Sewage Incident

I was walking along the street of the market, past cows and motorbikes when, through reasons beyond my control, the way was blocked due to a misunderstanding between a cow and a motorbike, made worse by a goat and a vegetable cart.
I diverted my coarse round to the right of the vegetable cart, taking me onto the side of the road. On the corner, where a building jutted out was a large paving slab inset into the pavement. The cow/ motorbike jam showed no sign of budging and I was pushed for space. Without paying proper attention, and not being aware that I needed to, I stepped onto the slab. The slab flipped over like a trap door and I was plunged ankle deep into the underground stream of sewage.

Most people don't know what Indian sewage is like. It runs down the side of the road on every main street and it is the filthiest, ugliest, most rancid, malodorous, poisonous, repulsive, repugnant, urin filled, vomit inducing mixture of industrial, household and human waste.

There I was, standing in it. I took about three seconds not understanding what had happened, and another three not believing what had happened, before panicking, climbing out, and still not knowing what to do.

The girls didn't bat an eyelid. Some shop owner casually pointed me towards a public hand pump where I washed my filth covered feet and flip flops and thoroughly as I could. I still felt dirty for the rest of the week. The paving stone stayed where it was, at right angles to the pavement, sticking like a shark's fin out of the grey and white disease fluid that flowed round it and on down the street.