Tag: short-story

Posted in My life

First steps

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

My daughter started telling stories when she was three.

Most of it was reused, recycled and repurposed from the stories I had told her or what she saw on You Tube (Link to the proof: Plagiarism with Brains: Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose). She would add or changes animals in my animal stories and replaced mango with pumpkin in fairytales.

Yesterday, she wrote her first piece of poetry–on the fly and in 60-seconds flat. I actually had to ask her if she had taken ‘inspiration’ from someone. She claims she hadn’t.

Here is the piece. Before you ask, I have taken Your Highness’s permission.

Touch the sky,

Touch the sun,

Just go on and have fun.

You don’t know how long it will stay,

Or rather it will just go away.

I haven’t correct anything there. I had just asked her why she wanted to write game score on the diary I had given her to write poetry and stories in. So, she just took a pen and jotted these lines on the first page (rather the cardboard) of blank diary.

Now that she has a foot in the door, I can hope. I know, there is no guarantee that she would want to continue at all. But that’s life of a parent.

Posted in Life and After

The Loop

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Did she use this particular song before? It sounds vaguely familiar…

It is so confusing when you have to shoot the video at the perfect angle and in perfect light and add a song to every reel you upload. And make sure you don’t repeat yourself. What if this song was already in one of her reels? She has been posting for good three years now, so it is difficult to remember.

It is midnight. She should probably stop this and go to sleep. But she can’t–she doesn’t have anything to post tomorrow on Insta, and if she doesn’t, her followers will be disappointed.

Or will they be? She hasn’t been getting as much response on her site as she used to–less likes, even lesser comments. Why, when she added her reels of their trip to Goa, her particular video of her close up shot in micro-mini did not get much response–just 23 likes and a couple of comments with oohs and aahs! Nothing on her beauty or amazing body…

Is she getting fat? She must be with all the calories she been intaking…

She looks accusingly at her kale–it hasn’t made much difference in the past couple of months. Her weight has stayed at 47 kg since forever. She looks accusingly at her husband who declined to bring her a weight-reduction formula, calling her crazy for wanting to reduce weight further.

What does he know about social trends? You have to be fit to draw the eyes. And he has a paunch under his night shirt, which is rising and falling as he snores softly.

Loser!

She looks back at her phone. She was tired. It is so much work when you have to hold the camera and make it look like it isn’t you who is making the video; like it is your husband or admirer who can’t stop filming you…

It would be so much easier if her husband agreed to make the videos for her.

Honestly, she doesn’t demand much–just a good location, some good clothes and twenty something pictures to make a reel or, may be, a few short videos. But he is more interested in taking in the sights and enjoying with their child rather than holding the camera for her.

Ugh! She wants to throw the phone at him right now, but, if it cracks, her three-hour work will be wasted. She has filmed herself at the local pool, hair spread out in water perfectly. It took several shots and a couple of hours to get the right shot since her hair was floating in weird directions.

She will post it before risking losing it.

So, what song was it again? Yeah, it sounds vaguely familiar…

Posted in Life and After, Nature

Breaking the Ice

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

For months, she hadn’t been stirred.

Suddenly, the ice broke with the unexpected weight and she screamed for help. Melting with the sun as spring approached was something a part of frozen river would accepted as fate. She would have lived a complete life by then. But breaking down early because someone mercilessly stepped on her weakness…that hurt.

So, she screamed for help. But all of them were on their own now as more cracks kept appearing–the stag that had stepped on her continued jumping neatly on the now-broken ice and crossed the river.

The river was now a jumble of fast moving pieces of ice running forward to meet the sea.

Most of them were simply resigned. She struggled against the flow, trying to return to her calm and composed existence, but there was nothing to hold on to.

Her fight was desperate and fruitless. Her screams were drowned in the gurgle of the river just like the few woohoos from others…

Woohoos?!

She turned around and saw another part of the river, clearly enjoying the ride. He had always been far away, closer to the bank. But now he was pushing her, shining with a twinkle. His playful smile dared her to try beating him at the game.

She pushed back and he laughed, pushing her again, tickling where they touched. Soon, they were both laughing as they pushed and touched and tickled and woohoo-ed down the river.

Not sure how far they reached before they melted but they certainly never stopped to notice.

Posted in Love

Mellifluous

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: Thank you, Beetly Pete and John Melon for the story ideas.

He was mellifluous. Not his voice–I hadn’t heard it yet. I am talking about the person himself.

As usual, I was late and had to run from my office with my backpack on my shoulders to catch the last bus to my town. I preferred Fridays to visit my parents when it was relatively spacious, as compared to Saturdays when, apparently, the entire world was travelling home.

After a lot of running and jostling, I finally managed to get on the bus. I was still trying to catch my breath at the door while searching for an open seat when I saw him…

…and never looked away.

It was the peace on his face that drew my eyes–a peaceful ship in the sea of turbulent waters…

He wasn’t a regular or I would have remembered such a face. His skin was light brown, and the dimples made him look rather ‘pretty’–if a man can be called ‘pretty’ without being offended.

As I slowly walked forward in the aisle, I realised he was in a deep sleep–how he managed to sleep amidst all the honking and sweltering heat was a mystery to me. But the way his chest rose and fell gracefully with each breath left no doubt that his lights were completely out. His hands resting in his lap looked fluid, even though there was no movement. His black hair flew gently with the wind from the open window and he seemed completely oblivious of my scrutiny…

…or my existence. Somehow, the thought bothered me.

I sat down a couple of seats ahead of him. I would have sat next to him, but the seat was taken by another female. She sat looking rather bored, consulting her watch often, as if wishing for the time move faster. She seemed completely unaffected by his presence.

Was it just me, then, who felt the tug towards him? I wanted to offer her my seat, so that I can sit with him–afterall, she didn’t seem to care either way. But it would be very conspicuous, completely irrational and totally unlike me. Why would I want to sit with him? I didn’t even know his name! Also, I wasn’t a big town girl. I was never friends with boys and my dealings with them were strictly on need-to-know basis. Dating was unheard of in my family and going after a boy made me feel like an overachieving fool.

Not that it stopped me.

I tried to think of other things, like my favourite food waiting for me at home; my father waiting at the bus stand (since it would be dark by the time my bus reached there); my mother waiting at the door, worried why I hadn’t turned up yet (even though I always reached at the same time)…

But it didn’t seem to make a difference. I kept looking back at him–intent on making introductions once he woke up.

Finally, the girl got up and got down the bus and I took her place in a flash.

I was blushing now because people had noticed how I had hurried to get to him. A lot of these people have seen me ride this bus for an year now. We had exchanged gossip on the way to our various destinations. Now they watched my walk of shame back to my seat to retrieve my backpack that I had forgotten in my hurry to secure this seat. They looked at me with me interest, some of them raising their eyebrows in obvious questions with knowing smiles.

I was also blushing because, as I sat back, our shoulders were touching. A small-town Indian girl that I was, I never had a boyfriend, and the only other boy I ever touched was my elder brother–to get piggyback rides. Of course, I sit next to other people in the bus and in office. But it never felt like this–like I was stealing a moment. Pathetic!

I didn’t like sitting next to him though. It was difficult to look at him properly now. But I could tell his profile was even more interesting. The crow’s feet around his eyes reminded me of happy times; of hikes and dips in the river; of lemonades and jokes; of shared family tales and good-natured ribbing…

It was still light outside and he slept on. His closed eyes were peaceful amidst the various traffic jams that our bus was stuck in. Even the sunlight falling on his face didn’t seem to bother him. His breathing was even and restful–like soulful music meant only for my ears. It made me drowsy. I wanted to talk to him but I didn’t want to disturb his peace. Surely, we can talk once he woke up…

An old fellow Friday traveler woke me up at my stop. The seat next to me was empty except for a gun wrapper. I felt my stomach drop as collected my backpack.

“He waited for you to wake up for eons. Kept stealing glances but didn’t want to disturb your sleep though. So, when his stop came, he jumped over the back of the next seat.”

Sensing my disappointment, she gestured at the gun wrapper with a smile, “I saw him scribble on it right before he left. I think he left his number for you.”

Posted in Nature

My Neighbour: The Cocophonix

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Author’s note: Last year, when we shifted to our new house, a welcoming party of six Jungle Babblers came for a visit. This is the tale straight from the horse’s mouth.

I was sitting on that wire when I realised the window was open…finally! I was so excited to meet the new neighbours, so, I just hopped on the ledge. And what did I see? All asleep!

Lazy bones!

