The Tale of the Bent Old Woman, Kujo Buri

A folktale from Bengal, by Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury

The skies were a newly washed blue after the late monsoons had begun to retreat. The season of Sharad was in the air. A few clouds, relieved of their heavy burdens of the previous season, chased each other in the sky like errant sheep. There was a slight nip in the morning air and a mellow golden haze lay over the countryside. A starry shiuli bush had s…