A to Z… I’m Done 9 Apr 20199 Apr 2019 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 Last year's fun, frolic, bonding, and camaraderie has been replaced by apathy…
A to Z… Hand-holding and Handhelds 9 Apr 20199 Apr 2019 The short vacation after the term tests came to an end just as it appeared it had started. The little monkeys of Vanarapuri dragged their schoolbags and their feet reluctantly…
A to Z… Goobaloo 8 Apr 20197 Apr 2019 ‘Our forests were much different than the ones around Vanarapuri,’ Fathi took a swig of fresh tender coconut water and continued, ‘The trees were not as densely packed as here,…
A to Z… Fatty and the Flying Monkey 6 Apr 20196 Apr 2019 The next few weeks went in a blur for Suri and Nila. First, they had their term tests and the little monkeys were busy buried in their books. Suri, after…
A to Z… Escapades and Excitement 5 Apr 20194 Apr 2019 The ruins of Vanarapuri were precisely that – just ruins. Though they did have a dark history attached to them, most of the younger generation of Vanarapuri were not aware…
A to Z… Desperate for a Friend 4 Apr 20193 Apr 2019 It was a cool Sunday afternoon in Vanarapuri. Suri woke up after his siesta and sniffed the pleasant smells that came wafting in. Eyes twinkling, he jumped from his bed…
A to Z… Cool Down, Cool Girl! 3 Apr 20192 Apr 2019 ‘Nila, what is that you are wearing?’ A curious expression hovered on her mother Tara’s face. They were having lunch together in Tara’s staff room in the Vanarapuri School.…
A to Z… Bets and Buts 2 Apr 20191 Apr 2019 It was a warm and sunny day in Vanarapuri. Suri was gamboling on the branches outside. His mistimed leap during his birthday tree race had made him determined to improve…
A to Z… And, Suri Loses A Race 1 Apr 20191 Apr 2019 Inside a deep, dark jungle, hidden to the outside world was the beautiful monkey city of Vanarapuri. It was home to hundreds of monkey families belonging to different species. One…
A to Z… Theme Reveal A To Z Challenge 2019 18 Mar 2019 Time has indeed flown in a hurry. I had quite the eventful debut in the AtoZ Challenge last year (read about it here) and to say it was an absolutely…
A to Z 43 Posts and a Conked Laptop – Reflections #AtoZChallenge 3 May 201810 May 2018 My wife, Namratha, was the one who introduced to me to the AtoZ challenge last year. It didn't matter then - I didn't even have a blog. But she did…
A to Z My AtoZ Challenge Posts 1 May 20181 May 2018 A is for Absent Minded B is for Boss C is for Con Artist D is for Dependent E is for Epicharikaky F is for Finish G is for Ghost…
A to Z… Z is also for ZigZag (Malolan Chronicles #5.2) – #AtoZ2018 30 Apr 2018 8:30 AM (18 hours to go) Singapore Casey Teo was agitated. The doctors were running a plethora of tests on her over her protests. The reedy night attendant had vanished…
A to Z… Z is for Zugzwang (Malolan Chronicles #5.1) – #AtoZ2018 30 Apr 201830 Apr 2018 Please read Part1, Part2, Part3 and Part4 before reading any further September 3, 1972 USP Atlanta ‘Oh, Delgatto! Dr. Gottleib’s here,’ Lab-coat opened the cell door and sauntered in. Alarm…
A to Z… Y is for stories of Yesterday (Malolan Chronicles #4) – #AtoZ2018 27 Apr 201828 Apr 2018 Please read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 April 6, 1972 USP Atlanta, Georgia, USA The thin, frail inmate housed in Cell 370 of the United States Penitentiary Atlanta…
A to Z… X is for Project Xenia(Malolan Chronicles #3) – #AtoZ2018 26 Apr 201827 Apr 2018 Please read Part 1 and Part 2 September 2, 2017 10:30 PM The case was out of Malolan’s hands within five hours of the discovery of Nikhil Taneja’s corpse. Media…
A to Z… W is for the Witch (Malolan Chronicles #2) – #AtoZ2018 26 Apr 20181 May 2018 Read Part 1 here September 1, 2017 Malolan pored over the huge mound of paperwork that lay scattered on his bedroom floor. He usually had a strict ‘No carrying work…
A to Z… V is for the Video (Malolan Chronicles #1) – #AtoZ2018 25 Apr 201825 Apr 2018 June 26, 1973 Koshy Varghese yawned and stretched. His mind was feeling numb after watching three movies back to back. He looked to his side and saw his colleagues were…
A to Z… U is for The Ultra – #AtoZ2018 24 Apr 201824 Apr 2018 Alessandro sliced the onions and tossed them into the pan to sauté them. He skilfully chopped the cooked sausages and added them into the bowl containing the spaghetti. He looked…
A to Z… T is for The Troubles of Time Travel – #AtoZ2018 22 Apr 2018 ‘Tell me about time travel,’ Martin sipped his cognac. ‘What do you want to know?’ Lyndon placed his brandy balloon on the mahogany table. He stuffed some tobacco into his…
