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    Glass Bracelet
    Glass Bracelet
    Glass Bracelet
    Ebook122 pages1 hour

    Glass Bracelet

    By Natalya Hess

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Lavanya Desa was a loving mother who wished to provide her children with the basic necessities of life. Deciding to seek work in neighboring Indian towns, she meets a Maharaja who welcomes her into his realm. Lavanya embraces a new world at his side.

    Six years later, having not seen or heard from her, daughters Sahana and Kalpana embark on a journey to find their mother. Individuals they encounter along the way lead them closer to the truth.

    This is their tale, a tale of human weakness, faith, loyalty and unfailing love.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse UK
    Release dateOct 31, 2011
    ISBN9781467007658
    Glass Bracelet
    Author

    Natalya Hess

    Born in 1981, Natalya Hess worked with associations supporting educational interventions in the field of autism. She now works in schools, helping children with learning differences. She began writing as a child and loved day-dreaming a great many adventures with her imaginary friends. Having a multi-cultural background and an interest in folk traditions and history, the focus of her writing began to take into account cultural considerations in the 1990s. Promoting literacy for children hailing from different parts of the world is a cause she holds dear. Written in 1993 and revised 17 years later, Glass Bracelet is her first published children's book.

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      Book preview

      Glass Bracelet - Natalya Hess

      © 2011 by Natalya Hess. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      First published by AuthorHouse 10/11/2011

      ISBN: 978-1-4670-0764-1 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4670-0765-8 (ebk)

      Printed in the United States of America

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Contents

      1

      Departures

      2

      Land of Promise

      3

      Tailoring Heights

      4

      The Proposal

      5

      The Flight

      6

      Clipped Wings

      7

      Compass

      8

      The Storm

      9

      Night Fever

      10

      Catching Fish

      11

      A Silver Thread

      12

      Differences Aside

      13

      Princely Performance

      14

      On Guard

      15

      Doubt

      16

      Changes

      17

      Uncloaked

      18

      On The Other Side

      19

      The Light

      20

      Of Glass and Men

      Epilogue

      Glossary

      Acknowledgements

      About The Author

      To my father, whose bedtime tale lives within these pages.

      To my mother, whose understanding fuels cherished childhood dreams.

      To my sister, who walked untrodden paths by my side.

      To dear friends, whose support has been priceless.

      To those who dream and dare to do.

      To those who do not let adversity interfere with what they can do.

      To those who inspire change and live by it.

      1

      Departures

      In a little village surrounded by emerald hills lived Ajay and Lavanya Desa. They loved each other, and adored their daughters boundlessly. Ajay means unconquerable in the Hindustani language, and Lavanya stands for grace. Where Lavanya was blessed with both beauty and grace, Ajay was conquered by his wife’s loveliness. He was thus not as unconquerable as his name suggests, and was sadly vanquished by illness when his daughters were very young.

      Lavanya was torn by grief for her lost husband although she knew that his atman had proceeded to a peaceful afterlife. The only thing that sustained her was the aspiration that her daughters may lead full and happy lives. Widows, however, were not well seen in her village. Lavanya was avoided, eyed suspiciously, and her shadow was shunned due to the belief that any contact with widows could bring an individual ill luck. Lavanya therefore found it hard to get work in her village, and having no other family to rely on—no parents, no brothers and sisters, no uncles and aunts, and no loving husband—she had to find a way to provide for her children alone.

      After a year of surviving on savings and mending saris for a few compassionate women, Lavanya decided to seek her fortune elsewhere. Her daughters, Sahana and Kalpana, were more privileged than their mother in the village, as the inhabitants couldn’t help but admire Sahana’s sweet temperament, and be mesmerized by Kalpana’s wild imagination.

      A neighbor to Lavanya’s humble abode, was Daya, whom Lavanya called Dayaji out of respect for the elder woman. Daya was a kind person, and it upset her to see how Lavanya was treated. She helped her younger counterpart whenever she could, including caring for Sahana and Kalpana when their mother was away looking for employment. Daya resented the practice of stripping widows of their human status because of perceptions, misconceptions, or customs that these women dared not or could not fight. Daya esteemed and respected Lavanya’s courage in trying to change her predicament and improve her daughters’ living conditions. Lavanya toiled relentlessly so that her daughters could have a roof over their heads, enough to eat, clothing and exercise books to write school lessons in. Daya also admired Lavanya for not abandoning her long and silky ebony hair to despair as other widows traditionally did.

      The clear evening when Lavanya asked Daya whether she could watch over Sahana and Kalpana for longer than a day, for longer than two days, for a week, perhaps, Daya could not say no. Tucking her daughters into their jute floor-mat bedding that night, Lavanya blinked back tears and steadied her voice before she told Sahana and Kalpana that she must go away for a stretch of time.

      Can we not come with you Mam? asked her eldest daughter.

      Can’t we stretch time back so you could come back faster? hoped her youngest child.

      No, you cannot come with me—I know not where I am going or what muddy paths I may have to walk on. I want you both safe, here, with Dayaji. Stroking her second daughter’s hair, she added, And if time could be stretched in any way, I would come back in a blink’s eye, so that you would never know I had gone.

      That night, Lavanya slept with one eye open, fearing she was making a hasty decision. She tossed and turned, and slowly let go. She had to save her family from famine and ruin. If this meant she had to travel far and wide to find both work and a place where her daughters could fulfill their singular destinies, then she must go, and leave all hesitation aside. Sahana didn’t sleep well either. At nine, she felt that she was old enough to help her Mam, and that her Mam ought to accept that she had grown. The little girl tried to fight the drowsiness that gradually overwhelmed her in order to think about this, but the battle was soon lost as her eyelids upon her eyes, closed.

      The following morning, Lavanya kissed her daughters goodbye and touched Daya’s feet as a sign of respect and gratitude for the service rendered in assuring to care for Sahana and Kalpana.

      Walking down the bridge leading to the city on the other side of the village, Lavanya heard rushed steps coming toward her. Turning around, she caught sight of her daughters running to meet her.

      Wait Mam! Wait! cried Sahana.

      Lavanya did, and embraced her daughters as they ran into her open arms.

      "I wish I could take you with me, meri pyaara, my beloved. But I can’t. We spoke of this already."

      Yes Mam, acknowledged a breathless Kalpana.

      We want to give you this, said Sahana, handing her mother a brightly wrapped package.

      So that you never, ever forget us, added six-year old Kalpana.

      Lavanya shook her head, "I could never ever forget you both, my lovely daughters, meri beti."

      She opened the parting present and uncovered a beautiful golden-gambodge glass bracelet. It seemed as if a ray from the rising sun had escaped the

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