Vajra Chandrasekera | The Sill and the Dike

Grandmother died when I was seven and aliens raided the village. Their long guns fired out of nowhere, shattering walls and smashing bodies. Father threw me to the floor, shielding me, and I didn’t see Grandmother die, didn’t realize Mother was missing until the raid was over. Father got up and looked outside the house, cautiously; there were shouts of dismay and distress everywhere, and my ears were still ringing from the gunfire. The whole world seemed wreathed in smoke, blurred. My eyes stung. | Copyright 2015 by Vajra Chandrasekera. Narrated by Vikas Adam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices