Tag: fantasy

Posted in Blogging, Writing Tips

My struggle with writing Fantasy

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

I like to call myself a story writer.

My style of writing stories is more intent on an individual’s perspective on the situation than the events themselves. Most of the times, the narrator is one of the main characters. I write about the narrator’s emotions and relationships as events unfold. Sometimes, there is no plot, just feelings…more like Poetry…

…which becomes my bane when writing Fantasy!

Fantasy requires building a different kind of world around us where I need to explain what things look like. But being inside a character’s head who is already part of the world, they can certainly not be surprised with the flying jellies and candy bars hanging from trees (Okay, that one could make a good story…). So, why would they even think or talk about it? It is like make an Indian talk about their visit to the streets of their town–it is their daily life; they ignore it.

Also, since my writing focuses on relationships, it is difficult to make a character think of both their world and their relationships at the same time.

Therein lies my biggest challenge.

In one of my recent Fantasy stories (The Ceremony), I was creating a society where the Queen held all the power over the King. She goes out fighting while he raised their only daughter to be the next Queen. The scene is about the day their daughter chooses her Consort that will allow the Princess to become the next Queen, pushing her father out of royal circle.

Expectations about relationships change in light of the society and, speaking from inside the characters head, I had to make it sound like facts of life and acceptable. All the facts that fit for a mother in a patriarchal society were fitting in here for the King.

I kept changing perspectives from third-person narrator to the King to the Princess to the Consort-wannbe because no one can know the whole story or what is going inside another person’s head. And the entire narrative changed with it based on his relationships with the world around him.

It was an experience learning how the same situation can feel so different to different people. And the story wasn’t long enough to justify multiple perspectives. So, I had to stop at one point and take a stand about who our narrator is. Considering it’s a Fantasy, I had to “stay in the character” and keep adding Fantasy references that would feel natural, though I did not go to Victorian language for creating dialogues (I was tempted to but it is beyond my skillset).

It was a struggle that kept me occupied for months.

What is your struggle when you write your pieces?

Posted in Fiction

The Ceremony: Part 1 of 2

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: This is the first instalment of my latest short-story.

“The Princess has arrived!” shouts the crier.

Everyone in the room becomes respectfully silent, gazing at the entrance of the ceremonial hall in expectation of the belle of the evening, Princess Nala.

They are not disappointed. She looks exquisite in the ceremonial gold armour covering her body from neck to knees and wrists, with traditional breeches and laced up sandals beneath. As she smiles, the battle-scars on her face flex—a badge of honour for every warrior.

She moves confidently amongst the guests, followed by a stream of female warriors in similar ceremonial garbs made of silver. Everyone scrambles forward trying to catch her eye in the hope of the grand prize—the Princess herself. She nods dismissively at the people as she passes them to meet her mother at the throne.

The Queen is standing—a rare gesture reserved for very special occasions—to receive her daughter after her return from the gruesome battle against the savages of the north. Princess Nala won. As always.

As she moves on to meet the Queen’s Consort—her father—the Queen makes the formal announcement everyone has been waiting for all evening, “The Princess intends to take a Consort. Please propose her tonight if you are willing.”

We all had known, of course. But now it was time to act.

I look at the Queen’s Consort. He looks discomfited. May be because his “little girl” is taking the decision in her own hands.

Or, may be, because, as soon as Nala gets married, she will become the Queen and her husband will be the Queen’s Consort, pushing her father to become a nobody. Having lived in the shadow of his wife all his life, he never was much anyway. And now, he will be erased completely from the royal scene.

How would it feel to be in his place?

I have met him once when he visited our county and stayed at our palace. My father was over the moon. He couldn’t stop gushing about him, ‘Ester, you have no idea what an amazing warrior the Consort had once been! We were close friends and we fought side-by-side. He was the only one fit to father the next Queen!”

Even I could see how regal and majestic he was. Yet, how could a man of action set down his sword for a crib?

Loud applaud and excited chatter are making it hard to think.

Should I just leave?

I don’t want the life of a Queen’s Consort. I am here on my father’s insistence to win the Princess Nala’s hand. But to me, she is nothing—brave, powerful and wealthy, but a snob regardless. I can’t forget her dismissive nod at the crowd around her. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with such a person.

As the music starts, female warriors, including the Princess, form a circle, while male warriors form a bigger circle outside the existing one. The ceremonial dance begins. Moving in waves, weaving through men as they all dance with their swords, striking, saving, turning, touching each-other and circling in rhythm with the music. They pass from one person to the next until the Princess has met and danced with all of them. So far, the Princess has smiled courteously, but she looks unimpressed.

She is edging out, looking for escape. Her eyes wander as if searching for something…someone…until she finds him—her father.

She urges him to dance with her. And when they do, it is like they have done it a thousand times—fast, strong, but still lighter, like best friends’ banter. I see how the father’s eyes shine with pride for his daughter, but his eyes are searching too. Distracted.

As the music stops, the Princess is hanging on to her father longer than needed. The way she looks warily at the throng of men trying to woo her… Is no one good enough for her?

Well, I don’t want to find out. So, I edge towards the shadows close to the backdoor. Hopefully, I can slip out unseen—the gardens look inviting. I will slip back in when it is time to take leave.

The sound of glass shattering halts my feet. A young attendant, barely thirteen, is cringing next to the Princess, her armour dripping with the wine he had spilt on her and her breeches are soaked. Her father doesn’t look concerned but other people are waiting with abated breath for her to lash out—this boy has just ruined the biggest event of the Princess’ life. I wonder if I should intervene before she starts screaming, “Off with his head!”

But she just looks quietly at the shaking boy. Her eyes soften. She whispers something and the boy leaves. My eyes follow her as she excuses herself, holding her head high despite her condition. She is moving towards the shadows I am standing in, but mesmerized, I can’t make myself move away.

The same attendant comes to her with a clean towel in hand. She takes it and asks him quietly, “Are you okay?” The boy nods quietly, a smile replaces the nervous twitching.

Her words make me stay. She isn’t a snob any more than I.

I join the dance, not sure why. I’m not sold on marrying for wealth, but I itch to figure out this woman. I can’t wait for my turn with her as we change partners. And when she finally arrives in front of me, my heart changes beat to double-time. Her battle scars don’t matter anymore. All I can focus on is her deep eyes and how I will love to make them laugh. Hers are entirely too serious.

As we clang our swords together and move around, I copy the moves she made with her father, and it feels natural…fluid…like we have known each-other forever. When she turns behind me and our arms touch, I can’t help but smile at her. She smiles back and it reaches her eyes.

When we change partners, we keep glancing at each-other. And when I can’t see her, I can’t focus. I wonder why.

It is my turn with her again and I touch her fingers again for a short second, on purpose this time, and as she looks me, I grin, wishing it was longer. All of a sudden, she stops, looking discomfited. She isn’t looking at me anymore.

Did she take offence at my touch? She didn’t get angry in our last dance. And everyone else is doing the same around us.

She excuses herself out of dancing the piece on the pretense of needing a drink. As I set out to get one for her, I see her glancing around again. Searching.

I can’t help but feel more than a little let down.

To be continued

Posted in Fiction, Published, Twisted fairytales

Not a Lore: Part 3 of 3

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: This is the third and final installment of a Twisted Fairytale from my fifth short-story compilation, Ugly: Twisted fairytales. It is a spinoff of the old Grimm’s tale, The Sleeping Beauty.

It is almost dawn when we finally find the princess in an antechamber. The room is immaculate, clearly magical.

The princess is breathtaking. She sleeps with both her hands on her heart and a peaceful smile on her face, oblivious of the century she has left behind. Her face is alight with the glow of the dawn, her long golden hair braided with fresh flowers, looking as if she has been frozen in time since the day she turned sixteen.

All that is left to be done is to kiss her. I feel blood leave my face as I consider what I am supposed to do.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Reese is concerned but his heart is drumming louder than mine, and I hear a hint of jealousy again. Does he want to kiss her? Should I let him?

The thought pushes a dagger through my heart. I straighten my back and walk up to the sleeping princess and kiss her, first tentatively, then anxiously, over and over again. I shake her, desperate for her to wake up. But nothing happens! The princess stays fast asleep blissfully unaware of my existence.

Reese lets out a breath of relief and says meaningfully, “She needs true love’s kiss!”

It’s no use pretending anymore. I slump down on the floor next to the bed in defeat, “I just needed to try. If the world’s most beautiful woman can’t make me fall in love with her…”

“It’s alright!” Hesitating, he adds, “We can report back to the king that the princess is already dead. Nobody would know.”

“I would know,” I wish the ground would swallow me!

Reese looks concerned as he offers me his hand, “Come, we must get out before the dragon comes looking for breakfast.”

“And go back where? To my parents who sent me on the quest to become dragon fodder? They know I can never marry her.”

Twenty‑eight years of walls I had built carefully around me are crumbling. I hate myself for not being strong enough. Once I return, the world would know for sure. The whispers would become louder and clearer, shaming my parents even further. “They’ll never love me. I have failed them yet again by failing to die.”

Reese’s face is a mask of pain mirroring mine, as if someone has stabbed him in the heart. He is opening and closing his fists like he wants to punch a wall or kill someone. But when he finally looks at me, his eyes are not angry—they hold strength. He offers hesitatingly, “If you don’t want to go back, nobody needs to know we survived the quest. The soldiers have their orders to leave for home if we don’t return in three days.”

He sits down next to me and holds my hand tenderly, erasing the past eleven years in one touch, “We can go away together; sell the armour to buy a farm; run it together like my parents did. It will be a difficult life though—one with a lot of hard work and sparce meals.”

As I look at our joined hands, I can finally breathe again, “I don’t care about luxury. I will have you.”

“Me too!”

END

Author’s note: If you would rather read it all together in the book, Ugly: Twisted Fairytales is available for free download here: Link

Photo by Sean Thomas on Unsplash

Posted in Fiction, Published, Twisted fairytales

Not a Lore: Part 2 of 3

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: This is first installment of a Twisted Fairytale from my fifth short-story compilation, Ugly: Twisted fairytales. It is a spinoff of the old Grimm’s tale, The Sleeping Beauty.

Even now Rese is risking his life yet again, standing outside the castle grounds with me without the army. I had proposed to come alone but Reese wouldn’t hear of it. The dragon’s smoke is thicker here. I survey the scene quietly, trying to hide my emotions. Of course, I am having second thoughts. Reese’s face is a kaleidoscope of emotions, and I wonder what he is thinking when he finally speaks, “Your Majesty! This whole thing is an exercise in futility.”

“Are you questioning my plan?”

“No! I think the plan is excellent. Since there is no way to kill the dragon, there is no point bringing all the men to the castle. Their noise would inform the dragon of our presence, and its fire can melt their armour easily. So why risk their lives? Only you need to kiss the princess to wake her up while I watch your back. What I am questioning is the worth of this quest—the folklore is at least a century old, which means that the princess is either already dead of old age or at least 116 years old. Do you think, you would like to kiss someone who is the age of your great‑grandmother?”

It is nice to see his sense of humour returning. Smiling, I counter, “You are forgetting the last part of the folklore—that the princess is sixteen and she’ll wake with a prince’s kiss. Since the part of the lore about the dragon and silver castle is true, she must still be alive and young enough to be kissed.”

Reese’s face falls for a second but he persists, “Come on! She may not even be beautiful. I mean, these folklores tend to exaggerate things. She could be any commonplace princess who was glorified in stories. Not to forget, she has been sleeping for a hundred years—she could be smelly and drooling over herself; her hair and dress could be in cobwebs. She may not even be your true love, you know.”

He is trying hard to sound objective, but I hear the tiniest hint of jealousy. Who is he jealous of? It’s not like I am going to come out of it a hero. I am just a sacrificial lamb. Gah! These princesses have it so easy. They just have to wait in their castle for their true love to arrive while princes die fighting dragons.

Honestly, Reese is reflecting the same thoughts that I have had since the beginning of the quest. But why now—after two years? Not that it changes anything.

“Father’s orders were clear enough—I have to marry her or die trying.”

“He is just trying to get rid of you—sending you on a quest that could mean a lifetime of search and failure. He didn’t even know if the princess existed. It was just an easy way to exile you.”

Is Reese reading my mind? And where is his loyalty to the king? “Reese! You are overstepping.”

“Please don’t try to shut me out. I have maintained my silence so far. But this may be the last day of our lives—our last day together. You know I’d walk on hot coals for you. You can at least hear me. Your father makes no secret that he detests your decision to stay a celibate. But you are his eldest son and the heir to the throne by birthright. So, he just wants you out of the way for an excuse to hand over the kingdom to one of your younger brothers.”

Though I had known it forever, the truth cut deeply, “I don’t care about the throne anyway.”

“True, but that doesn’t change the fact that your parents have sent you here to die. Dying for them won’t make them love you.” 

“You are crossing the line!”

“I care for you. I don’t want you to die for someone who doesn’t love you alive.”

“Silence, Squire! We are going in now.”

*****

We have hidden the bulky armour outside the castle walls since it makes a lot of noise and dragon fire can melt armour anyway. Together, we scale the walls easily—there are too many footholds in the stones cracking by exposure to the elements—and enter undetected in the castle backyard.

A massive dragon sleeps fretfully at a distance in front of the main gate. A cloud of smoke rises from its nostrils. It looks weak from hunger—skin stretched over bones—after a century of imprisonment in this forsaken place. No wonder it is irritable and inhospitable to any armies that venture in.

The massive wooden gates on the door leading to the hall are hanging open on their hinges, but we enter through a broken window on the side wall, giving the dragon a wide berth. The place reeks of death. Walls are charred in places and broken human bones litter the place. The castle feels haunted. The hallways glimmer eerily in the low light wherever the metal armour of countless soldiers has melted and become one with the stone path. We avoid stepping on it for the fear of making a noise. We take a torch from a metal bracket and light it up with a flint—it will take all night.

Author’s note: To be continued…

If you would rather read it all together in the book, Ugly: Twisted fairytales is available for free download here: Link

Photo by Sean Thomas on Unsplash

Posted in Fiction, Published, Twisted fairytales

Not a Lore: Part 1 of 3

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: This is first installment of a Twisted Fairytale from my fifth short story compilation, Ugly: Twisted fairytales. It is a spinoff of the old Grimm’s tale, The Sleeping Beauty.

The King’s orders were clear, “Marry the princess or die trying.” By ‘the princess’, the King was referring to an old folklore that said:  

“There lays a princess of sixteen,

Fair as the winter sun and hair made of gold,

Cursed by a witch to sleep for years untold,

In a silver castle guarded by a dragon.

