A Girl and Her Tiger by Zoey Gong
Author:Zoey Gong [Gong, Zoey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Empress Publishing
Chapter Thirteen
Every inch of Priyaâs skin hurt. Her once brown skin was now a deep red. She felt as though she was roasting. There was no shade in the boat to protect her from the sun. She had lost her sari wrap in the ocean and, of course, hadnât grabbed any of the supplies from her room. She had little more than a choli around her breasts and dhoti wrapped around her waist and legs. She unwrapped her dhoti and covered different areas of her body when she could, but something was always exposed. She tried pouring water over herself, and even jumping into the ocean a few timesâalways while keeping a careful hold on the boatâto try and cool off and give her skin some relief, but the salt in the water was drying her skin out, causing the burned skin to crack and bleed, which made the saltwater even more painful to touch.
Nabhitha was in a similar pathetic state. Priya didnât know if tigers could get a sunburn, but the sunlight and heat were definitely upsetting the tiger. All day, Nabhitha sat with her head on her paws, panting and looking longingly out over the water, as though she could will land to appear. She barely moved during the heat of the day, but she ate eagerly in the evenings when Priya forced herself to fish.
They were both exhausted and losing hope.
âIâm sorry, Nabhitha,â Priya said. She wasnât sure why she was apologizing. She might have gotten herself into this mess when she went to Lord Fullertonâs house, but she had nothing to do with Nabhitha getting captured. She also didnât have anything to do with the storm or getting them stranded on this little boat. Without Priya, Nabhitha would have gone down with the ship. Still, apologizing seemed to be the only thing she could think to say. Nabhitha looked at Priya out of the corner of her eye without moving her head and made a little grunt, but otherwise did not acknowledge her.
Perhaps Priya was hoping her apology reached the people who needed it the mostâher parents. Whether she lived one more day or a hundred years, she would never forgive herself for the pain she caused them. She was glad they would not know she had died like this, but even if they thought she was alive, she was still lost to them forever, and they would always ache from that loss.
She thought about how her mother taught her to pray, to kneel before the family altar and burn incense and recite the mantras. Then she would sit on her motherâs lap and listen to the stories about warrior goddesses and hero kings. Her father wasnât around much, but she knew he loved her. Many times, late at night, long after she had fallen asleep, she would awake with his hand petting her hair and his voice saying how proud of her he was. Even though she didnât see him often, she always felt he was there in spirit, guiding and protecting her.
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