It was half past one on a Sunday afternoon. On any other Sunday the Nair family would have been fast asleep in their cozy bed—an afternoon nap routine ever since the summer started. Megha would have been on one side of the bed, one of her arms dangling from the edge. Siddharth would have been […]
Ritwik’s room smelled like a curious mix of stale McDonald’s burgers and musty clothes. Anyone walking into the room of his studio apartment (technically, his room was the studio apartment) would take a step back because of the smell. Ritwik couldn’t smell it, just as fish can’t smell salt in water. His single-size bed lay
Madhuri stared at her mother and tried to remember the last time she had seen a smile on her face. She thought it probably might have been when they had all gone out to the beach almost a year back. Her mother had worn a beautiful blue saree, one that she saved for only the
The car sped along, its tyres leaving a spray of water behind it. The rain had slowed down to a drizzle but the road was still wet. Nilu clutched the steering wheel as her instructor had taught her—hands at two and ten. She glanced at the speedometer—sixty. Too fast, she thought and eased it down
A surprise that never happened Read More »
The woman started cutting the carrot faster. The blade of the knife swished across the length of the carrot, each downward stroke barely missing the soft flesh of her fingers. The rhythmic thuds that the blade made against the cutting board synchronized with her heartbeats. Her hand swept across the board and small chunks of
The man rolled over on his bed and stared at the ceiling. One of his feet poked out from under the dirty covers. He wiped the perspiration on his forehead with the back of his hand and let it fall on his side. The room was quiet except for the sound of traffic from down