Bitter: A Short Story

By Smita Bhattacharya

A story earlier published in London Literary Review and Elsewherelit. With an ending that will leave your skin crawling.

 

India. 1947. A bloody event changed the country's fabric. A family was annihilated. Only one among them survived. But she turned into a living shell, because of the secret that was eating her inside.

 

'Bitter' is the story of a woman who escaped to India during the Bengal (India) partition of 1947 and saw better days but had to live with a bitter secret all her life. The story is narrated by her niece, a reluctant observer, who learns of her aunt's escape from her elders and watches her grapple with nightmares from that day on. But while her aunt's life purportedly turned for the better, only after her death does her niece discover what the escape cost her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pixie Dust
• Release date: Feb 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781386500056

Smita Bhattacharya

Traveler, author, consultant, and—attempting to be—creative nomad, Smita Bhattacharya lives and works in Mumbai, India. Her psychological thriller novel Dead to Them was published by Story Mirror in January 2018 and is gathering rave reviews. Her other two books, He Knew a Firefly and Vengeful, rank among the top 100 Asian Literature & Fiction on Amazon.com. He Knew a Firefly was a 2016 Indie Next Generation Book Award Finalist in the global multicultural category. Her short stories have appeared in Indian and international publications (The Statesman, DNA, Fiction Magazines, Chicago Literati, Litro.co.uk, Eastlit, Earthen Lamp Journal, Elsewherelit, Tall Tales, Slink Chunk Press, Planet Scumm, Pithead Chapel). More about her can be found at www.smitabhattacharya.com

Book preview

Bitter

Smita Bhattacharya

This story was earlier published in London Literary Review, Elsewherelit, and has won the Tall Tales short story prize.

Copyright © 2018 by Smita Bhattacharya

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

For more on the author, visit www.smitabhattacharya.com

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Today, I looked for a sign

With flames in my hands

A line in the sand

Between yours and mine

And it came like fire from below

Your greed led the call, my flag had to fall

But little did you know

Another day, your truth will come

You're gonna pay for what you've, pay for what you've done

You'll tell them give me back what's mine

Give me back what's mine.

— A Line in the Sand, Linkin Park

Contents

Preface

1. About Gouri Mashi

2. Divisions

3. Memories and Nightmare

4. All Things End

5. The Bitter Fruit

About the Author

Also by Smita Bhattacharya

Preface

The Partition of Bengal (1947)

The Partition of Bengal in 1947 divided the British Indian province of Bengal into West Bengal (predominantly Hindu) which became a state of India, and Bangladesh (predominantly Muslim) which became a part of Pakistan. There was a mass migration of refugees as a result of this from both the sides, accompanied by violence, rape, loot, and murder. Thousands died and nearly 7 million were displaced. It was a painful period in India’s history.

Glossary of Bengali words used in the story

Ma: Mother

Baba: Father

Mashi: Mother’s sister

Dadu: Grandfather

Dida: Grandmother

Shona: A term of endearment

Babai: A term of endearment, used to address a young boy

Zamindar: a rich landowner

Apsara: Nymph

Lotkon: A sweet fruit

Jhuli: