The CEO stared at the quarterly report, the numbers bleeding red like a wound he couldn’t heal. “Falling flat on my face is not an option,” he muttered, as he instructed his juniors to key in the phantom transactions — manipulated transactions and inflated profits. The auditors were managed, the boardroom approved, choosing to ignore … Continue reading Consequence
My mother told me about pots of gold encased in walls, at her ancestral home in the village. There was an old aunt who had entered the house young as a child bride, and witnessed all the hush-hush activity, perched on her mother-in-law’s hip. She was dead now, and the tragedy was a belief that … Continue reading Secrets
Why did she not respond there and then to say she did not like the other person’s behaviour and was not going to put up with it? It set up wrong expectations, and the relationship loops got badly entangled. She loses respect for herself whenever she thinks of it. She finds herself replaying those scenarios … Continue reading Digital Clocks
“How about a cup of coffee in Sundance Café?” He asked after the completion of a gruelling college project. What started as a kind gesture from a classmate rolled over into the darkest chapter of her life. He introduced her to friends who, despite their polished appearance, were involved in nefarious activities. Her swift entry … Continue reading Sundance Cafe
She kept all of her deceased husband’s letters locked in a box until the day one arrived from him postmarked yesterday, and this one was ominous as he threatened to come out of captivity from an undisclosed destination, to expose her dark deeds. Fandango's Story Starter #212
Susan’s gaze locked with the stranger’s across the crowded restaurant, and she was suddenly overwhelmed by a powerful emotion. The hazel eyes with a red iris, blonde hair, upturned nose and a mouth that appeared to mock were just too familiar. She was glad her son was not here at this moment. The sperm bank … Continue reading Who was she?
“I’m not a patch on him”, said our favourite professor about his media baron brother. It saddened us to see someone we worshipped as the epitome of intelligence and confidence reveal a different side. Decades later, the alumni of the college reunite, and we embark on an online quest for our idol. To our … Continue reading Disappearance
I spent a lifetime tracing fractals of thought, not clarity. Chaos was a part of me, as familiar as my name. I embraced its unpredictability, found comfort in its disorder, never once questioning where it would lead. Then, a moment, not loud, not grand, just a hush that rearranged the air. Clarity arrived like a … Continue reading Chaos to Clarity
The septuagenarian flinches if someone brushes against her in a crowd. She draws herself in on seeing vagabonds in an isolated place, and it is not always the loss of her wallet that she fears. Paula convinces herself these youngsters won’t go beyond making demeaning remarks about the old granny that she is, and forges … Continue reading Paula – Fandango’s Story Starter
She felt the chill in her bones, as the electricity in the air flashed like blue lights on a dark sky. Cottony clouds had vanished like abandoned puppies after the unexpected thunderstorm. A faceless presence walked on Earth like the Devil clad in divine attire. She could sense the movement of cops in the forest, … Continue reading Betrayal
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