An Excerpt from Chance Meetings Collection
Are you curious about the characters in my new book of short stories? Let me introduce the protagonist from “Cadmium and Crimson.”
Meet Valakya, the sculptor.
“He lived at the edge of the town in a mud hut roofed with cornhusk thatch. People knew him simply as the sage. Each morning, he strolled to his workplace on an unpaved path flanked by mango trees. Sounds of a waterfall and the rustling of leaves, sap green on one side and copper on the other, greeted him as he entered a clearing sheltered by woven palm leaves supported on four banana trunks. Here, he had arranged his workbench, a storage trunk, and an earthenware vessel with a few cups on the floor. Two wooden stools flanked the trunk.
A piece of mahogany awaited the sage on this summer morning. He closed his eyes, praying to Mahadevi, the source of vigor and vitality. He thanked her for his intuitive abilities and prayed for her guidance in making the image that he had yet to begin. An impression of a figure emerged. He cut, carved, and shaped. His hands and arms, still strong and one with his mind and heart, worked until the sun was at its zenith. He was thirsty. He drank cool water from the earthenware vessel and returned to his work. As he examined what he had done so far, he sensed someone nearby. He turned his head and saw Shankara standing several feet away, waiting for his attention.”
Read more about Valakya and his meeting with Shankara, and discover other stories in CHANCE MEETINGS: STORIES ABOUT CROSS-CULTURAL KARMIC COLLISIONS AND COMPASSION.
Pre-order today!