When the century sets in the horizon,

Her prince shall arrive then,

To wake her with true love’s first kiss

And rule the world with her as his.”

Why the king wanted me, his eldest son and crown prince, to lay down my life for a princess who was at least a century older than me was anybody’s guess. But I am not the one to fight back my father’s whims. So, I had set off instantly on the quest along with two hundred soldiers. My men and I had searched the world for the elusive silver castle hiding the cursed princess, knowing too well that magic and dragons were creatures of myths. The folklore had come ‘somewhere from the north’, so we had started towards north and searched through many kingdoms and fought many unwanted battles to find this very old and, apparently, very desirable princess.

*****

After two years of constant walking and fighting and half of my men dying for nobody’s cause, I have finally found the place.

On the top of a hill, the ominous grey castle shines like silver and casts long shadows in the dying winter sun. The cloud of smoke that rises from the castle grounds is visible from the valley. I wish it is a huge bonfire, even if it means that the castle is now inhabited by an army of bandits or even a cannibal tribe. Anything is better than facing a dragon that can create smoke of that size without trying. But the villagers have spotted the dragon fly above the castle in circles too many times in the past century. Its roar is heart‑stopping even from such a distance. But it never leaves the castle to hunt, which meant that we are about to face a very hungry and frustrated dragon itching for a fight. The villagers have also told us of the many princes—fair, brave and strong—who came to rescue the princess in the past century. They all entered the castle accompanied with their entire armies and never returned—nobody ever did.

There is no way to kill a dragon—you can only avoid it. I am about to face it though. But do my men need to die as well?

*****

I embarked on this journey to die trying—to prove myself to my father and to the world that does not consider me man enough. I am a skilled warrior with a hulking frame and body sculpted from many years of rough living in constant battles that plague our kingdom’s borders. I have put my life on the line too many times for my king. But I’m the next in line to the throne and my lack of interest in women and marriage at 28 years of age is a cause of whispered suspicions across the kingdom and my father’s shame. My younger brothers make fun of my ‘chaste’ ways. Many wannabe‑princesses have tried to seduce me, and when they failed, they crushed my dignity underfoot by moving to my younger brothers’ bed chambers. My mother has even gone farther and found a woman who is ready to marry me ‘without expecting a child’. But how can I take the vows knowing they are lies?

I have tried to love someone…anyone…but failed. And with that, I have failed my parents, crushed their expectations and earned this banishment. Because no matter the excuse my father has used, it is banishment. They know well that no woman will ever wake from my kiss.

May be if I die trying, they would finally be proud of me. Not that anyone would care if I died, except Reese.

*****

Reese is my constant companion for twenty‑two years—playmate, best friend, sparring partner and now my Squire. Earlier, we had spent many years together planning pranks, facing my father’s backlash, fighting with wooden swords and dreaming of the day I would become the king, and Reese would be my general. He knew my moods and made me laugh. He cared.

But, at seventeen, my father had raised concerns about the closeness of our friendship. Soon after, Reese was sent with a battalion stationed at the far end of the kingdom and I was left alone in a world that did not care. It took me a long time to put my pieces together and become the ‘strong royal’ my father expected me to be. When Reese finally returned after two years, I realised it was better to stay aloof rather than face another separation. Now Reese is just my Squire, a subordinate who does as he is asked to. Reese still knows my moods and makes me laugh. He still cares. He has always stuck by my side during fights, never more than a few feet apart, watching my back and saving my neck too many times to count.

Author’s note: To be continued…

If you would rather read it all together in the book, Ugly: Twisted fairytales is available for free download here: Link

Photo by Sean Thomas on Unsplash

Posted in Fiction, Published, Twisted fairytales

The Royal Scoop: Part 3 of 3

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: This is third and final installment of a Twisted Fairytale from my fifth short story compilation, Ugly: Twisted fairytales. It is a modern spinoff of the old Grimm’s tale, Cinderella.

News Anchor (with a bandaged nose and a swollen eye): Welcome to News at Six! Earlier yesterday, our Channel had exposed Lady Cinderella—the Fiancée of Prince Charming and the future Queen—confessing that she can see ‘fairies’.

Lady Drizella, her sister, agreed to talk but declined to discuss the possibility of mental instability. She quickly became violent, which is a sure sign of the entire family being unstable.

Now we have the Sheriff of Faraway with us regarding the theft of jewellery, clothes and carriage by Lady Cinderella and the murder of her coachman on the night of the Ball.

Sheriff, has Lady Cinderella admitted the murder yet?

Sheriff: We haven’t framed any charges yet since there hasn’t been any missing person’s report. Also, there is no report of any missing jewellery, dress or carriage.

News Anchor: Seems like she had been quick to cover her tracks or may be the royal family! Has the Police department checked with the adjoining cities and states for missing person’s report? Maybe check her mother’s estate for the body or carriage? At least, take her in custody and ask her questions. I’m sure she will spill the beans with third‑degree questioning!

Sheriff: I assure you the Police department has done all that was required and we don’t need a comedy channel to tell us how to do our job.

News Anchor: This isn’t a comedy channel…

Sheriff: Are you sure? I saw your discussion with Lady Drizella. It was quite entertaining!

News Anchor: That’s just the way we reporters are treated for speaking the truth. At least, we are trying to get to the truth rather than licking royal feet like the Police department.

Sheriff: I can arrest you for misbehaving with a government official!

News Anchor: Let me just marry the prince first. You’ll serve the rest of your tenure licking my shoes!

News Production Manager (trying to cover the screen and the sound of a scuffle): Again, we apologize for the inconvenience caused due to technical difficulties. We will return tomorrow with more information.

*****

News Anchor (sour‑faced with bandaged hand, nose and head, and a black eye): Welcome to News at Six. We are investigating the mental instability of Lady Cinderella. A couple of days earlier, we had shared her recording admitting that she can converse with ‘fairies’. Her family testified her mental instability and confirmed their belief that she murdered her coachman. One of her sisters became violent on screen, which was a proof of mental instability running through the family. Let us now talk to our correspondent, John, who is at the royal palace where the Lady in question is staying to evade Police arrest.

Hi John, what’s happening at the palace?

John: Hi Cassy! We have been waiting outside the Palace for the past half an hour. As you can see, the Palace is decorated with ‘fairy’ lights. We have seen a limousine drive inside and some palace servants going in and out, but nobody is ready to talk. We tried to get in, but the guards stopped us. Oh! I see a gardener at the fence hedges now. Let’s talk to him.

Excuse me! Can you please tell us whether Lady Cinderella is going to surrender to the Police?

Gardener: (Silence)

John: Has she confessed to the murder of her coachman yet?

Gardener: (Silence)

John: Has Police arrested her yet?

Gardener: (Silence)

John: Who was in the Limousine?

Gardener: (Silence)

John: Does using ‘fairy’ lights indicate that the royal family supports the Lady’s claim about ‘fairies’?

(The gardener walks away. The reporter tries to jump the fence, but a guard warns him to stay out.)

John: As you can see, the Palace has been converted into a fortress. Nobody is allowed to go in; those inside are too scared to speak against the future queen. But our channel will continue trying to get to the bottom of the drama unfolding at the royal palace.

Stay tuned for more on News at Six.

*****

News Anchor (with a bandaged hand, nose and head, a black eye and a huge grin): Welcome back to News at Six.

The official Twitter handle of the royal family has finally shared a statement that Lady Cinderella has called off the wedding with Prince Charming. She said that she is unable to deal with the pressure of being in constant spotlight. She openly blames her engagement with the prince for the so‑called media trial.

Also, her fairy godmother had presented herself in the courtroom to prove her fairy connections, ending the speculations about her mental instability. Lady Cinderella is now moving to Fairyland to recover from the trauma. The King has mentioned on his Twitter account that anyone who has a problem being in constant spotlight is not fit for the royal family. He will soon announce the date of the next royal ball to find a bride for the prince.

Every eligible girl without a fairy godmother is welcome!

END

Author’s note: If you would rather read it all together in the book, Ugly: Twisted fairytales is available for free download here: Link

Photo by Andrea Guidera on Unsplash

Posted in Fiction, Published, Twisted fairytales

The Royal Scoop: Part 2 of 3

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: This is second installment of a Twisted Fairytale from my fifth short story compilation, Ugly: Twisted fairytales. It is a modern spinoff of the old Grimm’s tale, Cinderella.

News Anchor: Welcome back after the break. We continue to discuss Lady Cinderella’s deteriorating mental condition. In our studio, we have Lady Anastasia, her older stepsister. My Lady, what do you think about Lady Cinderella’s mental condition?

Anastasia: Well, nothing’s wrong with her mind, if you ask me! She always had a flare for dramatics. I remember, when Mamma fired the household staff of our estate and told her to manage the work, she cried for a whole week while working. And every night, she made such a show of body ache!

And when Mamma wouldn’t let her come to the ball with us, she looked like she was going to cry again! As if her dress was even worth it! Such drama!

News Anchor (hesitating): But your mother said it was Cinderella who fired the staff and declined to come to the ball?

Anastasia (too quickly): Oh, of course! I remember now! Anyway, I believe, Cinderella stole the clothes, jewellery, shoes and carriage and killed that coachman, simply because of her love for theatrics. And when the prince found her, she invented the ‘fairy’ godmother to cover it up.

News Anchor: Thank you, my Lady! (Addressing viewers) As you can all see, Lady Cinderella, apart from her mental instability, has a love for theatrics since childhood, which lead to the multiple thefts and the possible murder. We will further investigate this issue with another close relative.

Stay tuned for more scoop on the royal family drama. We will be back after a short break!

*****

News Anchor: Welcome back. In News at Six, we are discussing Lady Cinderella’s ‘fairy connections’. Her stepmother and older stepsister believe that she is mentally instable, has a love for theatrics and is capable of theft and murder. Next, we have in our studio Lady Drizella, her younger stepsister. My Lady, congratulations on your engagement with the Minister of Information and Media!

