Ghost of Malabar by Soumya Ayer

Author:Soumya Ayer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: Harper Children's
Published: 2022-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

No Place to Hide

The moment they stepped out of the police station Edwin knew his mother was going to give him an earful. He adjusted his empty backpack on his shoulder waiting for the onslaught, and it came swiftly.

‘What were you doing at the garbage dump?’ she said grabbing his arm. ‘Don’t you know you shouldn’t get mixed up in police business? I was meant to be at work, not at the police station.’

‘It wasn’t me,’ he winced.

‘It wasn’t you? Then what were you doing with the crown in there?’ She jabbed her finger at the police station.

Edwin had to spill it all out. ‘It was a ghost,’ he blurted. ‘He put it in my—’

‘Stop it. It’s one thing you lie to me, but telling these stories to the police is just too much. I’ve done everything for you. After ammoomma’s house was sold, I moved here so that you wouldn’t have to take a boat to school.’

Edwin remembered that there were no roads where ammoomma had lived, and the only way to get to school was in a small canoe. It was quite fun actually. He loved the days it rained heavily, because the boats wouldn’t ply and he would have to miss school. Amma was never happy about that.

‘I work hard to send you to a good school, yet you lie and get mixed up with the police. School is the only way out for you, for all of us. Don’t you understand that? Do you want to end up like your appan?’

Never, Edwin screamed in his head. Don’t compare me with him. I’m not a liar like him. I’m telling the truth. He wanted to say that, but he knew his mother wouldn’t understand him.

Tears trickled out of his eyes. Did she even love him? Why was it always about school, school, school? He wanted to run away to the other side of the ocean. He rubbed the tears from his face and told her he would fetch Anu and Kutty from school.

‘You do that,’ she said, glaring at him. ‘I will have to work late today because the whole day has been wasted.’

Edwin waited behind a tree next to the tea shop opposite school, and only stepped forward when the children started to pour out through the school gates. Anu’s worried expression broke into one of delight when she spotted Edwin. She tugged Ashraf’s arm, bouncing on her feet.

‘Where were you, Edwin?’ Ashraf gave Edwin a quizzical look. ‘Stomach problems again?’

Edwin clutched his stomach, a sheepish look on his face. There was no way he was telling Ashraf about his trip to the police station.

‘You must have worms in your stomach. Go see a doctor.’

Edwin was relieved his mother wasn’t back from work when he arrived home with Anu and Kutty.

‘I am hungry,’ complained Kutty from the kitchen. ‘Where is Amma?’

Edwin fixed his siblings a snack, washed the dishes, folded the clothes and checked on appan while Anu and Kutty ran out to play. He opened the almirah to put his clothes away.

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