Shyam barged into his room—one hand clutching his backpack—closed the door behind him, and sat on his chair. The chair groaned below him. He placed the backpack on his lap and swept all his books off the study table. He unzipped the backpack quickly and carefully took out something that looked like a stone. He […]
Give one, take one Read More »
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
‘Pick a card,’ the man said as he fanned a pack of playing cards, all face down, in front of the young girl. The girl giggled, her freckles dancing across her cheeks, and looked up behind her at her mother. Cars honked nearby and people moved around them on the sidewalk. The man’s long black
The Man with The Cards Read More »
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
A faint breeze caressed Vishnu’s hair as he walked towards his house. The sky was a dark shade of blue with waves of orange. Vishnu wished he had not stayed for the football game after school. He was late and his parents would not be too happy about that. He glanced at the fresh tear
The walk back home (#3, Shiny Faces series) Read More »
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 metal door creaked open and Vijay stepped into the musty room. He closed the door with his back against it and walked towards the rusty and heavy pedestal fan placed a couple of feet away from the table at the center of the room. He didn’t pay much attention to the person sitting on
Fragments of a Family Read More »
Cooper drank some water and nonchalantly walked into his parent’s bedroom. Sunlight seeped in through the small gap in the curtains. A long rectangular strip of bright yellow warmth lay on the floor. It rose from the floor and onto the soft white bed in the middle of the room and then ran up along
Cooper almost gets it Read More »
[Read Part 1] Ricky pedalled fast. His heart raced as he imagined what he would do to the nerd. Must be glued to some book. Fucking idiot, he thought as his rusty bicycle took him along the old and forgotten road. He pedalled faster. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and he could feel it. His
Knives (#2, The Kid series) Read More »