Unfortunately, there are no supernatural entities in India starting with the letter ‘T.’ There are mentions of the monstrous creature … More
Category: A to Z
Skondhokata
The last train of the night slowed down to a stop in the Keshabpur railway station. Amar yawned and waved … More
Qliphoth
‘Majestic! Absolutely majestic!’ Vishal Kapur exclaimed on seeing the scenic vistas from the balcony of the Skyline apartments. His daughter … More
Pisasu – the flesh-eating demon
Inspector Mudassar Basha was stumped. Nothing made sense in the case. There was a crime and there was an accused, … More
Odiyaan – the animagi hitmen
It was a dark, moonless night. Somewhere an owl hooted and a stray dog howled. The man walked with brisk … More
Naale Baa – Come Tomorrow
‘Sujith, how are you coping up man?’ Ravi’s beaming face filled up one of the four squares on his mobile … More
Mohini – the insatiable lover
Ganpath hated his master. As an Indian, he was programmed to hate the goras. They did come into his country … More
Lavsat -the wicked widow of lore
The mud road was slushy owing to the heavy downpour of the afternoon. The bullock cart’s wooden wheels kept getting … More
Kutti Chathan – the prankster
My father was an honest man. He was a goldsmith, but an unsuccessful one. Despite possessing the skills to make … More
Jann is a Jinn
Abu was a poor fisherman. Every morning, he rowed his boat to the middle of the ocean, where he cast … More
Hadal the female goblin
Are you a writer? Here’s a great opportunity to get published. The Hive is inviting submissions for their next anthology. … More
Ghoda Paak – the Assamese Centaur
Rain poured like a thousand watery whips lashing on his skin. Yet the rider didn’t stop. He urged his horse … More
Fish Loving Mechhobhoot
‘Shona! Come inside and have your dinner. The food is getting cold.’ Eight-year-old Shona heard her mother calling out from … More
Evil Eyes aka Buri Nazar (Drishti)
When I was a kid, my mom used to apply the most hideous makeup possible on my face. First, she’d … More
Daayan – the fiendish female spirit
The hunter watched as the couple lay down exhausted after their lovemaking. The girl’s lustrous black hair was spread on … More
Chir Batti – the ghost lights
The great salty landscape of the Rann of Kutch stretched like a huge white canvas under the stars. Talhah pedalled … More
Asura – Indra vs Vritra
The sky’s blackish-indigo canvas was peppered with flashes of lightning. The sound of the crashing thunder was drowned by the … More
AtoZ 2020 – Theme Reveal
I have a love-hate relationship with the AtoZ challenge. In 2018, I participated for the first time, wrote a bunch … More
I’m Done
Thank you for your best wishes and concern, my friends! Unfortunately, I haven’t enjoyed a moment of this year’s AtoZ. Last year’s … More
Hand-holding and Handhelds
The short vacation after the term tests came to an end just as it appeared it had started. The little … More
Goobaloo
‘Our forests were much different than the ones around Vanarapuri,’ Fathi took a swig of fresh tender coconut water and … More
Fatty and the Flying Monkey
The next few weeks went in a blur for Suri and Nila. First, they had their term tests and the … More
Escapades and Excitement
The ruins of Vanarapuri were precisely that – just ruins. Though they did have a dark history attached to them, … More
Desperate for a Friend
It was a cool Sunday afternoon in Vanarapuri. Suri woke up after his siesta and sniffed the pleasant smells that … More
Cool Down, Cool Girl!
