She appeared in the sky, unfailingly, whenever I was depressed or unhappy. She never, ever let me down. I envied the malleability of clouds to assume any form, to become a symbol of hope. The same eyes, bindi, expressions gesturing cheer…. How did the clouds mimic my mother so well? (50 words) Note: 'Bindi' … Continue reading Malleability of Spirit
Carla Scott wanted nothing more in life than to own a little bookshop in the coastal town she’d grown up in. Books are fast going out of fashion, as the world goes digital. But she refused to give up her dream. She had taken early retirement, and returned to this small town, after a successful … Continue reading Face to Face
I prefer being hated, rather than used. #1Liner Weds
For how long has the lighthouse been there, in the middle of the sea? The ships have moved, using information relayed by it, and escaped hazardous shoals and reefs. Have they, or have they not? Maybe, they own better technology – the electronic beacons and navigational systems. I am forever on the move – mentally … Continue reading Self-Doubt
This is a place I wanted to see. It is the inheritance that I was cheated of, and I had come to spend some time here, as my brother’s guest. One needed boots to move past the shrubs on the stairs. The chauffeur swore that he had seen a reptile slithering through, and that he … Continue reading The Shift
The guide, Jay, stopped talking on reaching this spot, folded his hands in a namaskar, and bowed in obeisance for a minute. He moved a few steps back, and then, proceeded to inform us in a low voice, “The great Guru Dronacharya used to rest here. One of his favorite students, Arjuna, had carved out … Continue reading The Spirit of Dronacharya
She had chosen to stay single to take care of her spastic brother. Tim was gone today. A note from her mother said, “Maybe, I have been unfair to you. Tim was an adopted child.” Wish her mother understood, that she would have done the same, even if she knew the truth. (52 words) … Continue reading If she knew
Two athletes from different cultures meet at an international event…. fatwas are issued on their life, if they choose to marry ….. they take a boat ride on waters that belong to neither of their countries. It sounds like the plot for a novel or short story. Sadly, it isn’t …. and nobody has heard … Continue reading Where?
The statistics are perhaps right, that almost two-thirds of the country’s population is obese. I am not lecherous, but my eyes skimmed the midriff of every person I came across. My restless mind gets further mired in confusion. I have been trained to look for crisis, even when people around me are enjoying themselves in … Continue reading Who?
The young birds had flown off the nest. A few memories in the shape of scattered stationery and toys remained. A few months later, Joan could boast of seeing half a decade of life, and spending more than half of it, in cleaning up. Her job in the Fraud Prevention Cell of a bank, did … Continue reading Holding Together
Creative Experiments and More 