• Home
  • About the Author
  • About the Book
  • Book Reviews
  • Books
  • Contact Me
  • Press: The Goodbye Baby
  • Santa Fe On Foot

The Goodbye Baby

~ Adoptee Diaries

The Goodbye Baby

Tag Archives: inspiriation

ARUNDATI – A Novel In Progress

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by elainepinkerton in Adoption, novel in progress

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

1940s, adoptee, adoption, Arundati, child adoptee, human trafficking, inspiriation, novel

ARUNDATI

The incoming tide delivered Arundati to the beach. Bruised, cold, and barely conscious, the child lay by smooth gray rocks, clumps of seaweed, shells and driftwood. In the half-light of late afternoon, she could make out only  dim shapes. When she tried to cry for help, a guttural sound came from deep within. She was too exhausted to form words.

Hindu God Ganesha

Hindu God Ganesha

Arundati struggled to rise to her feet, collapsed, moaned. By now she was breathing with effort. From a distance she was indistinguishable from other sodden heaps of the ocean’s detritus. Closer inspection revealed an dark-skinned child. Tiny and delicate, she was clad in the shreds of a coarse muslin gown. She might have been five years old. It was hard to tell, as Indian children were much smaller than their counterparts in America or Europe. Waves lapped gently around the girl’s splayed arms and legs, revealing dark ugly bruises and dried blood from knife slashes. Apparently, her light brown skin had served as the canvas for a madman’s rage.

Floating, as if still in water, the child dreamed. It was the beginning of Holi, the festival of colors. She was her Mama and her Babu. They, along with aunties and uncles, were singing. Someone played a tambourine and shook bells.  She and her brother Shubi ran from tree to tree playing tag . Once you touched a tree’s bark, you were safe. If you got tagged before reaching the tree, you had to be the monkey with no home.

As the tide receded, the girl grew even colder. Shivering, she burrowed into the rocky sand, hoping for a bit of warmth. She had traveled a long way and would need many hours to regain her strength. Though she had been thrown into the ocean and presumed, dead by the shipmasters, Arundati somehow  lived. Night was falling.  She breathed in hungrily, filling her lungs with the damp, humid atmosphere of southern India, exhaling in raspy bursts. It would be a long night. Arundati prayed to Ganesha that it would not be her last…

Advertisement

Sharing is Caring:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Elaine Pinkerton Coleman

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 426 other subscribers
Adoption Blogs Podcast: Write on Four Corners. Click on the image below to listen.

Links

  • Amazon
  • AuthorHouse Bookstore
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Goodreads

Recent Posts

  • Will the REAL parents please stand up? May 29, 2023
  • Chasing Two Rabbits May 21, 2023
  • Shakespeare-Mania! April 23, 2023
  • The Angels of April April 4, 2023
  • March Madness and A Walk on the Mild Side March 20, 2023

Archives

Categories

  • Adoption
  • American Literature
  • Celebrating Adoption
  • Dealing with Adoption
  • Guest posting
  • memories
  • My Events
  • novel in progress
  • Travel

Follow Elaine on Twitter

Tweets by TheGoodbyeBaby

‘Like’ Elaine on Facebook

‘Like’ Elaine on Facebook

Follow Elaine on her Youtube Channel

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • The Goodbye Baby
    • Join 234 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Goodbye Baby
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: