Short Story

By Kalpana Rangan Three days had passed since she heard the news and today everything was over. "Is it Mrs. Arun Raman speaking?" the caller had asked. It was quarter to twelve in the night. Why this call at such a time? Slowly and haltingly she answered. "Yes, --- I am Soumya Arun." "Ma-am, sorry to disturb you at this time of the night. But --- we had to give the news. Your husband met with an accident. It was a head on collision. He was rushed to the hospital but --- they

By Diya Amy Shayin It’s been two days since the year started. Ma already left for work. It was much better during the holidays. I closed the door and left for school. While walking to the bus stop, I noticed that the neighbors had already left which means I’m late again. Oh! That’s new. There’s a girl standing in the bus stop. She seems to be a little older than me. I went and stood beside her. Should I ask her something? Is she new here? “Hello?” I asked, hoping to know more

By Meghaa Mundhra I heard the knock on the door and opened it to find him standing there, drenched in rain, holding a single red rose for me. His eyes, deep and sincere, met mine, speaking volumes in silence. Without a word, he gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch sending shivers down my spine. The world around us faded as he whispered, "I've loved you in a thousand lifetimes, and in each, I find my way back to you".I smiled, my heart racing, knowing that i

By Vagdha S He was there again.  He was burying something again. Maybe trash−maybe not. Every single day I find him here, busy like this. He acts normal at work but here, he’s like a total psychopath. Whenever I return home, he is burying something that I don’t even want to know. Because it’s safer to not get involved. I observed him closely today. I’m now completely sure that it was not trash.  Trash doesn’t have a head, two hands and legs, and blood. I couldn’t help but sta

By Aabha Ghuli “Wow!! Its so huge…I love this house” Daisy shouted in the air. She  along with her parents recently rented a new house. Ancient cobwebs, piles of dirt, stained curtains and heaps of dried leaves welcomed them. And forgot to mention, also few croaky frogs, creepy cockroaches, an ancient, creaky staircase and slithery snakes.   ”Oh…its so dirty! Messed up! I will need a decade to clean this house..” said her mom . “We will help you convert this haunted house int

By Aabha Ghuli Clara adjusted her emerald, green headscarf, loud applause following her as she walked on the stage. Setting the green plastic crystal ball on the table, she started the drama. “Now, to experience the magic of a fortune teller, would anyone like to come on the stage?” Clara announced, as the performance drew closer to an end. A tall thin man walked towards the stage, a beaming smile on his face. The man sat down, as Clara stared at the crystal ball mysteriously

By Aabha Ghuli And the witch cackled Deep inside windy woods, in the misty forest was a lone hut which stood at the edge of a cliff. Visited by none but just misfortune and disasters. It wasn’t exactly a pretty sight with its broken windows with cobwebs, rusted hinges and eerie orange lights glowing inside. It looked very unwelcoming. But nothing was worse than the creature that lived in it.  Deep black eyes, crooked nose, Mega long nails, tangled hair, stinker that skunk and

By Dr.Anubhuti Gupta It’s said that "Opposites attract"  - the saying that people with different personalities, interests, or traits are often drawn to each other in romantic relationships. Examples: "She's a planner, he's spontaneous - opposites attract" "He's quiet and thoughtful, she's outgoing and energetic" The flip side:  Some people also believe "Birds of a feather flock together" - meaning similar people are better matches. In reality:  I too think that Opposite Attra

By Dr.Anubhuti Gupta Dear Anu (my younger self@ 25),                                                                    I am writing this letter to you after such a long gap of 26 years of life, but it is better than never. Honestly speaking, why I am writing this as I now realized that sometimes life must be understood backwards. It gives you a new dimension and a new perspective. Life in these 26 years were not so easy, but yes who said that life is easy. I just laugh often

By Ashwini U "कौसल्यासुप्रजा राम पूर्वा सन्ध्या प्रवर्तते।    उत्तिष्ठ नरशार्दूल कर्तव्यं दैवमाह्निकम्॥" यह भजन अब ‘सरस्वती सोसाइटी’ की सुबह का स्थायी हिस्सा बन गया है। पहले ऐसा नहीं था, लेकिन जबसे पहली मंजिल वाली आज्जी यहाँ पर रहने आई  हैं, तब से हर दिन की शुरुआत इसी श्लोक से होती है। उनका असली नाम किसी को नहीं पता — सब उन्हें बस ‘आज्जी’ कहते हैं। हर सुबह ठीक पाँच बजे उठकर वे पूजा-पाठ में लग जाती हैं। कामवाली शांता बाई सबसे पहले उन्हीं के घर जाती है। तब तक आज्जी की रसोई तैया