It was 6 o’clock. My bretheren and I had been awake for the past two hours already–had breakfast and a flight across the river…

These city people must understand this is not how things work in our countryside.

But you can’t really go around delivering sermons to new people…the best way is to welcome them and then, politely, show them how things are done.

So, I decided to begin our association by giving them a song of welcome–the best way to introduce them to the delights of the early morning country music. I began with my favourite: The Aeroplane. My bretheren joined me as well.

It came out so wonderfully refreshing that the woman woke up right away, jumping to the window where I sat. Her eyes were wide and looked at the street in bewilderment. I was amused. She must be wondering where all that energy came from.

Smiling, I introduced myself. She looked me with her jaw dropped open. A fan already!

Her daughter was stirring, roused by sound of music.

I decided to give them a special piece that the child would surely love: The Chainsaw. I started with the highest notes I could pick, followed by my bretheren.

The child stirred further and the mother said something–I couldn’t really hear her over our music. But she was flapping her wings. These humans have never really learnt to use their wings but I could see my music was making her wish she could fly. So I added more vigour, urging my brothers to give it their best.

Alas, humans are unpredictable like cloudy skies. You never know what they would do next. The woman swung a broom at me!

Now, I don’t want to hurt anyone’s sentiments. I would have accepted a rose but broom is certainly not my style. Firstly, they are too heavy. Secondly, so many twigs of the broom wouldn’t have fit into my nest.

I tried to continue singing but when the broom came too close, I decided it was time to say a rushed goodbye.

After that I tried a few more times of different occasions but with the same results. After the fifth time she offered the broom, I decided it was better to keep my distance.

I think I have hurt her feelings . But I really can’t go building another nest for every fan! What would my wife think?

Posted in Life and After, Love

The Bouquet

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

I was expecting her at our neighbour’s wedding, being her first cousin. But still, it is a punch in the gut. Closing my eyes, I breath deeply to avoid doing something foolish–like grabbing her hand and running away before anyone can react…

It is a stupid thought though. Her brothers are on high alert. I can see them giving me dirty looks, like daring me to take a single step towards her. I am not going to, of course. She is off-limits now that she is married. She is tied to that man for seven lives–that mountain of a man with a huge chest and a large moustache…

Didn’t she tell him she hates moustache?

I sneak another look at her. She doesn’t seem to have noticed me. She doesn’t look any worse for wear anyway, like she is doing fine without me. So, it seems only I was holding out the candle for her.

She looks lovely, like a proper indian married woman sporting a red salwar suit, large traditional red bindi on her forehead, red and white chuda adorning her arms and a red embroidered dupatta covering her head…

She used to hate red. She was against girls being typecasted into reds and pinks. She had once made me swear that I would never ask her to wear red or cover her head after our marriage…

Our marriage…well, it doesn’t seem to be on her mind anymore now. She seems serene, smiling politely as she nods at something her aunt is saying…

She used joke that married women act all grown up in public and don’t laugh because they are not free to laugh anymore; that I should never expect that of her…

She used to be a wildflower, not ready to fit in the social bouquet.

I don’t know what to expect of her anymore.

But somethings never change. Anyone knowing her would see that she is already bored of the conversation. She was never the one for small talk. But she is trying to be polite. But her gaze is already drifting away from her aunt, looking for an escape.

Suddenly, her gaze falls on me and her entire being lights up. She starts to take a step towards me…

But her husband asks her something. The realisation returns and the light dies out of her eyes. She smiles a fake smile at him reserved for people she can barely tolerate and returns to acting like a grown-up..

She is one off the bouquet now.

Muskurata toh ab bhi hai,

Bhale gairo ke sath hi,

Us guldaste me ab wo

Gulistan si khushbu nhi.

Posted in Life and After

Deserted

Posted on by Shaily Agrawal

Disclaimer: This story has reference to graphic violence. Reader’s discretion is required.

All that I can say about the place is that it is neat. No dust, no wares.

Only an old cash register and a couple of phones sit on the table. Not sure what she uses the cash register for since there is nothing to sell. But I’m sure glad to find her—anything is better than walking in the desert with an open wound that still drips blood after several hours.

