Fiction
Papatong
​
An Anthology
of Short Stories
from Indonesia
and Beyond
​
David Powell Davies
Heart of Stone
​
A novel about time
and time travel
​
David Powell Davies
'The frantic whirring of trapped wings caught the attention of William Grothe. He had been idly dreaming about his native Holland, wishing he was back there and bemoaning the fact that he was stuck in this god-forsaken place in western Java. He looked up at the dragonfly as it vainly tried to exit the building by flying through the wall.'
'The heat was intolerable. Sweat trickled down his neck to an already saturated under vest which clung damply and uncomfortably to his body.'
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This short story collection was written by David Powell Davies, a master story-teller, who lived in Indonesia for 15 years. Indonesia is a country where magic and spirits are everywhere. Where stories of power are passed down through the generations. Where anything is possible in the lush tropical forests. Where the island populations have suffered many invasions from the Dutch to the Japanese. Where people consult shamans and carry on through adversity with great fortitude.
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David was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Wales and Africa (Nigeria and Uganda). He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1972 and then worked as an actor for 28 years.
This is a novel about time.It is also about families at different times of their existence. In their pasts, in their futures, in their now and in their parallel lives. These families are from different continents, different cultures but through marriage and travel and the network of the Go’ib stones, they connect with each other.
What are the Go’ib stones? They are ordinary stones that one might find on a path walking in the country, on a river bed or nestling in a potpourri of crystals and gems on a market stall. Some of them might have a curious shape that has been carved by water or wind. Some might be carved with intent.
The novel opens at the beginning of the 21st century, where we meet an Indonesian connection. Soon the time shifts to the early 20th century. We see the beginning of this family and their connection with the energy source that will change their lives.
Time is impermanent, it shifts and changes with the creation of a thought. We live our lives in a linear framework of time where one second leads to the next, where one day grinds into the next and a year adds its death knell to the preceding one because we find it convenient for our existence.
But what if...?
