The whistle pierced the silence as the train slid into the deserted platform. No lamps glowed, no voices stirred—only shadows stretched across cracked tiles. From the carriages stepped passengers cloaked in mist, their eyes shimmering like distant stars. They were not of flesh but of memory, spirits of forgotten stories, inviting curiosity about their unseen … Continue reading Forgotten Stories
The map in my hand glows with certainty, its arrow unwavering; yet every path I choose threatens to disembark me. I walk anyway, trusting momentum over intuition. The wind translates my intentions into a poem, but scatters my signals like static. Still, something in the distance keeps calling—soft, patient, as if it knew I would … Continue reading Disembarked
Silhouetted against the deep grey sky, we turn into wispy shadows. Evenings on the beach are scary, as they make us aware of our smallness. The high tides will cover everything on the golden sands, leaving behind a residue of jellyfish and water snakes. We will walk cautiously again, waiting for the sunrise, and get … Continue reading The Fishermen Know
Granny loved experimenting with emojis, and her incorrect usage was often a subject of humour in the family. She learnt FaceTime long before Zoom arrived, to stay in touch with her grandchildren who lived abroad. Then, one day, the emoji pack she had downloaded disappeared from her phone. Maybe one of her grandkids decided to … Continue reading Gold
Business empires are built by close-knit lobbies, those who act in unison and do not leak information. But loyalty dissolved like sugar in troubled waters. No wonder, for a key member was the competitor’s implant in the system. Weekend Writing Prompt #446
She did not recognise herself in the mirror, and she knew why she received cold or lukewarm responses in meetings and at social events. Epiphany struck—she was shedding skin and not feeling guilty about it, discarding the weight of expectations. Each layer that fell away revealed a pulse of freedom, raw and unashamed. She took … Continue reading A Toast to Herself
Anna felt like a free person, walking barefoot on the sand. The waves washed her feet and the footprints she left behind in time. Then, suddenly, a high tide of memories would encapsulate her in the existence she left behind. She had lived in terror. She feared that at any moment someone would yell at … Continue reading Pulled Back
It was here that the Queen of International Cuisines wrote her first recipe. She glanced at the ingredients on the shelves and painted poetry on paper. She felt the fragrance and flavors emanating from the notebook. She hired two assistants to implement her culinary design. Lo and behold, she became the most popular author of … Continue reading Spilled Secrets
Fluency mattered in elocution competitions, especially when they were educated in a foreign language. She scored well, and then she did not stop. She was called garrulous, so she picked up a pen and structured her thoughts. She writes fluently and brooks no interference from editing tools. Weekend Writing Prompt #444
“Hitch your wagon to mine, and you’ll never be disappointed,” he would often brag in an inebriated state. It gradually became clear that he was referring only to organizational freebies, nothing more. “There is no choice but to do things as they are done here,” yelled a cruder version of the monstrosity called a boss. … Continue reading No Shortcuts
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