By Keya Pothen “Psykovsky LIVE IN KERALA!” Kokeyshi said, reading the flyer out loud. “Looks good, macha!” he says, turning to his friend. Kokeyshi was a young man of average height, built with good proportions and sharp features; he wasn't a bad-looking guy. Hardworking but aloof, he spent years trying to build a reputation in the Malayalam film industry. Mixing and networking with various producers and directors. A stoner like almost 90% of the current film industry generat

By Kapil Sharma She was a small-town girl living in her Barbie world, and he was a city boy raised in... nah, that sounds like song lyrics. Forget being a romantic; I can’t even pretend to be a romantic without plagiarism. But there was actually a time when I sort of believed in true love (now it's true death). This story is about that time only. But why am I telling you such a story? Come on, I am not reasonable; I will just start.  It was 2002. The Y2K bubble had just burst

By Ridhima Khajuria Nonchalance. The first thing I felt upon startling awake. A stream of lava ran past me. I looked up, hooded figures draped in black, hovering over the poor souls banished in this forsaken place, serving for a lifetime of crimes. "It's finally happened", I muttered, not a muscle in my face betraying what I felt, acceptance. Getting up, I walked over lazily, looking around disinterestedly.   I never believed in the concept of an afterlife, let alone hell or

By Niyati Mehdiratta My mom was right (as usual), it is the damn phone. It’s the phone’s fault. And my sister’s. And Instagram’s. It's still in my head, playing on loop with only half of the lyrics because I still don't know the rest.  It all started 13 days ago. I was studying for my exams when my younger sister came up to me to show me an advertisement , of all things,  by a jeans brand in collaboration with some girl group. I didn't know the brand, or the song, or the girl

By Zoe Parra La belleza de los paisajes resplandecía en su mirada. Se levantó ese día con una gran sensación de optimismo y gratitud. Cuatro mundos dentro de un solo país tan pequeño: desde la altitud de los nevados más cercanos al sol, hasta las profundidades del océano en donde surgieron las islas volcánicas… los cielos más azules, los atardeceres más rosados, todas las constelaciones. Tan únicos eran los paisajes de aquel lugar, así como tan rota su sociedad. Su inexplicab

By Hemasri Nithya Chodagiri There was a girl named Sarah. She did not know how to count money, but she is 18.  One day in the car she went to Great America all by herself. There she had to pay for parking. She didn’t know how to count money, so she gave 40 dollars instead of 20 dollars. The parking lot person didn't tell her she paid extra and robbed the money. Then she parked and went to the ticket section. The ticket person told her to pay 50 dollars, but Sarah paid 100 dol

By Ash Landles The skin fits better in the winter. The cold tightens everything—tendons, pores, seams. It makes the world quieter, and me harder to smell. I walk to work just after six, when the frost is still clinging to the windshields and the street lamps haven’t quite surrendered to daylight. I pass dogs being walked by tired men with tired faces. I nod at them sometimes. They nod back. No one looks twice. I’ve learned that the trick to disappearing is not avoidance, but

By Deontre Sawyer July 5 th , 1995 On her third mile into the jog, she made a left on East Long Street. The woman was middle aged, but due to her consistent workout routine, she possessed a tight physique that could have her pass for mid-twenties. She wore a neon yellow tracksuit, running shoes, and headphones covering her ears playing Sade’s Love Deluxe tape in her Walkman. Singing along to “Kiss of Life,” while jogging in place at the crosswalk, she did not notice or hear t

By Deontre Sawyer CHAPTER 1 “Because I always feel like running. Not away, because there is no such place. Because if there was, I would have found it by now. Because it is easier to run. Easier than staying and finding out you are the only one who did not run. Because running will be the way your life, and mine, will be described; as in ‘the long run,’ or as in ‘having given someone a run for his money,’ or as in running out of time…” Gil Scott-Heron The old man could not he

By Lana Forrest As the drizzling rain seeped into my shirt, I only had one thought on my mind. Tasha.  Where was she? Was she okay? Every time I heard a female scream, my nerves felt like they’d lit themselves on fire, and it took everything in my willpower to not start violently sobbing.  I raced through the streets, the ongoing conflict around me forgotten as my gaze searched the area around me wildly. Any sign of her, I prayed silently. Any sign of her, and everything will