Vol. II. Issue. III September 2011 - The Criterion: An International ...

www.the-criterion.com The Criterion: An International Journal in English ISSN 0976-8165
stare up at the sky--it was such a deep blue, he could feel it saturating his eyes. Cessnas whirred,
and puffy clouds trailed across the zenith. Sunlight warmed his face, melting his body into floods
of pins and needles as feeling, real feeling, finally returned. Tears streamed across his cheeks as
he choked back a sob. He’d found it, after so many years. The part of him that dreamed its own
dreams for so long had reawakened. As the memories of both halves merged inside a throbbing
headache, Jonathan understood at last.
“Jonathan, what’s wrong with you? Are you all right?” The woman behind him asked.
His voice coarse from disuse, Jonathan said, “Yes... yes. It’s finally over. I can’t believe it.” He
had by now completely broken down. His other half’s memories--now his own--told him about
the terrible accident some years ago that had caused the partial loss of his mind. No doctor had
thought he’d recover from it, but they were all too eager to study it. They were wrong. He’d
made it through.
The woman frowned, creasing her weather-beaten features. “What are you talking about,
Jonathan? What’s over?” She asked slowly.
Through his tears, tears of happiness he never thought possible, Jonathan said, “Amy, I love you.
So much.” And he really did love her for never giving up on him, for never again leaving his side
after the accident. He smiled. Amy sat in stunned silence; then, whispering his name, let her face
crumple into tears as she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. Jonathan buried his
face in her hair, never wanting to let her go.
Those who watched him went out to get a late lunch, also smiling.
Vice, virtue or something of that sort
Translated Story by Gopa Nayak
From Original in Oriya by Paramita Sathpathy
You’ll need to find the e-mail for this one
“Your case is amazingly complicated. We have to treat it some what differently from other
divorce cases. We need your complete cooperation in this. I hope you understand.”
“Yes, I do.”
“You believe that your wife has developed some mental abnormality”.
“Yes.”
“However, the specialist has reported that her mental state is not at all different from any normal
individual.”
Vol. II. Issue. III 284 September 2011