Threshold

By Priyanka Mitra

What compels one to test boundaries? What lies beyond the known? Sujata, a simple girl from rural India crosses the threshold of her home setting in motion an intricate chain of events and impacting the lives of many. The story of Sujata unravelled itself to the writer over a period of two years through amazingly vivid, cohesive dreams. The only conscious contribution the writer has made is in being a faithful scribe to the muse of her dreams and giving the title for each chapter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: 16Leaves
• Release date: Apr 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9788196268114

Book preview

Threshold

Threshold

Priyanka Mitra

First Edition, 2023

Copyright © Priyanka Mitra, 2023

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 permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below.

This book can be exported from India only by the publishers or by the authorized suppliers. Infringement of this condition of sale will lead to Civil and Criminal prosecution.

Paperback ISBN: 978-81-962681-5-2

eBook ISBN: 978-81-962681-1-4

Note: Due care and diligence has been taken while editing and printing the book; neither the author nor the publishers of the book hold any responsibility for any mistake that may have inadvertently crept in.

The publishers shall not be liable for any direct, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of the use of the book. In case of binding mistakes, misprints, missing pages, etc., the publishers’ entire liability, and your exclusive remedy, is replacement of the book within one month of purchase by similar edition/reprint of the book.

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16Leaves

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Call: 91-9940638999

For Parry the guy who powers me on, always

Acknowledgement

Mom for being a solid support even though she can be my worst critic ever.

J, Buttercup, Aarini and Aarohan for making me realise what it takes to be a mom.

Bidisha for bringing a dormant dream to life.

Swadha for being a part of many key milestones of my life and for designing this book cover. She works with organic sustainable materials in a style all her own to create art pieces that speak to our soul. She can be found on Instagram @swadhamayank.

Table of Contents

The Calling

The Escape

The Passage

Fulfilment

Memories

Loss

Arrival

Offerings

Homecoming

Blessings

Flight

Missing

Opening up

Waiting

Deliverance

Pursuit

Determination

Chapter 1

The Calling

Sujata stood with one foot in limbo and hesitated. Where she placed it would change the course of her life forever. As she stood in front of her ancestral home and looked back at the fading, peeling paints of the first-floor window, childhood memories of calling out to the balloon-wala and friends came flooding back. Where and how did those days go?

But it would not do to reminisce about the past, a decision had to be taken and taken now. She must once and for all decide whether she could endure the drudgery of her obscure life or would she stand up and have herself counted amongst those who fought to make something out of their lives.

The anxiety of having to decide had brought on a palimpsest of perspiration on her forehead and she absent-mindedly wiped at it with the end of her sari. Her long hair held by a hastily put clip was loose and she plucked at it as she weighed the oft-weighed options in her mind yet again.

What could she do? She had saved up some money from her meagre earnings as a dance tutor but that would hardly count for much. She had the names and details of some people in the Bombay film industry that she had cut out or copied from the second-hand magazines she flipped through at the neighbouring raddiwala’s stall. She had heard from her aunt that one of her distant cousins had gone to Bombay and had through sheer hard work made it big, maybe she could meet her and ask for guidance.

A sudden noise disturbed her musings, and she looked up startled to see a small dog come rushing down the street and some street children running after it. The dog almost collided with her and started whimpering. The children stopped at a distance to see if they would be scolded or allowed to go on with their sport.

Sujata bent down and picked up the dog in her arms all the while glaring hard at the kids. The kids shuffled around a bit and then went