Impending

Life is movement, but life is not always progress. We do slip back and catch up. What was unfathomable for me is life coming to a grinding halt, and it’s not death. These gasps, these moments of stillness, were not accounted for in my life goals. A change of geography and culture taught me how … Continue reading Impending

Shunned

The artist walked to the dais to receive the award, her gown's train carrying a not-so-glorious past. Despite being chucked out of her job for asking uncomfortable questions, and her marriage failing because she did not give in to gaslighting and unfair demands, she stood firm. She walked through a subway every day, and empowering … Continue reading Shunned

Immigrants

It is Christmas again, the first after her husband’s departure. The house opposite hers has distinctly changed. The new owners strung lanterns shaped like moons and stars, not snowflakes. No inflatable Santa, no blinking reindeer—just quiet warmth. Curious, she watched them humming tunes she didn’t recognise. On Christmas Eve, they left a small box at … Continue reading Immigrants

Fermented Fables

The canvas has not moved, but the picture has changed. I’m not one to be tricked by visual illusions, but Earnest Easel insists it is the Truth. The Creative Canvas is an Empath that captures colours and shapes from the surroundings and reflects them. Tonight is the night of judgment, as Brewing Bucket manufactures a … Continue reading Fermented Fables

Fraudsters

They emerge from shadowed alleys of ambition, cloaked in charm and stitched with silence.  Their pasts are inked in midnight—untraceable, unspoken—but their voices gleam like polished silver. They speak of galaxies, of futures spun in gold thread, of destinies that shimmer just beyond reach. With practised grace, they lift the sun and cradle it like … Continue reading Fraudsters

Book Summary – Elixir by Shinjini Sengupta

The protagonist of this novel, “Elixir” finds a magic potion which takes her to a dream world where she leads a parallel life. An actuary in real life, she is a sculptor there with a partner who respects her, unlike her husband. She quits her job to be in that somnambulistic state, and the diagnosis … Continue reading Book Summary – Elixir by Shinjini Sengupta

Loops and Tangents

Loops offer reconciliation with established patterns and estranged elements. They sat on the picnic table to share a packed lunch, and looked into each other’s eyes before they solemnised the bond. Unfortunately, they could never see eye to eye on anything after that. Tangents are invitations to take off somewhere in the unknown; they attract … Continue reading Loops and Tangents

Migration

Is there a de-addiction program for people to detach from a residence, city, country or partner? I will miss the traffic jams, the caution against fraudsters, the extreme climate, the great food, and, not to mention, the easy camaraderie with strangers. A new place offers career growth and wealth opportunities, but the cold climes will … Continue reading Migration

Self-defence

She grew erinaceous—spiny, sharp-tongued, unyielding. Alone in her flat, she snarled at kindness, mocked warmth, armoured herself in sarcasm. Monsters wore smiles, knocked politely. She answered with venom. Better rude than ruined. Better feared than fooled. Her solitude wasn’t peace—it was survival. And her thorns? Her defence. Weekend Writing Prompt #437

Spaces

I was told water finds its level, but no one warned me that the subconscious does not. It fills up uneven places—behind the eyes, beneath the lungs, blocking oxygen, struggling to find its space in speech, in the silence between words. It disregards all the logic I was raised on — logic that connects me … Continue reading Spaces