Drizella: Oh! Thank you. It was so unexpected. We had just met during Cinderella’s engagement with the prince, and, by the end of the evening, I had an engagement ring. Talk about a whirlwind romance!

News Anchor: That’s great! It is sad how your sister’s mental condition has put a damper on everything…

Drizella: Yes. It’s so embarrassing to be related to a liar like her. It could never have been her at the Ball. I think, she just got lucky with the shoes when the prince came looking for the actual girl. Then, she created the story of the ‘fairy’ to explain her dress and other stuff.

News Anchor: Do you mean to say that the girl at the Ball wasn’t her at all?

Drizella: Absolutely! That girl was stunning…the face…the grace…the way she danced…that girl was a real Princess!

News Anchor: Well, I don’t think she was that good.

Drizella: Oh, come on! Don’t be jealous. I know it was you in that sexy red dress that prince was dancing with when he saw her and dropped you like a rotten tomato.

News Anchor: I’m not jealous! And your face was all red when the prince didn’t even spare you a glance! The Minister proposed to you only because you’re a sister of the future Queen.

Drizella: He didn’t! And you just want Cinderella institutionalised to clear your way to the throne!

News Anchor: And why did your family ask for airtime on our news? Because your fiancé is second‑in‑line to the throne! Once the prince and his wife get discredited…

News Production Manager (trying to cover the screen amidst the sounds of a cat fight): We apologize for the technical issues. We will come back to you tomorrow with more information.

Author’s note: To be continued…

If you would rather read it all together in the book, Ugly: Twisted fairytales is available for free download here: Link

Photo by Andrea Guidera on Unsplash

Posted in Fiction, Published, Twisted fairytales

The Royal Scoop: Part 1 of 3

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: This is first installment of a Twisted Fairytale from my fifth short story compilation, Ugly: Twisted fairytales. It is a modern spinoff of the old Grimm’s tale, Cinderella.

News Anchor (with a huge smile): Welcome to News at Six.

In breaking news, the official Twitter handle of the royal family has declared that the wedding of Prince Charming with Lady Cinderella has been put on hold indefinitely.

As you all must be aware, Prince Charming had met Lady Cinderella at the annual royal ball last month. It was a whirlwind romance where the heroine had run away from the scene at midnight. When the prince had finally traced her as the daughter of the late Duke of Whining, she had claimed that her stepmother had detained her at home and her ‘fairy godmother’ had helped her escape to the party. She also claimed that the ‘fairy’ gave her an extremely expensive dress, crystal shoes and a custom‑built carriage along with the horses and a coachman; and that the ‘magic wore off’ at midnight leaving no trace of the ‘magical’ items except the shoes, one of which she had retained, while the other she had left behind while escaping from the palace. It was used by the prince to track her down.

After a failed attempt to make the prince reconsider the match, the royal family had quickly used its influence to hush the entire fiasco. But earlier today, our channel had released an exclusive video—a recording of Lady Cinderella, yet again, admitting to her chamber maids at the palace that she can interact with ‘fairies’. Since the confession questions the mental stability of the next queen, the issue is of national concern. While the royal family is taking the required measures to check the authenticity of the recording, our correspondents have tried to get to the bottom of this issue.

We have checked the possibility of mental instability.

It is important to note that in the recording, Lady Cinderella had again claimed that her dress, shoes, jewellery and carriage, along with the coachman, were created by ‘fairy magic’ and vanished at midnight. Since she has presented no proof of the said magic, we are also considering the possibility of theft of expensive clothes, jewellery, exclusive edition crystal shoes and custom‑built golden carriage and the murder of the coachman.

In our studio, we have Lady Cinderella’s stepmother, the Duchess of Whining.

My Lady, could you please let us know what you think of Lady Cinderella’s confession?

Duchess: Poor Sweetheart! She always was a little soft in the head. Losing her mother at age of six left her a little unhinged. But when she lost her father, my late second husband, she became delirious. She accused me and my daughters—her stepsisters—of foul play and closed herself off in a servant’s quarter. I let her cool down for a few days, but when she came out, she dismissed all servants, saying that we cannot afford them and suggested we take over household work. As if a Duchess would sweep the floors!

When I confronted her, she just took over all the work herself. She stopped going to social events and closed herself off.

On the night of ball, she told us she was unwell. So, we left without her. Little did we know that over the next few hours she would steal my daughter’s dress and jewellery, somebody’s shoes and carriage and, possibly, murder a coachman… All just so that she could make a dramatic entrance!

News Anchor: Thank you, My Lady! Could you please tell us about the jewellery she had taken?

Duchess (confused): Well, I’m not exactly sure. I never got a chance to get too close to her at the Ball. But there is no other way she could have costly jewels unless she had stolen them from someone!

News Anchor: Does she not have her own jewellery, considering she’s a Duke’s daughter?

Duchess (too quickly): Of course, she does. But since she does not use them anymore, I keep them safe.

