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
Author: Natasha Sharma
Natasha Sharma is a voracious consumer of the written word, who always has a book (or a Kindle, keeping with times) by her side that she devours. She is, by profession, a freelancing software developer. Natasha moonlights as a writer where her humorous side seeps through her words. She is inclined towards short stories, but secretly harbours a dream of writing a novel. She hosts her stories at the following link: https://awetnose.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/girl-in-the-mirror/
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
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
The Pursuit of Moksha
The Pursuit of Moksha. Moksha Bhavan, Varanasi. The doorbell rang impatiently. Ting-tong. Ting-tong. Ting-tong. It urged the inhabitants within to hurry. But the days of
By the Pricking of My Thumb
Lakeview Camping Grounds. Six months ago. The rain had tapered off by the time dawn broke through. It left a heavy mist in its wake,
Everyone Blames the Aliens
Phomoron Galaxy – 160P. Board room, Administrative block. The table was pentagon-shaped. It matched the shape of the room it resided in. Its surface gleamed
A Period of Ovar(y)-Action.
Sometimes, I could just cry. My proverbial heart ping-pongs between the need to be fertilized versus my yearnings for freedom. It is a tough line
Anything Worth Doing Good Takes a Little Chaos
Chapter 1: Hatch a plan. Arthur Jail, 1st December 2000. The eggs were uncooked, the yolk raw and drippy. The cook had dropped the pretense
Who controls the past, controls the future
Patalaloka. Martya, his grandmother, narrated stories of Bhuloka, where the humans lived, prospered, and died. Tales of their valour, love, and the epic wars they
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Our soft lips graze each other Tender yet unsure Our noses, they stick in between Always, a meddler. Our hands, they caress hesitantly In fumbling
The Wings of Despair
The chains around my neck Slowly suffocate me Deprive me of the air I so desperately need. I struggle, wring my hands My protectors laugh,
Boldly, go where every story has gone before…
The image fell on the lens. The light reflected off it into the retinas. “Image alert, captain. The body has intercepted an image. Capt. Brain
Ulta Palat
Bandya leaned against the cow-dung laden wall as he wrestled with the homework. Mathematics was the bane of his existence. He re-read the question. If
Unspoken Love
The letters lay crushed Regular visitors of trash Any chance of salvation Washed away by tears. They knew our love was All I wanted But
Meter Down
Present-day. Suresh. The package calls out to me. It sings to mine, its aura, warm and inviting. I can hardly keep my eyes off it
Where the Mind is Without Fear
Anthony School, 15th April 1919 “We must seek revenge. Britishers must pay for what they did,” said Shyamlal. We were seated around the closed library;
If you stumble, make it a part of your dance
A week before Diwali. Shachi. “The hot oil welcomes the uncooked chakli in its unctuous folds. It is satisfied when the chakli goes belly-up. The skimmer spoon
Arsenic and Old Lace
The old woman dropped her purse as she fell, spilling its contents all over the sidewalk. He rushed to help her, stopping short when he saw
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, 10.51 am. He nervously looked at his watch, fingers beating a tattoo on it. The weather was sultry. His collar was damp,
Dangling at the Crossroad.
The footsteps sounded closer, I ran through the empty corridors, my heart pounding. I turn a corner, stopping short. I’ve reached a dead end. A
When the Bough Breaks
Disappointment is a bankruptcy of the soul… “No, it’s not possible this weekend, Vanhi. My work commitments don’t permit me to take the time off.