Performance

By Sanskriti Arora

Katyayani fixed her kajal in the mirror of a public bathroom. She adjusted the pleats

of her red saree. Her blouse still itched,

and she had to change her fake golden headset with a real one. But other than

that, nothing much had changed.

The house sat right in the middle of the street, in between many other quiet ones.

They told everyone that it is a sorority,

no one really cared.

It was just a bunch of women. The girls, most of them, were from their dance classes.

They never really got over

their failure of not not being able to stand up for Sita. And Katyayani forgave

them all. Because Sita was not

here to do so anymore. After leaving that day, staring up at their lost dancer, they had

vowed to kill him.

They started learning how to fly, one they had learned how to buy their own groceries.

It was amazing. They patrolled

The city at night. Looking for beasts. The whites of Katyayani’s eyes against the dark

of the night, some people thought she

was the beast.

The dancers chose her to be the head, and she chose the caterpillar.

A hundred legs and Katyayani as

the head flew above the houses as they searched, all the while

enjoying the breeze. Katyayani

moved her gaze in a different direction every time they flew over her house.

The light of her room was always

on. Her mother often on the street, looking for something. Always waiting.

By Sanskriti Arora