I open my black book with delight, penning details about the 21st sinner. I pause to gaze out of the window at the mountains. They
Category: QuinTale-26
Room No. 21
It was the first few months of the new hotel. But which should have been grand became nightmare. There were robberies from tourists who have
The Fierce Twenty One
The Gulistan Fortress stands like a hawk watching its prey amidst the desolate, arid expanse surrounding it. Armed yet mismanaged Orakzai men are swarming the
Finding My Way Out
It was time! Of that, I was sure. I started pushing my way through the narrow tunnel. It sure was a tight squeeze. I had
Shuddhikaran
Shyamasundari heard the gurgling water even before the river came into view. Clasping her companion’s hand tightly, she continued guiding her gently through the familiar
Half Marathon
‘Twenty-one Kilometers!’ It was perhaps my brain fade moment when I registered for half-marathon. My colleague chuckled, “Take a few snaps with company T-shirt to
Twenty (One, Won), A New Perspective
Reema beamed, “TWENTY TWENTY-ONE Or WON? Fun with words, twist and turn and make them unique. Agree?” Initially, her wit fell flat on them. Then
The Forfeiture
“Rab Rakha Puttar,” said Darji, as he waved to Guri who was going to shoot a documentary on Prisoners of War. Guri buried herself in
The Untold Behind the Known
“Please, can you take two days off? I have heard many testimonials from our relatives. Just once if we visit this temple, I will surely
A Love by Any Other Name
The metal rods in the jail taunted her, yelled abuses. They were in tandem with the noise pollution around her. Women were weeping or screaming
A ‘Number’ To Remember
An IT engineer by profession, Riya was always surrounded by numbers and codes. A loner by choice she was mostly cocooned in her small world.
The Numinous 21
“It must be on 21st,” the priest of the local temple in Adarshnagar thundered. “Rahu and Ketu are casting their evil eyes on his fate.”
The Transformation
08.30 AM. “The passenger manifest reports 145 passengers, almost full capacity. We have a flyer with a Service dog in the flight,” the stewardess informed
A Mother’s Wish
Amina Bi had one son, and she pinned all her hopes on the chubby little thing. She didn’t have much else. A husband who’d married
Calendar by 21
21 minutes from now: The world will still be this sad, boring thing. It will be really bad. Worst of all, there’s not going to
A Promise Fulfilled
It was my grandparents’ 40th wedding anniversary. The day was special. Apart from the celebrations that made the day special, it was carved into my
The Princess
Everyone on the island treated the princess as the most important person in the world and protected her. She was everyone’s priority. They called her
21 Gun Salute
The sky was echoed by the thunderous sound of 21 gun salute. And the Earth was echoed by the sobbing of little ones and brave
The Storm Within
“My daughter, Vandana, has cleared her UPSC finals and this is the golden day of my life,” announced a proud father, who was also a
21 Days of Vigil
“21 days,” counted Indu. “21 days until he returns.” And yet she knew it wouldn’t feel like that much. It would stretch on, like a