I wonder why I had assumed I could find my way through the desert alone without the guide. I shouldn’t have killed him until I reached my new hideout. But he had somehow realised who I was and I acted on instinct, which was to kill—I was already wanted for 17 murders; one more wouldn’t change anything…

Or so I had thought…

I slit his throat with the penknife at the same moment as he stabbed me with a screwdriver in the side. At least, he died quickly. I, on the other hand, have been in agony ever since—as if he is still twisting that damned screwdriver inside even after the hours I have spent blundering around in the desert. I’m sure I had a phone when I started the journey, I can’t find it anymore. It probably slipped out of my pocket when I fell on the way, several times. I can’t think who to call for help and where to call them anyway, for I have no idea where I am now.

The pain is driving me mad and I would welcome death if it would bring relief. But death seems to be avoiding me for some reason, drawing out the torment. My money bag feels like it weighs a ton—I can barely move my feet. I feel like taking it off my back, yet for some reason, I cling to it like a lifeline.

When I finally found this office in the middle of nowhere, I was too relieved to care about the consequences of entering a building. My wound isn’t conspicuous and anyone helping me would certainly enquire. Thankfully, with more than a million dollars tucked in, I had enough hard cash to bribe my way out of any situation. I just hope they aren’t too honest to bribe, or too corrupt to kill me while I sleep.

This office doesn’t bear any sign, nor can I see any stuff to sell. Honestly, I don’t even see the point of having an office in the middle of nowhere anyway; I haven’t seen a single soul on my way in the past five hours. So, who would drive all the way through this hot-as-hell desert to reach this office?

I stand at the door indecisive as the old hag manning the register eyes me with open curiosity. For her sake, I hope she would help me without causing a trouble. “I need a doctor,” I whisper. My mouth feels like a sandpaper and my voice comes out raspy and breathless—I could kill for some water. I just hope it doesn’t come to that.

“I’m sorry but we don’t have that facility here.”

Her drawling voice sets my teeth on edge. I don’t have forever. Her eyes have a dreamy look with no care in the world, which is weird. With the blood on my clothes, I had hoped she would be scared. That way, she’d do my bidding. But, you can’t have everything, I guess.

So, I ask again, “I need a doctor. Call one. Tell him I need stitches and antiseptic. I’ll pay double…triple, if needed.” I add urgency to my voice but it is a struggle, considering the crippling pain.

“You are a little too late for that, darling,” she drawls again.

The pain is maddening and I think of pulling out the penknife again, but she is no use to me dead, “Well, that’s for a doctor to decide!”

“Do you know what this office is for?”

“I don’t care.”

“Oh! I would, if I were you!” Her voice has a menacing edge now and the crazy glint in her eyes gives me goosebumps, which is stupid. I have murdered 18 people with a flick of my wrist…

Why isn’t she scared of me? Is she with the police? No, she is not here to arrest me. Her eyes are cruel…and calculated…and excited at my pain…Is she one of sadistic serial murderers who kill for just the thrill? Just my luck to come across one at my weakest moment!

Should I try bolting? Just the thought of moving my legs any further has me on my knees as the pain seers through my gut again. Then, I am lying on the floor, writhing in agony. The weight of my money bag is pulling at my shoulders and crushing me underneath…

It feels like it is filled with stones instead of banknotes.

I close my eyes wishing for blissful oblivion but no help there. I hear her voice clearly, “Well, darling, since you walked in from the Exit door rather than the Entry on the far wall,” she waved towards the open door on the opposite wall, “I guess, you don’t know yet…”

I wish for death to relieve me. I would beg this woman to kill me now if she wasn’t leering at me like a trapped rat. She probably likes long, drawn-out deaths like mine. I wonder how many dead bodies she has buried in the desert sand.

She smiles at me like she is doing me a favour and calmly continues. “They probably brought you in via a shortcut and dumped you directly. These kids now-a-days have no patience for formalities,” she shakes her head indulgently. “I have told them so many times, they must follow the procedure. Explain to the people where they are going and what to expect but…”

I want to shout at her to kill me now. I don’t care who “they” are. Nobody brought me here. I am not interested in chit-chat. I just want to die so the pain would stop.

But she continues, still smiling cruelly. “Well, you see, this is the receiving office of Hell. You have already been here for at least several hours, as you will continue till eternity!”

Author’s note: This story has been sitting in my WP account for three years. Since blood and gore isn’t my favourite theme, I couldn’t find a place for it in my book. I opened my drafts yesterday and there it sat at the bottom, looking at me with accusing eyes. So, finally I decided to unleash it on the world! 😀

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash