Loose End of the Red Thread
'Bradley!' Rubina calls me by my full name only when I'm in trouble, 'What is that?' I grin and unwrap the delicate packaging. With a flourish, I place the object on top of the table. 'Once again, Bradley! What in the blue hell is that?' 'Glad you asked. It's an 300 year old authentic Chinese Cursed… Continue reading The Cursed Dog! – FFfAW 180
Professor Mehta turned around and addressed his students, 'This pathway here is forbidden, reserved exclusively for the Gods.' Praful scoffed, 'Yet another superstition! This is ridiculous.' The professor smiled, 'I've always enjoyed your views, Praful. But you do not have to scoff at everything contrarian to your views.' 'Really, Professor? Why load the current generation… Continue reading Superstitions – FFfAW 179
'Grandpa, what are cars made of?' Al considered his grandson Ron's question. 'A lot of different stuff, dear. But, mostly steel.' 'What else?' 'Well, the newer car engines are made of aluminium alloy and the windows are made of glass. The tires are made of rubber and the consoles have a lot of plastics and… Continue reading Car Cemetery – FFfAW 178
He sat on the bench everyday, not moving, just gazing into the lake for hours together. No wonder I felt uncomfortable. Not just me, the other women of the neighbourhood as well. We talked to our husbands, boyfriends, brothers, and friends about the weird guy who sits for hours near the children's play area. They… Continue reading PTSD – FFfAW 177
August 6 8:10 AM 'Well, this is nice. A lovely little break from the madness of everyday.' Kumiko smiled at Haruto. They walked hand in hand towards the restaurant of the five star hotel for breakfast. 'You look beautiful, Kumiko-chan.' 'And you look handsome, anata!' Haruto grinned with a boyish charm that made Kumiko's heart skip… Continue reading Those Stolen Moments
Circle bottom right, fairly innocuous. Hope he doesn't cross the centre, let's see if we can have some fun here! Cross, bottom left! Alright! Circle, middle right. I hope he thinks I'm naive. Cross, middle right. Stupid idiot! You've handed the game to me. Circle, top left. Haha, I win! Cross, top mid! Is he… Continue reading OOPS! – FFfAW175
'Blue and yellow, not a great color combination, but it worked.' His hand made languid strokes as he colored the model plane. 'Viola! Now it's done. This was how your old man's machine looked.' 'Wow! I like the colors, Dad. Can you paint my name on the side?' 'You have to earn your spurs, kiddo.… Continue reading Spurs
A steaming cuppa on one hand and his mobile, clutched at an angle so that he could read the emails and also look ahead, on the other - just another 8 AM juggling act as he navigates his way through his fellow corporate zombies. Lately, he'd been feeling an acute sense of burnout. He was… Continue reading Decisions!
‘What you doing?’ ‘Making a birthday day gift for Kara.’ ‘Making?’ ‘Yeah! I wanted to make something instead of buying off the shelf.’ ‘Very romantic, and unique. What are you making then?’ ‘I’m penning a poem.’ ‘Ah! Creative.’ ‘Keep the sarcasm to yourself, mate. I’m writing a miniature poem.’ ‘Even better! A small poem. Wouldn’t… Continue reading The Perfect Gift
‘Anna*, how much for the Cricket Ganesha?’ I looked at the boy. He was dressed in cricket-whites and carried a kit-bag. ‘Hundred rupees,’ I answered curtly. Kids did not make good customers. ‘I have only fifty,’ His voice fell. I rolled my eyes, ‘Get another fifty if you want it.’ ‘Do you have a smaller… Continue reading Hopes and Dreams
Muthu considered the reports and the accompanying photographs. ‘Let’s do a sample dig immediately.’ ‘Muthu, will we have any luck this time?’ Sannasi, the village elder, voiced the question that was choking in everyone else’s throats. ‘Hopefully, ayya!’ Muthu picked his mobile phone and made arrangements for the sample dig. ‘I’m feeling positive.’ Sannasi smiled… Continue reading Water
‘If you serve these bloody Sea Urchins one more time, I’d have to seriously consider cannibalism as an option,’ Jamie snarled. ‘What are you saying? These are heavenly.’ Jimmy slurped his approval. ‘Can’t you catch a bloody mackerel or a snail? 100 days of Sea Urchin is not what I signed up for mate.’ ‘Sea… Continue reading 100 days of Eden! – FFfAW 143
“What is it?” Malcolm Butcher, the Director of the Department for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (DETI), frowned at the mud covered rock. “Tangible proof that our work hasn’t gone to waste, Sir.” Bud Mahoney, an overweight researcher, stammered in excitement. “Do you have concrete proof that this rock is alien?” “Absolutely, Sir. The top coating of… Continue reading The Prophecy – FFfAW141
'Paul, nice facility you have here.' Paul London smiled at his friend. They were buddies from University. Though they'd been in touch over the years, they'd last seen each other ten years ago. They chitchatted for a while. Brian's eyes kept shifting back to the entrance of the steel recycling plant. 'What you looking at,… Continue reading Sins of the father – FFfAW 140
