Why did I write this story?

After I was done with [ Shadow Birds] - my first book, a dear friend asked me about my next project. Shadow Birds: Story of a Young Girl During the Partition of Indiatook me fourteen years to complete and the seed of the story came from my mother’s life. When I told my friend I do not know if I’d write another book, she said, “Now you’ve to write your story,” emphasizing on the word ‘your’. With a pause, she added, “our story. Our dreams…”

It touched me, and I started dreaming about writing a story — our story. Then came Covid. Isolated at home, we learned to cover our smiles with masks, jump backward to maintain a six feet safe distance lest anyone want to give a hug. We maintained no touch policy while I craved companionship.

That’s when I wrote the story. It took four years to complete the book from the first draft to publishing.

Talking about dreams I remembered many years ago, I took a field trip with my daughter Nina and her Girl Scout group. I came across the concept of Dreamcatcher then. Sitting around a campfire, we listened to the stories and the significance of this sacred thing.

The Native American guide explained people wove handmade dream catchers, with feathers and beads and hung over the cradle of a baby or a bed to protect the sleeping person. The story I remembered her saying is as follows.

A grandmother watched patiently each day as a spider spun his web above her sleeping place until one day her grandson noticed the spider and tried to kill it”.

“Don’t hurt him,” grandma told the boy in a soft tone, surprising him.

“But, grandmother, you should not protect this spider.” When the grandson left, the spider thanked the woman for her kindness and protection and offered her a gift. “I will spin you a web that hangs between you and the moon so that when you dream, it will snare the bad thoughts and keep them from you.” At this, grandmother smiled and continued to watch the spider spin his web.”

The story fascinated me. Investigating further, I discovered different versions and meanings of the dreamcatcher in multiple tribes..

Later, I found how the idea of dreamcatcher is commercialized in craft fairs and souvenir stores, boutique shops and airport kiosks across America.

I tried to find a link between stories of the two worlds I belong to – this new land, America and my left homeland. My unique story unfurled.

“Why did I write this story at this time of my life?”

If you want to read my published short stories please leave a note to me at http://www.Ditabasu.com/contact