Someone Somewhere

Someone is watching us. Stop hallucinating. Infighting creates a bigger problem for us than external forces. We are humanoids and were designed to be above human weaknesses. We are also endowed with higher perception powers than humans, and an alarm bell is ringing somewhere inside me. A Mechanical hand extended itself and hit the pause … Continue reading Someone Somewhere

The Serpent’s Well

In a quiet village lived a man who carried a hidden well within him. This well was not filled with water, but with venom—opinions, resentments, and malice he had stored over the years. Whenever someone dropped a single word into that well, the serpent inside stirred, and venom spilt out with the same force as … Continue reading The Serpent’s Well

Deja Vu

Persuasion failed once again, as her teenage son walked out with a backpack. She stood at the doorway, words caught in her throat, watching his silhouette shrink against the evening light. The bag was heavy with defiance, stitched with the threads of independence he believed he had earned. She remembered her own callow youth, the … Continue reading Deja Vu

The Story – Beginning and End

You are just a character, so you have to follow my instructions. The character does a few somersaults on the page, changes colour like a chameleon, and shows a face that looks AI-generated. This won’t help me carry the story forward. He waves his hand like a magical wand and changes the shape of a … Continue reading The Story – Beginning and End

Clocking Life – Snippets

He was an avid collector of clocks and watches. He bought the pieces from junk shops, online shopping sites, chain stores and luxury outlets he could afford in all the cities he visited. His living room was a kind of museum with many conversation pieces, and the line he repeated often was “Good things happen, … Continue reading Clocking Life – Snippets

Flagged

The quarterly review meeting had the tension of a courtroom, every slide a potential indictment. When you flag a concern, take care to not expose someone's manipulation. Arjun knew this, yet his report on “phantom revenue streams” cast a shadow across the CFO’s polished smile. The room fell silent, executives shifting in their seats as … Continue reading Flagged

Lost connections

Friday Fictioneers

It is a recurring dream. I am in a mansion with large framed photographs of men with turbans and moustaches on the walls. There is an arch in the stone walls covered with bricks. Looks like it conceals an entrance behind it. The giant keys are frozen in time and refuse to reveal secrets. The … Continue reading Lost connections

Patriarchy and Empowered Women

Patriarchy

A woman faces patriarchal judgment while caring for her terminally ill husband, challenging outdated gender roles and calling for change.

Whose shoes are those?

Change the footwear if it is uncomfortable. It is a legacy. Shuffling feet won’t get you anywhere. Design your itinerary, make travel bookings, buy appropriate footwear and don’t let anything pull you back. But those are my roots. Then you are a tree, and trees are immobile. Six Sentence Stories

What say you?

A glass for you, a cup for me… I capture a moment for posterity, create evidence that you always lived amidst us, in our hearts, in my now fragile memory. But will you really care to know? Or is it only the counsellor? Shall we exchange the drinks? I know you prefer a hot snack … Continue reading What say you?