34
2014
NORTH CAROLINA L I T E R A R Y RE V I E W
number 23
2 013
DorisBettsFiction PrizeFinalist
of
“ Death already happens too randomly, too abruptly, and too often in this country. It strikes the brave as well as the innocent, the lions as well as the sparrows.”
lions and T
sparrows
he first time Aminullah Shah saw her, the American was sitting in the back of a white Toyota Corolla bouncing along the unpaved road to Bagh-i-Shir Village. It was late November and the cool winds from Central Asia were beginning to sweep across Afghanistan’s northern mountains and into the Kunduz River Valley. The redorange sun hung like a ripe pomegranate overhead. The annual Eid festival had recently finished, and village life was gradually adjusting to the prospect of another harsh Afghan winter. Aminullah stared as the foreigner’s car slowly made its way down the uneven road. The woman inside was wearing maroon-rimmed sunglasses and a loosely wrapped, peach-colored hijab that only partially covered her brown, curly hair. Two Afghan men sat in the front, but she was alone in the backseat. Her head turned as the car passed, and for a few seconds the ten-year-old Pashtun boy could sense her watching him through her reflective lenses. After a moment, the woman turned her gaze forward. The car kicked up a whirlwind of dust as it rumbled on. Aminullah’s green-brown eyes followed the vehicle as it grew smaller. When it was a
Seth Peavey is a North Carolina native and graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and the London School of Economics. Currently a Foreign Service Officer with the US State Department, he previously spent a year in Afghanistan monitoring development projects and conducting research for a local non-governmental organization. “Of Lions and Sparrows” was inspired by his travels and field research in northern Afghanistan.
by seth peavey hundred meters away, he glanced over his shoulder at the road that led toward his family’s small farm. He hesitated a moment before tightening his grip on his school bag and running after the car. He lost sight of the vehicle for a few minutes but continued to run. He passed by two women in faded, sky blue burqas carrying jugs of water. One was also holding a bag of onions and cauliflower, while the other balanced several large pieces of naan over her head. The one carrying the bread muttered in Persian as Aminullah darted by them. Halfway up the hill, Aminullah slowed to a jog, and then a fast walk. A few minutes later, he reached the top. The village of Bagh-i-Shir lay before him. Small adobe houses were scattered across the valley. In the village center was a white mosque and a recently rebuilt minaret with a pair of Chinese-made megaphones that blared the azan, the Muslim call to prayer, five times each day. Nearby stood a two-room
Raleigh resident George Scott grew up in Monroe, NJ. He graduated, with honors, from North Carolina State University with a degree in graphic design. He spent five years in the Army and served in Operation Desert Storm as a member of the 82nd Airborne. His art has been exhibited in several shows in Raleigh, NC, including a solo exhibition at the Lee Hansley Gallery. The artist and his wife, Sara Birkemeier, own and operate 8 Dot Graphics in Raleigh. See more of his work accompanying the 2012 Doris Betts Fiction Prize finalist story by Kathryn Etters Lovatt in NCLR Online 2013 and on his website.