Last Man in Tower

He went back to bed. In the old days, his wife’s tea and talk and perfume would wake him up. He closed his eyes.

Hai-ya! Hai-ya!

Screams from down below. The two sons of Ajwani, the broker, began the morning by practising tae kwon do in full uniform in their living room. Ajwani’s boys were the athletic champions of the Society. The eldest, Ravi, had won a tremendous victory in the martial arts competition last year. As a gesture of the Society’s gratitude, he was asked to dip his hand in kerosene and leave a memento of his victorious body on the front wall, where it could still be seen (or so everyone was sure), just above Mrs Saldanha’s kitchen window.