10
I HEARD A SOUND behind me. It was Amarru coming into the room. She carried a tray with four steaming cups which she set on the table. The smell of manazhu drifted on the air.
She sat down on the couch next to Nicha and clamped her arms around herself. “It’s cold in here.”
There were some nods of agreement.
The leafless grapevines bathed in golden sunlight, but under the house’s overhanging eaves, it was bitterly cold. Outside the window, the dog went woof at something.
Amarru glanced briefly at the fields, but the dog went back to snoozing.
I asked, “A rabbit?” Coldi, of course, had no word for “rabbit”.
“Maybe. Or a neighbour stepping out his front door. The dog is used to the smell of us and doesn’t make a single sound if any of us go outside.” Coldi smelled like hot stone. I d