‘Nila, what is that you are wearing?’ A curious expression hovered on her mother Tara’s face. They were having … More
Bets and Buts
It was a warm and sunny day in Vanarapuri. Suri was gamboling on the branches outside. His mistimed leap during … More
And, Suri Loses A Race
Inside a deep, dark jungle, hidden to the outside world was the beautiful monkey city of Vanarapuri. It was home … More
Theme Reveal A To Z Challenge 2019
Time has indeed flown in a hurry. I had quite the eventful debut in the AtoZ Challenge last year (read … More
43 Posts and a Conked Laptop – Reflections #AtoZChallenge
My wife, Namratha, was the one who introduced to me to the AtoZ challenge last year. It didn’t matter then … More
My AtoZ Challenge Posts
A is for Absent Minded B is for Boss C is for Con Artist D is for Dependent E is … More
Z is also for ZigZag (Malolan Chronicles #5.2) – #AtoZ2018
8:30 AM (18 hours to go) Singapore Casey Teo was agitated. The doctors were running a plethora of tests on … More
Z is for Zugzwang (Malolan Chronicles #5.1) – #AtoZ2018
Please read Part1, Part2, Part3 and Part4 before reading any further September 3, 1972 USP Atlanta ‘Oh, Delgatto! Dr. Gottleib’s … More
Y is for stories of Yesterday (Malolan Chronicles #4) – #AtoZ2018
Please read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 April 6, 1972 USP Atlanta, Georgia, USA The thin, frail inmate … More
X is for Project Xenia(Malolan Chronicles #3) – #AtoZ2018
Please read Part 1 and Part 2 September 2, 2017 10:30 PM The case was out of Malolan’s hands within … More
W is for the Witch (Malolan Chronicles #2) – #AtoZ2018
Read Part 1 here September 1, 2017 Malolan pored over the huge mound of paperwork that lay scattered on his … More
V is for the Video (Malolan Chronicles #1) – #AtoZ2018
June 26, 1973 Koshy Varghese yawned and stretched. His mind was feeling numb after watching three movies back to back. … More
U is for The Ultra – #AtoZ2018
Alessandro sliced the onions and tossed them into the pan to sauté them. He skilfully chopped the cooked sausages and … More
T is for The Troubles of Time Travel – #AtoZ2018
‘Tell me about time travel,’ Martin sipped his cognac. ‘What do you want to know?’ Lyndon placed his brandy balloon … More
S is for Surprise – #AtoZ2018
‘Psst, Leo. Did you hear? Mona is coming back for good,’ Nosy little Betty sidled up to Leonardo, carefully sidestepping … More
R is for Repairing Cushions – #AtoZ2018
‘Dad! What is repair cushions?’ Sharath’s six year old son Mihir had a puzzled look on his face. ‘What cushions?’ … More
Q is for Que Sera Sera – #AtoZ2018
Ana Maria looked forlornly into the Calle 8 that was bustling with activity. There were always people coming in and … More
P is for Perfection – #AtoZ2018
Sayan Bhattacharya frowned. He had a queasy feeling inside. Whether it was because of the eight cups of cha he’d … More
O is for Once More – #AtoZ2018
I trudge along the muddy path carrying my beloved’s corpse. The inky starless sky reflects my mind perfectly. There’s a … More
N is for Night Ghoul – #AtoZ2018
It was just after midnight. He stood atop the tallest skyscraper in the city – his usual spot and a … More
M is for Mariposa – #AtoZ2018
‘My marriage is over, you piece of shit!’ Sarika flung the expensive Waterord crystal ashtray towards Alex. ‘And you are … More
L is for Lonely – #AtoZ2018
‘This is Major Tom calling Houston. Come in Houston! Are you there Houston?’ Nothing but stony silence greeted him. Tom … More
K is for Komberi Mookan – #AtoZ2018
‘Alright children, we are going to learn multiplication tables today,’ Lakshmi closed her book and turned towards her class, ‘If … More
J is for Journey – #AtoZ2018
The birds started chirping, announcing the impending arrival of dawn. Raghu walked along the lush green fields, shivering pleasantly in … More
I is for Innocence – #AtoZ2018
Park Joo-Won closed the book he was reading and smiled wanly at his sister Park Ji-Woo. His eyes were half-closed … More
H is for Help – #AtoZ2018
‘Hello!’ ‘Suicide Helpline, this is Mike. How can I help you?’ ‘You cannot help me, Mike!’ ‘Ma’am, please tell me … More
