Loose End of the Red Thread
‘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 pipe and used a tamper to press it down. ‘Everything! Starting with, is time travel possible?’ Lyndon struck a match and moved it in languid… Continue reading T is for The Troubles of Time Travel – #AtoZ2018
'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 over the floor. He didn’t respond immediately, instead, he looked over towards Don who was whittling away on another piece of wood. 'Should be nice.… Continue reading S is for Surprise – #AtoZ2018
‘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 pay much attention to his son. ‘Repair cushions, Dad! Anita told me about it.’ Anita was Mihir’s twelve year old elder sister who, like any… Continue reading R is for Repairing Cushions – #AtoZ2018
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 road. Only half of them came for auto parts. Duvan used to say that one can buy anything from groceries to narcotics from these cleverly… Continue reading Q is for Que Sera Sera – #AtoZ2018
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 reports he was studying, he couldn’t tell. But one thing was clear. He’d never felt this uncomfortable in his career spanning fifteen years as an… Continue reading P is for Perfection – #AtoZ2018
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 and almost drop her, but I land hard on my right knee instead to prevent that from happening. I let out a howl of pain… Continue reading O is for Once More – #AtoZ2018
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 intoxicating mixture of happiness, pleasure, lust, fear, sweat, piss, danger and blood in it. Every night, he stood there and waited. Waited for a sudden… Continue reading N is for Night Ghoul – #AtoZ2018
‘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 with ease and looked at Sarika. ‘Calm down, Mi amor! I know you are in shock and disbelief. Pero, would it hurt to sit down… Continue reading M is for Mariposa – #AtoZ2018
‘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 Agency (ESA) in Toulouse, France. He did not expect any reply from there either, but still went ahead with his ritual ‘Major Tom Jones from… Continue reading L is for Lonely – #AtoZ2018
‘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 mangoes do I have in total?’ After explaining the concept of multiplication, she set her class to work on the table of 3. A gentle… Continue reading K is for Komberi Mookan – #AtoZ2018
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 down. The first rays of the day lit the gently flowing water with a golden hue. These were exactly what Raghu missed in his life… Continue reading J is for Journey – #AtoZ2018
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 mild breeze sifting through its branches. Joo-Won had suggested coming to the dilapidated park in Kanggye, the capital of Chagang province of North Korea. Joo-Won… Continue reading I is for Innocence – #AtoZ2018
‘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 fifteen minutes.’ ‘Ma’am, please let me know your location. I’ll send one of our grief counsellors right there.’ She snorted, ‘I knew this was a… Continue reading H is for Help – #AtoZ2018
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 not a despo! Please get that into your heads. If you cannot enjoy the different forms of music, well, I can’t help you! The road… Continue reading G is for Ghost – #AtoZ2018
‘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 including leading Psychologists, Sociologists, Criminologists and social workers to determine whether the aforementioned accused be tried under the Indian Penal Code as adults.’ The Honorable… Continue reading F is for Finish – #AtoZ2018
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 flattened his disobedient hair that was thinning anyway and straightened the lapels of his borrowed suit. As he was about to go out he saw… Continue reading E is for Epicharikaky – #AtoZ2018
‘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. I missed the comic strips.’ ‘Two minutes, ma.’ She loved her son. He was her rock. He did the cooking, and the washing, and the… Continue reading D is for Dependant – #AtoZ2018
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 explicit material. If you are not comfortable with reading Adult content, please do not proceed beyond this point. Cheers 🙂 She trembled as his… Continue reading C is for Con Artist – #AtoZ2018
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 those forty years the management has changed, the owners have changed, the technology has changed, heck even the products the company made have changed. But… Continue reading B is for Boss – #AtoZ2018
‘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 an overdose of insulin. She died.’ ‘But, she needed intravenous insulin therapy,’ He protested. ‘Type-2 diabetes. I begged her to reduce her weight. We regularly… Continue reading A is for Absent Minded – #AtoZ2018
‘Tea, Clark?’ Diana smiled at her octogenarian friend. Beside her, Bruce was poring over the newspaper. Clark nodded and sat down. ‘Lovely day, eh?’ Bruce just grunted. ‘Bruce, don’t you think you’ve been grumpy enough?’ John sat next to Clark. ‘I’m not grumpy.’ ‘Of course, you aren’t,’ Barry placed his cane down and sat down… Continue reading The League
The sun scorched relentlessly on the rocky hills. The waiting crowd did not mind the soul-sapping heat one little bit. They were witnessing something very special. The constant, rhythmic ‘thunk’ of metal meeting stone was music to their ears. Dashrath Manjhi paused before delivering the final stroke. Twenty-two years of hard labour was about bear… Continue reading The Lunatic
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 this blog (which, btw, I started only to like and comment on her posts.) Somewhere along the way, I started writing too and, this year,… Continue reading Theme Reveal – A To Z Challenge 2018
The two men watched in amiable silence from one of the ornate windows of Trinity Hall. Down in the grounds, students were spreading blankets and setting cameras on tripods as they got ready to witness and capture the oncoming meteor shower. ‘I’d give almost anything to be in one of those blankets,’ the frail man… Continue reading The IQ of Losers
‘Daddy, that boy keeps coming back,’ my six-year-old was grumpy. ‘Why don’t you let him play with you?’ ‘He stinks, Daddy. Like a fish tank.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yeah! There he is.’ I looked at him and started screaming. I shouldn’t have pushed him into the lake all those years ago.
‘What have you done?’ The young woman growled. The soldiers shuffled their feet, and none had the temerity to meet her eyes. She walked slowly on the blood-soaked floor and knelt beside a corpse, ‘What did the women and children do? Why did you kill them too?’ The leader of the mutineers stepped up, ‘Rani*,… Continue reading The Wages of Sin
‘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
Hugo smiled as he entered the gym. He sidestepped the faulty floorboard and strode forty-eight exact feet to the practice ring. Nothing had changed. Marcus was there, as Hugo expected, scrubbing the canvas. A legendary boxing coach, Marcus still cleaned the ring himself. It was his church, he claimed. Nothing had changed. Marcus looked up,… Continue reading Change
Why am I holding this dry, withered carcass of a rose? Go ahead, ask. This is my most treasured possession. I will not trade this for all the riches in the world. What is its significance, you might ask? This was the first flower she gave me; ten years, seven months, and twenty-three days ago.… Continue reading Precious
He was holed out in the dusty attic of his uncle’s house. He spent most of his days there, with his books and his cousin’s hand-me-down toys. He could hear his aunt complain about his messy hair and messier room, and his cousin chortling. He did not like it at his uncle’s. They didn’t hate… Continue reading Magic
‘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
‘Let’s go over the sequence once more.’ Aman Khan, Bollywood’s biggest superstar, was onto his fifth cigarette of the day. ‘Sure, sir.’ The director pointed at the ruined carcass of the plane, ‘You’ll be on the top, Sir. Ma’am will come running from that direction.’ ‘Cool yaar!’ Aman stubbed his cigarette. ‘Where’s Shriya?’ ‘Ma’am is… Continue reading The Scene
‘Grandpa, looks like we have to shut the hotel down,’ Noel closed the ledger. ‘We can’t bear losses anymore.’ Ninety-three-year-old Ethan D’Mello smiled ruefully, ‘This hotel was a tribute to my British employer, Noel. I named it after him – Henry Berrisford.’ ‘Surely a great man, wasn’t he?’ ‘Oh yes! A proper gent. He contributed… Continue reading The Name
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
Hey grass! Ever felt jealous of the tree towering over your insignificance? Felt hopelessly despondent that you couldn’t do anything about it? You have? Perfect! Now you know how I feel. It’s very easy to get trampled on, right? Oh well, at least I can drink my sorrows away. Hey grass, it’s me again. Did… Continue reading Epicharikaky – Friday Fictioneers
Krish pointed the derelict house to his wife Mita, ‘I spent a lot of time here than in my own house when I was a teenager.’ ‘Why?’ ‘I have no idea. I used to come here straight after school to see Sheela-aunty.’ ‘’Was she related?’ ‘No! Her husband, Govind, worked for my dad. He… Continue reading Skeletons – friday fictioneers
I remember the first time I saw the roller-coaster. I was scared - terrified even. You asked me to face my fears. You sat next to me and held my hand. I closed my eyes as the roller-coaster started its ascent. You stroked my hair and told me to open them. You said that by… Continue reading Roller-coaster: Friday Fictioneers
Two Perky breasts That rose and fell In throes of passion One Slender waist That swayed To a music of its own Two Cherry red lips Luscious and tasty Fruits forbidden One Aquiline nose That hooked anyone A man trap Two Willowy hands That accepted many Wicked embraces One Gorgeous… Continue reading The Body
‘Ironic isn’t it?’ Mal spat. ‘You, an entomologist, killed by a spider.’ Her husband, Godfrey, lay thrashing at her feet - eyes scrunched shut and foam trickling from his babbling lips. ‘Phoneutria fera - Brazilian Wandering Spider. Did you recognize it as it bit you?’ She turned and picked her bag. ‘I’ll let you be.… Continue reading Mistaken Identity – Friday Fictioneers
