Vayalar award

H

e was in deep despair at having got nothing to grab for a long time now. Not that he did not steal into houses; from all those houses he got into, he had to get out empty handed most often. Although there would be large almirahs in certain houses, nothing valuable would be found in them. And the rooms of certain houses made it hardly possible for him to sneak into them. When he makes a retreat from houses, disappointed, he will even be scornful of his own profession. He was gradually realising that a situation had emerged in which a thief cannot lead a decent life here. All the same, he could not have changed to a different profession. He was sure that he could not have done any other job as deftly as the present one.

At a time when the night had advanced much, as he was walking along a road in the suburb taking cover under black shadows all along, a raindrop fell on him quite unexpectedly. It was a scalding experience for him just then. To him it was a signal for an extended rainy season which would soon be arriving. Although the rainy season would be quite preferable to a th

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