Short Story: Pandubba by Gabriel Samuel

In this short story, Gabriel Samuel captures the impact of tobacco on one’s life and the battle for survival after adding it to your life.

I leaned out of the open window of the bus travelling on the pukka road, I wanted to vomit. On either side there were fields as far as the eye could see and a large lake that glowed dull red with the light of the setting sun. Two cowherds with long canes led a queue of cattle along the side of the road. The sun shone on us all, but I was the only one sweating.

My hands kept instinctively reaching for my pockets. My lips felt naked unless they were wrapped around the paper but I had run out of cigarettes a few hours ago…