‘Looks like a city of weaver bird nests…’ ‘I’ll call this The Giantesses’ Pantyhoses…’ The art critiques milled about, muttering and wondering what Herman Baxter had come up with this time. His last few pieces had been summarily rejected by the contemporary art community. Herman took the stage. ‘Friends, welcome. This is my masterpiece.’ The… Continue reading Herman Baxter’s Masterpiece – Friday Fictioneers
Pic by Ted Strutz ‘Dammit, Mark! Your grandfather is at it again,’ Lola screeched from the garden. ‘What is it now?’ Mark threw away his newspaper in disgust and trudged out. ‘Aha! Look at my masterpiece, Marcus. I call it Wheels,’ his grandfather, Derrick, declared. ‘Oh no! Not my limited-edition CDs. What have you done?’… Continue reading Wheels – Friday Fictioneers
They said the ozone layer deteriorated so fast that Antarctica melted in a year. Australia went down under. There are people on streets with skin cancer. My daughter, the old cow, placed the blame for everything squarely on my decisions regarding climate change. Then I started thinking about the butterfly effect. I shrug! As usual,… Continue reading Covfefe – #MicroMondays 11
Hi there, Welcome back to yet another edition of #MicroMondays. For the 11th edition, we have the prompt from Stephen King's 11.22.63 THEN I STARTED THINKING ABOUT THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT The magic number for this week is 62. Your 62 word story must use the above prompt VERBATIM. Tag your post titles with #MicroMondays Tweet your posts… Continue reading #MicroMondays – 11
‘How much for the cap?’ ‘300 rupees, madam. You climbing Everest?’ ‘Naah! Just trekking to basecamp. My husband will be attempting to summit Everest.’ ‘Nice. Your husband very brave. Which party he go with?’ ‘Wild Summit.’ ‘Very nice. My uncle, Apa Sherpa, going with Wild Summit. He help your husband. I go Everest from next… Continue reading Everest – Friday Fictioneers
I have some of the fondest travel memories from the state of Rajasthan; or maybe I am just biased as that’s my hometown 😉 Over the past decade, I have pursued many of its delightful destinations and discovered some amazing sights and experiences which have stayed with me still. One such was the cultural performance… Continue reading A tryst with Bagore ki Haveli in Udaipur – Guest Post by ShalzMojo
Greetings, Welcome to the 10th edition of #MicroMondays. I know that participation has been a bit dwindling, but as long as there is even one entry #MicroMondays will continue. I would also appreciate if you guys can suggest ways to get more people writing for #MicroMondays. The more, the merrier right? That being said, the… Continue reading #MicroMondays – 10
‘What’s that?’ ‘That’s the sigil of House Flormont. Actually, their history is very interesting.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yeah! The Lady Marguerite of House Flormont once hosted a great tourney to find herself a suitor. They called her ‘Wildflower’ because she was as wild as she was beautiful. Many a suitor vied for her hand, only for her… Continue reading Romantic – Friday Fictioneers
She stood by me when I had hit rock-bottom. She held my hand through the horrible withdrawal symptoms. An ache to see her smile made me quit cold-turkey. I felt great, in absolute control and in love again with life. All stayed well for less than twenty-four hours. Her call goes to voicemail as I… Continue reading Off the wagon – #MicroMondays – 9
Howzit ma people! Welcome to the 9th edition of #MicroMondays. This week, we are giving you 54 words + the full prompt to play with. The book in consideration is First Thrills - An Anthology of short stories. We have selected the prompt from the story The Bodyguard by Lee Child (Jack Reacher fame) The prompt is ALL STAYED… Continue reading #MicroMondays – 9
There is a word in the Marathi language - 'Runaanubandha', which roughly means bound by love for an eternity. Perhaps, something like Dr. Brian Weiss' book, 'Only Love is Real', about soul mates who have shared lifetimes together. Each one of us is bound by love with many people. But, it's only with a certain… Continue reading Runaanubandha – Guest Post by Shilpa Gupte
