Waiting for the Monsoon by Threes Anna Read Free Book Online

wind.”
    â€œA wind?”
    â€œYes, a hard wind or sharp wind, fat wind, soft wind, warm wind, cold wind, tickle wind, swivel wind, morning wind, or winter wind.”
    Charlotte looks at him open-mouthed. “Do you know that many different winds?”
    â€œIn the mountains we have lots more winds. Feather wind, sand wind, snow wind, race wind, quiet wind, bride’s wind, summer wind, dive wind, clap wind, fall wind, push wind, north, west, east, and south wind, and of course the dream wind. There are lots more, but those are the most important ones. First you choose a wind and make it blow. The other person has to guess which wind it is. If you guess right, you have to grab the wind and make a new wind blow. Do you get it?”
    Charlotte nods. “I’ll go first.” She spreads her arms wide, bends from the waist, narrows her eyes to slits, and whooshes around the deck.
    â€œHard wind?” Ganesh shouts.
    She goes on blowing.
    â€œSharp wind? Race wind? Whirlwind?” Ganesh shouts the names of all the winds he knows, but the little girl isn’t satisfied with any of them.
    â€œNo, no,” she shrieks.
    â€œNight wind . . . dry wind . . . fleece wind . . . devil’s wind . . . sun wind . . . ?” Ganesh calls out the names of more and more winds.
    â€œIt’s a really easy one.”
    â€œTop wind?”
    She shakes her head.
    â€œFinger wind . . . sulphur wind!”
    She runs around him in circles, she laughs, arms wide open, her head bowed. “Wrong, wrong, all of them wrong. And all of them right.”
    â€œThat’s impossible.”
    â€œIt’s the wind of India,” she crows, “the wind that blows around our house just before the monsoon!” She hurtles past. “Now that you know the answer, you have to catch me.”
    Ganesh runs after her, arms wide apart and head low, his steps becoming longer and faster than hers. With a sweep of his arm, he lifts her from the ground and swings her around and around. They’re going faster and faster. And laughing harder and harder.
    There is a hair-raising scream, and two hands pull her down. Charlotte lands on the deck with a smack. She cries out in pain. Auntie Ilse grabs her hand and jerks her to her feet.
    â€œHelp! HELP!”
    People come running from all directions, shouting questions.
    â€œHe, he . . .” Auntie Ilse points to Ganesh. “He tried to steal my child!”
    Two men grab him by the shoulders, drag him backwards, and push him against the wall. A tall man with a moustache punches him in the stomach. Ganesh doubles over. A man wearing brown boots gives him a kick.
    Auntie Ilse pulls the sweater over Charlotte’s head and throws it over the railing.
    A shower of blows rains down on Ganesh, mercilessly, without stopping. “Brown rat, you’ll pay for this.” He doesn’t feel the blows, he doesn’t feel anything. All he hears is Charlotte crying.
1936 Grand Palace ~~~
    THE MAHARAJA’S SEVEN daughters are gathered together in the silver room on the first floor. They are all attired in costly saris and jewels. Chutki, the youngest daughter, is bothered by the weight of the gold chains around her neck, wrists, and ankles, and the nose ornament, which her eldest sister had insisted upon, is uncomfortable. The girls peek through the openings in the heavy gold brocade drapes. Beneath the window, four-year-old Chutki sees her father’s snorting elephants. They are decked out in jewels and expensive draperies, but they don’t seem to mind. Seated on their backs are her uncles and other important men attired in glittering robes. All around the square in front of the palace where they live, musicians with gold turbans and large copper horns are stationed a metre apart. One of her sisters points to the left, where the village chiefs of their district are assembled on