Read Online No Pain Like This Body by Harold Sonny Ladoo - Free Book Online Page A

than black mud, and the wind howled as evil spirits.
    Long before they reached the river, they heard the hush hush hush of the current; but they walked on. When they reached the river the water was high up.
    Nanna took Balraj and swam the river; the current was pushing hard, but Nanna was a good swimmer. He made it. He called from the other side saying, “Balraj safe on de odder side now!”
    â€œOright!” Nanny shouted.
    When Nanna came to collect Rama, he was tired. Blow­ing. He rested a little. While he rested, Nanny said, “Oldman take care of youself.”
    â€œI see enuff days in Tola. Me eh fraid to dead.”
    Nanna got up. He took Rama and went into the water. Nanny, Ma, Sunaree and Panday stood as a heap of living mud; just waiting for Nanna to cross safely. Then the time grew long; long like a rope, and tied them like a rope too. Their bodies formed one great beast reaching up to the sky. And the clouds opened and out of the middle came water; water that washed away the earth into the mouth of the darkness. Then the thunder heated as the heart of rage in space, and out of the space came the lightning as a great spike and it stabbed the mouth of darkness. And the winds became hot and carried death into all the corners . . . then the rope caught fire and the great beast danced to the tune of death between the darkness and the void. The beast danced even though it knew it was going to die . . . it danced and danced, till the void and the darkness strangled the beast . . .
    â€œAll you go home now!” Nanna shouted from the other side. “Oright!” Nanny said.
    Nanny, Ma, Sunaree and Panday hurried home through the rain.
    V
    TWO DAYS HAD passed. The rain was over, but the earth was wet and it smelt like new. The water in the riceland was low. Pa sat on a crate; he was eating a shard of roti. He wasn’t drunk, but his eyes looked like dirt. Then he stopped chew­ing the roti. “Eat fast Sunaree and Panday. All you have to plant rice.”
    Ma stood near the ricebox. She didn’t eat but her belly was full; full of worries. Her eyes were almost hidden in her bony sockets. She said to Pa, “Now you let dese chirens eat in peace. Balraj and Rama still in dat haspital. So you let dese chirens eat.”
    Pa sat on the crate. He went on eating, but he shook his feet all the time. Suddenly he threw his food away. “I go take a chila and beat all you modderass in dis house!”
    He was waiting for Ma to say something. She said noth­ing. Pa walked out of the house.
    Sunaree and Panday sat on the earthen floor. They ate fast, chewing like hell just to please Ma.
    â€œNow all you take all you time,” Ma said. “It not good to eat fast fast.”
    Sunaree and Panday couldn’t reply to this; their mouths were full of food. They only shook their heads. Ma rested her hands on the tapia wall and looked at them. She didn’t smile with them or anything; she just looked at them. They watched her too. Then Sunaree gulped down her food and said, “We is good chirens.”
    â€œYeh,” Ma said as she turned to go in the kitchen.
    Panday chewed slowly. Sunaree told him to hurry up.
    â€œI not hurryin up. I not plantin no rice today. I fraid dem snakes in dat wadder.”
    Ma came out of the kitchen. She had an old floursack tied around her head. She said that she was going in front to pull the rice nurseries; Sunaree and Panday were to come later.
    â€œNo Ma. Wait for me!” Panday said.
    â€œCome wid Sunaree.”
    â€œI fraid a spirit eat me in dis house.”
    Ma laughed. Ugly. She had very few teeth in her mouth; they had fallen off long ago.
    â€œMa you ugly like a rat rat rat,” Panday sang.
    Ma didn’t mind. She picked up Panday in her skinny arms. Panday started to cry. He didn’t want Ma to hold him. He complained that if she fell, he was going to fall too. She put him down.
    Ma walked in front as if she was walking