Glamour Meets Gloom

Young woman with disheveled hair and smeared makeup standing in a doorway at night

One glance was enough to say she was not her usual self – dishevelled hair, runny mascara, lipstick in ageing lines around the mouth. “Another late night, I presume … you slept without removing your makeup?” She made an effort to adjust the strap on her shoulder, but the slip hanging below her knees was … Continue reading Glamour Meets Gloom

Webs

Black hole at the center with swirling luminous gases and cosmic dust around it in deep space.

PARATAXIS It is hazy. It has no definable colour or shape. It has a pattern – known but never acknowledged. It is the web of tiny lies spun like a yarn to clothe truth. It is the black hole that will explode rather than reveal its secrets. The Emperor’s new clothes are the grandest spun … Continue reading Webs

Co-author

She saw it floating on the TV console, then on the wall – the shadow of half a face wearing a turban with dark, intense eyes. Did she do the right thing by choosing to stay alone in a palace converted to a hotel resort? She walked to the library and randomly pulled out a … Continue reading Co-author

Turn of the Wheel – Part 1

“I invite you to a world at the intersection of culture and technology, a world where you will see artificial intelligence and human expertise in seamless integration; where Diversity will add to the richness of experience and inclusion will be celebrated by invitations. Are you ready to join me on this hot air balloon?” Silence. … Continue reading Turn of the Wheel – Part 1

Turn of the Wheel (Part 2)

Michelle, who hails from Trinidad & Tobago, looks at the anxious faces in the room and thinks, “It is not a male or a white male trying to undermine me. They are all with me in this fight against the monsters we created and who are now threatening to take away our jobs.” George is … Continue reading Turn of the Wheel (Part 2)

Turn of the Wheel – Part 3

The year is 2055. It is heartening to see people from different nationalities, genders, and skin colours in a face-to-face meeting, under the same roof. They are achievers in their respective fields who have redefined art, tech, humanities, creativity, and repetitive tasks with artificial intelligence. They notice that the company's face has changed as they … Continue reading Turn of the Wheel – Part 3

Without

Warrior woman with fiery glowing eyes in medieval stone courtyard

She carried the quote in her mind like a secret scripture: “Lightning without thunder.” Her anger lived in that silence, a storm that lit her veins but never broke into sound. Each act of hers was a part of a well-crafted routine; every gesture of hers was polished calm. Her revenge was not loud—it was … Continue reading Without

Cliff-Hangers

They saw a callous criminal without a conscience who could kill to attain her nefarious objectives. They wondered how so young a mind could be so venomous, language so vitriolic and demeanours so remorseless. She struggled to analyse the instincts that drove her - the inner compulsion, the act of rebellion, the courage of taking … Continue reading Cliff-Hangers

Entitled

Shadowy figure with glowing eyes wearing a crown labeled 'ENTITLEMENT' surrounded by smoke in a stone hall.

I count the villains on my fingers and watch them fall away like decrepit branches. I wish a carpenter’s hacksaw blade would perform the last rites, but they start rising again from slush with new names – Power Politics is now called The Orange Puppeteer, Corruption is Lord Rotveil, Entitlement is King of Claims, Racism … Continue reading Entitled

Options and Derivatives

He finds himself split between his options and longing to explode. An attractive woman who used to be a man, another one who is the poster girl for the plastic surgeon – both unbelievably rich and vying for his attention. He couldn’t have imagined a better future for himself. He scrolls through medical and legal … Continue reading Options and Derivatives