They watched her from their usual hiding place near the woods. She was, by far, the most gorgeous woman they had ever set their sights on. Their alcohol addled brains kicked into a lust-filled overdrive. The five men fanned out and converged upon her, taking her by surprise. Within seconds, they overpowered her and tied… Continue reading She! – FFfAW139
Minoru Sazaki had all the time in the world. The peak hour traffic at the junction before the famous marketplace didn’t face him. The Mediterranean sun warmed his body and delighted his soul. He was looking forward to spending the evening amidst the sea of tourists, painters, musicians, restaurateurs, revelers, sex workers, and even pick-pockets… Continue reading Sazaki’s Gift – FFfAW 138
‘The children are expected to follow the rules and regulations of our institution very strictly.’ Abraham smiled at the stern looking woman who droned on, ‘There’s a copy of the rules on every wall, stuck at a height, convenient for children of all ages to read.’ ‘Very well, Mrs. Shrivastava.’ ‘Mr. Abraham, as someone new… Continue reading Too Much of Anything… – FFfAW137
Gaia looked at the cargo ship leisurely making its way to the pier. The deck of the ship was abuzz with commotion, a veritable beehive. Gaia remembered standing in the same spot on the cragged road leading up to the port, many years ago waiting for her father, Luisão. He was a Deck Officer on… Continue reading Reality – FFfAW 136
The procession moved slowly, solemnly towards the city center. Men, women and children held signs conveying respects for the victims and messages of hope and love for everyone else. Adnan puffed his cigarette, one last mortal pleasure before his impending death. Along with how many, he didn’t know. In exactly five minutes he would join… Continue reading What A Wonderful World – FFfAW 135
He sips his latte slowly, pretending to enjoy it. She knows that there will be a crinkle near his left eye, the same one he always has when he’s disgusted by something. He knows that she’d be smiling her secretive smile now. They both sit amiably in the roadside café, enjoying their companionship. She opens… Continue reading Pretend – FFfAW 134
Too much electricity might have fried the internal wiring of his brain. Once a hotshot spy, with swirling drinks and slinky girls ever-present in his hands, he now struggled to hold his own dick while he peed. His lips were contorted comically, thanks to damage in his facial nerves. What amused his captors most was… Continue reading Mime – FFfAW 131
“What in the blue hell is this monstrosity?” Jake, completely flabbergasted, looked at his friend. “It’s supposed to be art. Not sure what the artist was smoking,” Chris shrugged his shoulders. “What does it say?” “Well, that’s the thing about art. You can interpret it whatever way you want,” Chris leaned closer to the statue.… Continue reading What Is It? – FFfAW 130
The man in a black suit watched as the couple lay down exhausted after their lovemaking. The girl’s lustrous black hair was spread on the white pillow like the rays of a black sun. The man’s eyes twitched and his hands trembled with anticipation. He checked his bag and ran his hands over the knives,… Continue reading All about the hair – FFfAW 128
Two canoes raced each other, covering the distance between the mainland and the tiny islet at furious pace. The late evening sun scorched down at the canoeists. Sweat trickled down their bodies in great rivulets. But they weren’t worried about the sun. They still had an hour of paddling to reach their destination - a… Continue reading Eden – FFfAW126
Mino rested the oars and flexed his tired muscles. The Mediterranean waves gently rocked his boat. One more day and his mammoth fifty day fund-raising expedition would come to a successful conclusion. He had encountered setbacks – gun-toting fanatics in Al Hwaiz, immigration officials in Karatas, hooligans in Girne and narcotic squads in Antalya -… Continue reading Mission Possible – FFfAW 125
I trudge along the muddy path carrying my beloved’s corpse. The stone steps cut across the grassy slope are all that stands between me and my destination. I look at her – drenched in blood, her throat slit open. I break down in anguish. Why did she have to die? And violently? The moon peeps… Continue reading One more time – #FFfAW124
Michael gave up. His art, like his life, was an unmitigated disaster. He had set out to pour all his passion, effort and love into what he hoped would become his masterpiece, but had failed miserably. Michael threw his aerosol can away and stood up. He climbed the parapet and walked towards the edge. One… Continue reading Second Chance – #FFfAW123
Photo credit: Kecia Spartin “Listen, woman. I need this building. It’s in a prime location”, Ponrayan spat at Lakshmi. He owned liquor shops and was looking to expand. “Sir, but the school?” “Pah! Curses. Tell you what! I’ll give my land. Build your filthy school there.” The proposed site was outside the village. Commute would… Continue reading Komberi Mookan – #FFfAW 122 (July 4, 2017)
Rick sipped his drink. Morty sat opposite to him with a sigh. Rick arched an eyebrow, “Is it done?” “Yup. Gimme a sip, willya?” Rick passed over a straw, “So how many?” “Five biggins, Ten tinies and one devil.” Morty took a big sip, making disgusting slurping noises. “Cut that out, wouldya! You sure they… Continue reading The Alien Squad – FFfAW #121
