten about the Tamil strikers’ demonstration. It was Kamala’s father, catching sight of them retracing their footsteps, who remembered. But by the time he had found someone to mind his stall they had vanished from sight. The crowds had grown. Away from the sea breeze the smell of sweaty bodies mixed with the fetid slabs of meat in the market as he hurried through the maze of stalls. An air of nervous tension hung over the neighbourhood. Outside, close to the Fort and behind the market, a few mounted policemen in white uniforms waited expectantly. Most of the shops in this area were shut or closing, there was no sign of the fair, and no sign of Kamala or Christopher. One or two men on bicycles rode by. A few dogs scavenged in the gutters. Kamala’s father quickened his pace.

      The whole of this part of the city was in darkness. A muffled sound of voices, the faint throb of a loudspeaker could be heard in the distance, but still he could not see anyone. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a movement, but when he turned there was nothing there. He hurried on knowing he could not leave the stall for long. He needed to find Kamala and Christopher, to warn them to keep away from the demonstration. He was now in St Anthony’s Road and in front of him was the great Roman Catholic cathedral. Close by was Temple Tree Square where the Bo trees were tied with offerings. Kamala’s father breathed more easily, for this was a sacred site with an open aspect and lights. Through the trees, on the other side of the square, he could see the reason for the silence. The demonstrators, with their banners, had gathered together to listen to the speaker. The march had ended peacefully after all and as he approached Kamala’s father saw with relief that Christopher and Kamala were on the edge of the crowd.

      ‘Kamala,’ he had called. ‘Kamala, Christopher. Come here.’ He waved urgently, becoming suddenly, unaccountably afraid.

      Only then did he see the shadow of a saffron robe. Only then did he smell the petrol and see the ragged flames, one after another, until too late, a circle of fire surrounded him. Drawing closer and closer. A Kathakali dance of death.

      ‘Watch out,’ he had shouted in vain. ‘Be careful. Chris, Chris, take her away.’

      They heard him shout but the words were indistinct. Kamala turned and ran towards him. For a brief moment, in the flare of the burning rags, Christopher saw them both clearly, her wide bright eyes reflecting the light, her hair aglow. Then he heard only their screams, father and daughter, mixing and blending together with the sound of his own anguish. Flesh against flesh, ashes to ashes.

      The night was nearly over now. For Christopher there would never be such a night again. He stared at his hands. They oozed liquid through the bandages his mother had used. The burns covered both palms, crossing his lifeline, changing it forever. He had heard afterwards, there had been many others. One of them, he had cried, hardly registering the look on his mother’s face, had been the man she knew as Vijay.

      The dawn rose, the sun came out. Beach sweepers began clearing the debris from the night before, but still Christopher stood motionless, Kamala’s name tolling a steady refrain in his head. A newspaper seller shouted out the headlines, riots, petrol bombs, fourteen dead, seven injured. The government was to impose a curfew. But Christopher heard none of this. It was the day of the total eclipse.

      They found his bicycle first. It was another four days before they found him. He had wandered for miles along the outskirts of the city, without shoes, his bandages torn off, his hands a mass of sores and infected pus, his face covered in insect bites. He did not see the eclipse as the moon slipped slowly over the sun. Or the many thousand crescent shadows that drained the warmth from the earth. Or hear the birds, whose confused, small roosting sounds filled the sudden night. And, as his family searched frantically for him, Christopher remained oblivious of the darkness that slipped swiftly across the land before sinking at last, gently, into the Bay of Bengal.

       6

      GRACE, FACE DOWN, FISTS CLENCHED, was lying across the bed. She was trying to control herself. Somewhere far in the distance a train hooted. The sound sliced the air. She shuddered as though she had been hit by it. Aloysius was frightened. Closing the bedroom door, he stood for a moment staring at her in horror.

      ‘What is it, Grace?’ he asked in a whisper. ‘Nothing happened to Christopher in the end. What’s wrong?’