A to Z… S is for Surprise – #AtoZ2018 21 Apr 201821 Apr 2018 'Psst, Leo. Did you hear? Mona is coming back for good,' Nosy little Betty sidled up to Leonardo, carefully sidestepping the little balls and broken pieces of toys strewn all…
A to Z… R is for Repairing Cushions – #AtoZ2018 20 Apr 201819 Apr 2018 ‘Dad! What is repair cushions?’ Sharath’s six year old son Mihir had a puzzled look on his face. ‘What cushions?’ Sharath was busy working on a costing spreadsheet and didn’t…
A to Z… Q is for Que Sera Sera – #AtoZ2018 19 Apr 201819 Apr 2018 Ana Maria looked forlornly into the Calle 8 that was bustling with activity. There were always people coming in and going out of the numerous auto parts shops on the…
A to Z… P is for Perfection – #AtoZ2018 18 Apr 201818 Apr 2018 Sayan Bhattacharya frowned. He had a queasy feeling inside. Whether it was because of the eight cups of cha he’d consumed in the past hour or because of the case…
A to Z… O is for Once More – #AtoZ2018 17 Apr 201817 Apr 2018 I trudge along the muddy path carrying my beloved’s corpse. The inky starless sky reflects my mind perfectly. There’s a storm blowing inside me. I stumble on the uneven ground…
A to Z… N is for Night Ghoul – #AtoZ2018 16 Apr 201816 Apr 2018 It was just after midnight. He stood atop the tallest skyscraper in the city - his usual spot and a vantage point. He sniffed the night’s air and tasted the…
A to Z… M is for Mariposa – #AtoZ2018 14 Apr 201813 Apr 2018 ‘My marriage is over, you piece of shit!’ Sarika flung the expensive Waterord crystal ashtray towards Alex. ‘And you are the reason for it.’ Alex had dodged the crystalline projectile…
A to Z… L is for Lonely – #AtoZ2018 13 Apr 2018 ‘This is Major Tom calling Houston. Come in Houston! Are you there Houston?’ Nothing but stony silence greeted him. Tom sighed and flipped the radio channel to the European Space…
A to Z… K is for Komberi Mookan – #AtoZ2018 12 Apr 201814 Apr 2018 ‘Alright children, we are going to learn multiplication tables today,’ Lakshmi closed her book and turned towards her class, ‘If I have three boxes containing three mangoes each, how many…
A to Z… J is for Journey – #AtoZ2018 11 Apr 201811 Apr 2018 The birds started chirping, announcing the impending arrival of dawn. Raghu walked along the lush green fields, shivering pleasantly in the early morning chill. He reached the river-bank and sat…
A to Z… I is for Innocence – #AtoZ2018 10 Apr 20189 Apr 2018 Park Joo-Won closed the book he was reading and smiled wanly at his sister Park Ji-Woo. His eyes were half-closed as he sat under a King Cherry tree enjoying the…
A to Z… H is for Help – #AtoZ2018 9 Apr 20189 Apr 2018 ‘Hello!’ ‘Suicide Helpline, this is Mike. How can I help you?’ ‘You cannot help me, Mike!’ ‘Ma’am, please tell me your name.’ ‘Shut up and listen, Mike! I have only…
A to Z… G is for Ghost – #AtoZ2018 7 Apr 20187 Apr 2018 Her high heels make a rhythmic clickety-clack sound, which increases in tempo as she picks up pace. I love that sound her heels make. It’s like heartbeat… clickety-clack….thump-thump… Ok! I’m…
A to Z… F is for Finish – #AtoZ2018 6 Apr 20185 Apr 2018 ‘As both the accused are under eighteen years of age, this court is bound by the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015 and will recommend a specially convened Juvenile Justice board…
A to Z… E is for Epicharikaky – #AtoZ2018 5 Apr 20184 Apr 2018 He looked at his somber reflection on the old mirror stained with age and neglect. A short, gaunt man in a loose-fitting black suit stared back at him. He…
A to Z… D is for Dependant – #AtoZ2018 4 Apr 20184 Apr 2018 ‘Sonny! Get me an Aspirin, will you? This blasted headache is killing me.’ The old woman sighed and took a sip of her lemonade, ‘and get me last Thursday’s newspaper.…
A to Z… C is for Con Artist – #AtoZ2018 3 Apr 20183 Apr 2018 I've been overwhelmed by the support from the blogging community so far in the AtoZ Blogging Challenge. Thank you all very much :) A quick note: This story contains some…
A to Z… B is for Boss – #AtoZ2018 2 Apr 20182 Apr 2018 Let me tell you about Bhaskar aka Boss! Boss was someone who you could call a lifer. For well over forty years, he’s been employed at the same company. In…
A to Z… A is for Absent Minded – #AtoZ2018 1 Apr 20182 Apr 2018 ‘I don’t remember, Inspector.’ He cupped his forehead with his hands in frustration, ‘She always called me absent-minded.’ Inspector Kay shrugged, ‘I see it simple. You injected your wife with…
A to Z… Theme Reveal – A To Z Challenge 2018 19 Mar 20183 Apr 2018 I came to know about the annual A to Z blogging channel from my wife, who participated and successfully completed it last year. At that time, I didn't even have…