Stretching beyond life

The place hasn’t changed much in a decade. But an intriguing sight greets me. Two dogs are lounging around in the chairs which the senior Smith couple used to grace. I push the gate open and see a young girl serving their food in bowls on the table. “I haven’t seen you here before.” “How … Continue reading Stretching beyond life

Wistful

She freezes at the mention of ‘Mother’, and abhors paeans being sung to motherhood. She tried hard, very hard to recall a moment of acceptance, when her mother climbed up from her dinosaur mindset, and accepted her in a positive way. She couldn’t, however desperate she was to wish that such a moment existed. Father … Continue reading Wistful

Fatigue

There’s no water on the desk. She needs to get another bottle from the refrigerator, but feels inadequate to do so. The fatigue is unusual, but medical reports are fine. Maybe … she is tired of doing things she doesn’t want to do but is compelled to do. Weekend Writing Prompt #315

Dis-ease

How I wish the book was never found….. It contains recipes for potions used to cure village folk. The healers were worshipped, and charged a king’s ransom for healing poverty-stricken patients. Amanda, the oldest maid in the palatial household, mentions boxes full of gold bars in hushed tones. She’d earned the honour of visiting the … Continue reading Dis-ease

Storytellers’ Nightmare

The sequence of events matters in establishing the cause-and-effect scenario. It’s the meat of the story. Promos are just crumbs thrown around to build up an appetite. The words ring in my ears as I listen to different versions of an unusual incident. It’s a lesson in building narrative. What’s scary is the impact these … Continue reading Storytellers’ Nightmare

No prying rights

Why has she not woken up today? The alarm rang half an hour ago… His granddaughter asks him to open a box, and he indulges. The slap from a toy trapped inside shakes him up, but he smiles and moves away. The beaver slap comes in the form of a message from his wife, “Just … Continue reading No prying rights

Yellow Bellies

A young man from a premier management institute says “My father told us we can only do well in jobs, not business.” Anita suffers injustice in her marriage because her father once told her, “You are neither beautiful nor a heiress, so do as you are told to do.” Nyla, a qualified gynaecologist, is a … Continue reading Yellow Bellies

Dog tired

Another award function, journos pushing around for bytes, broken statements scattered around with no resemblance to the spirit of the conversation. He is tired, dog tired of celebrating a successful persona, a persona built painstakingly to meet expectations, a persona that’s not him. It reminds him of the plastic excitement of puppies who escape with … Continue reading Dog tired

Lost opportunity

She had been waiting for this day for months. The day when the results of the national writing contest would be announced. She had poured her heart and soul into her story, hoping to impress the judges and win the grand prize: a trip to Paris and a chance to meet her favorite author. She … Continue reading Lost opportunity

Treasure

It's a treasure I found, and let me hide it somewhere. I’ll open it at leisure and extract toys to play with. Guess it should keep up the novelty for a week. And meanwhile, I need to keep the humans humoured. They have a bad habit to come looking for things. And how Mama shrieks… … Continue reading Treasure