“Her left eye was bruised and her lip split. ‘Did he hit you?’ I asked her. She shrugged. ‘He always hits me. It’s nothing – not any more. I’m used to it.’ She put a cup of water on the floor. ‘What’s your name?’ she asked, without looking at me. ‘Arjan. What’s yours?’ She went over to the window and leant against the shutters. ‘I’m Shanti.’ ‘Why do you stay here?’ I asked her. ‘Why don’t you leave?’ She looked down at her grubby clothes. ‘Where would I go? At least I have a bed and food here. O...ut on the streets, I would starve.’ ‘But you must have family – uncles, aunts…?’ She shook her head. ‘I would never go back to them. There is too much…shame. The bandits have ruined my life. Now I’m theirs.’ I stood and went to her. ‘What about the police?’ ‘You have a lot to learn,’ she said. ‘There is a curfew but no policemen or soldiers come here. Why is that, do you think?’ She was right – I didn’t know anything about such a life.MoreLessRead More Read Less
You can download books for free in various formats, such as epub, pdf, azw, mobi, txt and others on book networks site. Additionally, the entire text is available for online reading through our e-reader. Our site is not responsible for the performance of third-party products (sites).
User Reviews: