A river does not remain a river when it merges into the ocean, but surely it did not want to remain so. Rivulets regret their decision because they jumped into the flow without gauging where it would take them. The ocean smiles at its victory, while making the whole process look so effortless and smooth. … Continue reading Power
A tyrant ruled a village, hoarding food while the people starved. The villagers spoke in hushed tones, their words swallowed by fear. One elder, unimpressed by their inaction and silence, struck a great drum in the square. Its lamprophony thundered across the valley, summoning every villager to act. The tyrant fled, and his cronies surrendered. … Continue reading The Core of a Rebel
The door of the trash chute shut with a shriek, but she could hear the thud of the previous year’s calendar made of thick, glossy paper falling on the ground. It was a year she preferred to erase from memory, but was sure that echoes from the past would disturb the fresh musical notes she … Continue reading Tides of joy, or ….
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
“Allow me to wait for you sometime.” “You don’t like me hanging around all the time?" Weekend Writing Prompt #445