News Anchor: Thank you, Madame! As you can all see, Lady Cinderella had a history of mental instability. We will further investigate this issue through her sisters.

Stay tuned for more scoop on the royal family drama. We will be back after a short break!

Author’s note: To be continued…

If you would rather read it all together in the book, Ugly: Twisted fairytales is available for free download here: Link

Photo by Andrea Guidera on Unsplash

Posted in Fiction, Published, Twisted fairytales

Doors: Part 2 of 2

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: This is second and final installment of a Twisted Fairytale from my fifth short story compilation, Ugly: Twisted fairytales.

Tonight, on Halloween, we came to this village to collect the last tooth for the next five years. The next kid in line is just one year old, so it will be some time before he loses his teeth. All day long, Nui had been alternating between being lost, excited and jumpy. Every time I asked, she behaved too innocently. So, of course, I told her, “I won’t let you enter those magical doors. We have no idea where they lead and whether they let you return.”

Her reply was, “What doors?” Obviously, I never let her out of my sight all day.

When we finally reached this kid’s house, there was a storm outside. We entered the house through a crack in the window. I started the process of retrieving the tooth, while Nui stood guard at the windowsill. A newly acquired cat jumped on me. For a quarter of an hour, I hide inside a closet worried out of my head about this girl until I realised the truth. There was no way the cat could outwit her. She left before the cat came in…

…which means she entered one of the doors.

So, after I managed to dodge the cat, I now stand in front of all these doors, trying to guess which one she took and come up blank. Her spell‑phone is not reachable. I have called out her name several times but, I’m afraid, she can’t hear me. I have called her boyfriend to check if she had discussed the door that she’d prefer…But he’s as dumb as ever, “You let that vile cat eat her!” As if a cat could ever catch her. She would tie its hands and legs and roast it on a spit before it could blink. She’s my guard for that very reason—she’s a Fighter!

When I tell him about the magical doors, he comes up blank. Did she never talk to him about them? All he has to say is, “You are trying to frame her for breaking the magical rules!”

Seriously! I understand he disbelieves me, but does he even know her? She never follows rules. “I’m going after her. Do you want to join me? Together we can cover more doors.”

Suddenly, his voice changes, guarded, “We aren’t sure where those doors lead. It is too dangerous for us…”.

After a few seconds’ hesitation, he sounds braver, “Anyway, we aren’t sure that she took the doors at all. Even if she did, we don’t know which one. You just said, there are too many doors, right? What if she isn’t in the door either of us take? We’ll never find her that way. I guess, we should report her to the authorities. They will send a search party. Meanwhile, we should just wait here for her to return.”

“Come on! Authorities will wait for twenty‑four hours. That could be too late.”

“It’s probably already too late. She could already be de…” He could not complete his sentence though—because I hexed his spell‑phone to shove up his ass. He will stay busy with it until another Spellman creates a counter‑spell.

But now, he can’t help me. So, I have to take a wild guess at the door she took. In my mind, I picture her fighting fantastic creatures and living her dreams. I’m scared. I am no Fighter, just a Spellman who knows a few magic tricks. But I want to be by her side when she wins the world. Most of all, I just want to be with her. I can’t stand the thought of never seeing her smile again.

I have only one chance to guess the right door. There is no guarantee that once I am in, it will ever let me out. If I choose the wrong one, I might be stuck without her forever. The thought scares me even more. So, I try my hardest to guess.

I decide to guess the doors she’ll never take—she hates the red‑, purple‑ and yellow‑coloured doors. She finds them too girly. She’ll never take the green one—it’s too small. If she wants to break the rules, she’ll do something grand. This leaves the two huge blue doors. I approach the bigger one with burns and scratches the size of a dragon’s nails. My hands shake at the thought of facing whatever is on the other side…

She could be fighting it alone!

With that scary thought, I gather all my courage, wave my wand and pull the door with all my magic. The door wouldn’t budge. I can’t even create a crack to peep in and see if I can spot Nui anywhere. The thought of losing her forever is driving me crazy. I move in front of the next door to see if I can find her there.

But before I can do anything, a small crevice opens in the first door and Nui falls out. My heart jumps into my throat as I fly to her, worried that I am too late. But she pulls me in a bear hug instead! “What took you so long?”

“Well, you didn’t exactly leave a forwarding address. Did you?” I’m too relieved to care that I’m shouting at her.

Ideally, this is when she kicks me, but she just smiles and says, “I knew you’d know where to find me.”

I don’t want to be placated. But how could I not be? She’s fine and back, speaking of which, “Why did you come back out? You could have just pulled me in. Now I have to try opening the damned door again.”

“Naah! They left without us. Anyway, I’m not sure I’m welcome anymore—I hit the doorman,” she shrugs. My brows rise up to my hairline, so she adds, “Well! I entered the door and was waiting for you in the lobby on the other side and heard you call my name. I shouted back but I guess you couldn’t hear me from the inside. Then I heard you call my guy. I was afraid he would want to come too, so I stayed quiet. I was cheering when you hexed him, when the doorman announced that we were leaving and the next flight would not be until Halloween next year.