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAjcAAALyCAMAAAAR0wWbAAADAFBMVEUAAAAzMzNgYGBmZmZoaGhw cHB4eHiAgICIiIiQkJCYmJiZmZmgoKCoqKiwsLC4uLjAwMDIyMjQ0NDY2Njg4ODo6Ojw8PD///+Z ZmZmMzOZMzMzAABmAACZAADMAACZMwCZZjNmMwCZZgCZmWZmZjOZmTMzMwBmZgCZmQCZzACZzDNm mQCZ/wBmmTOZzGYzZgBmzACZ/zNm/wBmzDMzmQCZ/2YzzABm/zMz/wBmmWYzZjOZzJkzmTNmzGYz zDMAMwAAZgAAmQAAzAAA/wAz/zNm/2aZ/5kA/zMAzDMz/2YzzGYAmTNm/5kA/2YzmWZmzJkAZjMA zGYz/5mZ/8wA/5kzzJkAmWZm/8wAzJkz/8wA/8zg6OhmmZno8PAzZmaZzMwzmZlmzMwzzMwAMzMA ZmYAmZkAzMwA//8z//9m//+Z///w//8AzP8AmcwzzP8zmcwAZplmzP8Amf8zZplmmcwAM2YAZswz mf+ZzP8AZv8zZswAM5lmmf8AM8wzZv8AM//IyNDQ0NioqLiwsMDY2OCQkKhwcJC4uMiYmLB4eJiA gKCgoLjAwNDg4OiIiKioqMBoaJBwcJiQkLBgYIjIyNh4eKCwsMiYmLhYWIBQUHhmZpm4uNDQ0ODo 6PBYWIhQUIBISHhAQHA4OGgzM2Y4OHCZmcwwMGgoKGAgIFggIGAzM5lmZswYGFAYGFgzM8wQEEgQ EFAICEgAABAAABgAACAAACgAADAAADMAADgAAEAAAEgAAGYAAJkAAMwAAP8zM/9mZv+Zmf/w8P8Q CFAIAEgoIGAgGFgYEFAQCEhIQHhAOHA4MGgwKGAoIFhoYJBgWIhYUIBQSHhIQHBwaJB4cJhoYIiA eKCIgKgzAP+IgKCQiKiYkLCgmLgzAMxmM/+ooLiwqMDAuNBmM8wzAJmZZv9mAP/IwNBmM5mZZswz AGZmAMyZM/+ZAP+ZM8xmAJmZAMzo4OiZZpnw6PBmM2aZM5kzADNmAGaZAJn/8P/MAJmZAGaZM2Zm ADPMAGaZADPMADNPEekcAAAgAElEQVR42u19W28bR7b1YMDmDbyL7PpxQX5B/kQ8USJZ1l2K7Q8x JdkQJBkwcchvzEZVPUpty459nPjEZwYnE+AkL/M8yFMeT1VXX6q6q0mKdgZmuLYupMQWJZjbq9a+ rf0nxud6Y/SMwJbX/sT8ed44/GbJ/YYLJ5jjg9FX+Mdbcrzhc3zAb4A3XLiCf8Nb+M2y402EIP5N bnFOAW8UZxHOwP2Zb4E34Ddz8hvEU+A3N+c3HHgDfqPxFz7jLc4p4I2elxF4MhPPwTkFfqNHSzzO CU+MqcCLgTdxjBRyF4k7fNot8Ab8xrfmcCYjDvwGeMPNHI7CnQR7bLeIp8BvMvwmQZ/8DA7wBniT 4Tfq/kTsgd+A30QYwnOiKssH4ingTTZ3k+I8tpwx/Ab8xoyX0qhjZzrwG+CNJY5K6lA+6lOw6fkb PgFrdGRi9BH+8cBvrHzG4Dqpr3FOgd/Y+E36qxT2IJ4C3mT5jSWHrOeKEU/B/mRlNNPYDupTwJuJ uRob9iCegk2sT/EJuR2cU8CbVH0qm6tJ6lVaPIVzCvyGW3uIs6gT30M8BbyZ1FucG1/Bb8Bv8jr9 uLX3mGOeAWbL32RyNdYcMvwG/CYnf8MnZHDAi4E3Kf4yHWvAb+A3U3LEZnwVf0YcDrzJn2Ow9QEi noKRaf03+Tlj+A3wZlovcQprVMyFcwr8Zmp9KvsV8AZ4M2N9ysAl9ImC32Tnp+xxlHYPfVvAm9z5 Kd+eOw71KOA34Dd+bq44b64KfgO8mTA/lenzi7+PeAr8JqeHOC+qgh4F7E98Qg+xbcYB+WIYmT4f njPpAL8B3kzCFj+tiwP9G9js/AZ6FLAJ/CYHWyyxFuanwG+m1qdsEw3AG+CNtT5lxx/wG1iG3/Cc jhtLZAXda+CNbX4qu5chUw/HOQV+40+dZUjneIA3wJtJ+n6WW4U/wBvwmwmdfTxnfhPnFPBmor6f rRaOfTDwmxvqF6M+BcvlN7acceo64A34ja3qPW1mHH4DvJlRu9jMHeOcAr+ZqkGRneAEvwHeTJmf ympugd/Abybq+9lnxaGXDpui75ed2YReOozMqu+XrVDBb4A3ufp+Fp2tJJ4CvwG/ydvPgH13sBny N9kZzTxtUfBi8JsJ+n72GQf0+8Fm0fdL548RT8Fm0fezPQa/Ad5M0fezchzUp8Bvbrp/Cv3FsJnr U6n+P5xT4DfT9f24ZZ8v8Ab8ZqK+n1UDB34DfjOLvl+W3+CcAr+Zru+X0amA34DfTNS/Qf4GNiV/ Y9f3M3txMB8OI7Pp+/lZDRz0iQJvpun7ZeYagDewm+gX6/fhN8CbGfT90jVxzrEPBvxmRn0/6FHA cvnNLDo4mJ+C38yg72dhP+DFwJup+n6+ZScM8Ab8ZlZ9P+hRwCbmbybr+6HfD3YjfT/9a+AN8GYm fb8UBwIvBr+5ib5feC32QANvZtP3wz5f2BR+4+cijq5HAX4DfjOTvp+JS/Ab8JuZ9P3Q7webwG+m 6fv56PeD3UTfz0AlxOHAm1n1/XTeA7wBv5lR3w/1KdjE/E2+vp/Oe+A34Dcz6vtBTxRmzd9M0ffT eQ7OKfCb2fX90O8Hy+U3U/X90F8Mu6m+H+pTsAy/mUHfD/unYDZ+M4u+H/I3sBvr+8X8BngDfnMz fT8f+n7wm5vq+0GPAkbm0ffjmGeA3VzfL7oGfgN+c0N9P9SnYDfW9wO/gZF59P3Q7webS98P/X6w OfT9kC+GzanvB710+M1c+n7I3wBvbqzvh3gKNpe+n49+P/jNTfX90O8HI++j7we8Ab+Bvh/s/fM3 k/T9sO8OlsnfzKDvh32+MDu/mT4bjn2+sL