The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee
Author:Abir Mukherjee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 2021-11-11T00:00:00+00:00
* * *
The plane was one of those huge, lumbering Vickers numbers: two sets of wings hung around a bulbous fuselage and engines the size of small cars. Iâd always been keen on aircraft, even through the war years, stuck in a trench as the flyers of the RFC free-wheeled in their kites overhead.
I greeted the captain and crew, which is more than I can say for Suren, who seemed struck dumb by the whole experience. Indeed, getting him onto the plane was like persuading a dog into a bathtub.
âIâve never been on an aeroplane before,â he said.
âI can see that.â
âAre they safe?â
âAbsolutely,â I said. âUnless thereâs a crash. But thatâs pretty rare these days. Otherwise I expect those fine flying johnnies in the cockpit would be doing a different job.â
âHave you flown before?â
âA few times,â I said, âduring the war. Reconnaissance work over German positions. Compared to that, thisâll be a breeze. For starters I donât expect anyoneâll be shooting at us. Not until we land at any rate.â
The interior was just a hollowed-out tube with a row of shelf-like seats along both sides, with harnesses to stop passengers from flying across the cabin in the event of turbulence. We seemed to be the only passengers, other than a sackful of military correspondence. The engines started with a roar and the Vickers Vernon began to rumble across the airfield. Suren, his knuckles taut, dug his fingers into the padding that passed for seats, screwed his eyes shut and uttered a prayer, I assumed, to the Hindu god of aircraft.
My stomach lurched as the beast took off. Suren still had his eyes closed but his expression suggested it was now less out of fear and more out of an attempt to keep his breakfast down. It was only once the plane had levelled off that he summoned the courage to open them.
âAre we up?â he said, shouting to be heard over the noise of the engines.
I nodded and pointed him to a porthole.
With a bit of goading, I persuaded him to unbuckle his harness and look out of the window. He peered out then turned round and beamed like a schoolboy.
âEverything is so small. So beautiful!â
That much was true. From up here, the country looked ordered and picturesque, a land of green fields and model villages. It was only when you got back down to earth that the truth punched you in the face.
From then on, he was glued to the window almost all the way to Cuttack, strapping himself in at the last minute and closing his eyes for the landing.
As the plane sat on the field, a staff car drew up. I held my breath as an officer stepped out, accompanied by an adjutant with a briefcase. They shook hands and the adjutant handed over the case. The officer made for the plane. He had one of those faces â like the melted wax at the base of a candle.
The door opened and the man, a major, judging by the pips on his shoulders, ducked beneath the low ceiling.
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