So, I tried reopening the door to call you in, but he stopped me, quoting some guideline that the door mustn’t be opened from the inside. I could hear you trying to open the door with magic. You could have just pulled the handle, you know! I was worried that we’d leave you behind and the doorman still won’t let me open the door.

I decided it wasn’t worth it without you. So, I punched him and let myself out.” Blushing furiously, she entwined our fingers as we flew away to our next assignment.

Author’s note: To be continued…

If you would rather read it all together in the book, Ugly: Twisted fairytales is available for free download here: Link

Photo by Ranurte on Unsplash

Posted in Fiction, Published, Twisted fairytales

Doors: Part 1 of 2

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: This is first installment of a Twisted Fairytale from my fifth short story compilation, Ugly: Twisted fairytales.

Not sure which one she took—there are too many doors on this wall. Ever since the day we found this little nook in this village a couple of years back, Nui had been burning with curiosity. We come here often to collect the occasional teeth from under the pillow and look at these doors, but not as often as Nui would like to. With people having fewer children, there are fewer teeth to collect.

Okay, just in case you are confused, we are tooth faeries. She is a four‑and‑a‑quarter‑inch Fighter and I am a five‑inch Spellman. We are a team and we collect teeth together. Why?

Because, to pry out broken teeth from under the pillow, I have to cast the spells to prop up the child, move the pillow, place the coin and grab the tooth and then place the pillow and child back in place. (Not sure why they don’t just keep the tooth on the side‑table. It would be so convenient for us.) So, while I am using all my concentration for the spells, Nui stands guard to look out for any pet animals and keep them at bay.

Cats are especially nasty—stealthy, vicious and quick. Once, when my partner was out sick (a serious case of bird flu—her wings kept twitching like hummingbird’s and her voice sounded like a crow’s), a cat sneaked up on me. I found myself inside the cat’s stomach and it’s not a pretty sight. I had to tickle its intestine so that it would spit me out. Later, I had to shower for almost an hour to take off the muck from my hair. So, you get the drift…

So, all tooth fairies work in pairs to avoid such situations.

Between her and me, we have fifty‑seven villages to cover. You would think that we would be dying of overwork. But children are getting so rare now that there aren’t enough teeth to go around. In fact, most of the tooth fairies are forced to take up smithery or animal‑guard roles for smaller beings, like rats (desperate times!). Most of the teeth forges are now going out of commission too.

For any novices out there, teeth forges are where new human teeth are forged on order. Every end of the day, we submit the acquired teeth at the teeth forge. The teeth smith takes the measurements and DNA print and then forges new teeth to replace the old ones. The old teeth are recycled, of course. A delivery elf, then, submits the new teeth to the Great Guy on the seventh cloud to be dispersed as needed. All that is beyond our job role, of course.

Anyway, Nui and I are best friends, even though it is rather difficult. She has an adventurous spirit and a knack for getting into dangerous situations—like the day she decided to adopt a lost pup. He’s a Great Dane who loves catching anything that flies too close. It took us a couple of weeks and several trips to its stomach before it learnt not to catch faeries.

Her boyfriend—another Fighter fairy—doesn’t approve of the Dane. On second thought, he doesn’t approve of me either. He thinks I’m hitting on her. Initially, I told him, “Mate, I gave up on the day we became partners 93 years back.”

I had made a move on her on the first day at work and she gave me a black eye. Ever since then, I’ve stuck to being friends. But I keep that piece of information to myself. No need to humiliate myself when he doesn’t believe me anyway.

Well, his loss! Every now and then, he tells her to dump me, and she gives him the black eye instead.

Nui is the reason for being a tooth fairy worth it—it gives us an excuse to stick together all day. I think the Great Guy on the seventh cloud knows about it too and, hence, he hasn’t changed our pairing in all these 93 years—a rarity in our field.

That’s why, I let her drag me to look at these doors every time we’re in the village. They are inside an old building that belonged to a bunch of humans named ‘Karpenters’ once upon a time. They used to build things out of wood here. But a couple of decades ago, when a fire crashed a couple of walls and the roof, they deserted the place. Now, they say the place is haunted and no one visits it anymore, which suits us just fine. Every time we have an assignment in this village, we sit here for hours and look at these magical wooden doors.

How are we so sure they are magical?

Well, why would anyone place so many doors on the same wall, unless they all lead to different places? Deductive reasoning, you see.

Also, they are all different colours and sizes—some of them too small for grown up humans—and all of them are well‑worn. Some of them have claw marks all over them (Werewolves?) while one looks severely burnt (Dragons?). Nui loves to contemplate about where each door would lead us. Many times, she has asked me to come with her so that we could enter them together. I’m curious too but not crazy enough to try. With magic, you could never be sure where they would take us.

Author’s note: To be continued…

If you would rather read it all together in the book, Ugly: Twisted fairytales is available for free download here: Link

Photo by Ranurte on Unsplash