Short Story: At the Foreshore by Mary Tina Shamli Pillay

Mary Tina Shamli Pillay’s short story with its tender narrative is a heartwarming tale of some beautiful moments in life.

Dawn had not yet broken over the cityscape. The hush of the night was gradually giving way to whispers and yawns. It was 4 a.m. Bobbing upon foamy currents, fishing boats of myriad colours began pulling in to dock- laden with their night’s haul. Some boats were filled to the full, others carried only a handful.  The fisherwomen folk rushed upon seeing their boats arrive. Each unto their own. As was done every day, the women filled their large tubs made from Hindalium with an assortment of fresh fish from the boats. They mounted the numerous motorised tricycle carts strategically waiting for them at the shore’s edge and sped away towards the wholesale market where they would sell their catch. It was from this wholesale market that delicious seafood would reach all corners of the city- restaurants, hotels, homes, and businesses- throughout the day. Fisherwomen squatting cross-legged on these motorised tricycles amidst enormous tubs of gleaming fish, and speeding down fairly empty roads, with the wind slapping at their hair, was a common sight around Chennai city before daybreak every day.