The stage was set. Floral hues emanated from the string of marigolds interspersed by red and white roses dancing to a collective festive tune. A
Author: Priya Nayak-Gole
Priya Nayak-Gole is a pediatric speech-language pathologist by profession and a writer by passion. She loves writing thrillers and uses fiction stories for spreading awareness on developmental disabilities and mental health.
The Viper’s Chivalry
Disclaimer: Adult content. Readers’ discretion is advised. The moon was yet to shake off its slumber but the grandeur on the lawns of the Taj
Stormy Calm
Prologue The newly inaugurated Leonardo Art Gallery buzzed with cacophony of reporters and VIPs gathered to witness the hugely anticipated spectacle. After all, not every
Life’s Crepuscule
Hidden in the mystic oblivionLies my woeful verity taciturn The breeze around me has calmed down considerably as the sanguine skies settle into the twinkling
A Sliver of Hope
Prologue 7th September 2018 I stood outside the Mumbai High court gates my heart pounding in anticipation. I sipped burning-hot tea instantly wheezing in a
The Olive-Green Sheen
“Motherland comes first…” Major Amandeep Shergil declared at the onset of their relationship four years ago. Puja and Aman met at a common friend’s wedding,
Hers to Conquer
Chapter 1 The redolence of the marigold garlands adorning the BR Kalyanamandapam sprinkled with the hues of my favourite red roses engulfed the passers-by as
Panchali’s Turmoil
Arjuna’s bow made an immaculate impression Krishna smiled dolefully, knowing it all She completed the mandatory circumambulation Watching the knight who took the fall. Krishna
The Inadvertent Serendipity
Prologue 13th July 2011 ‘…the city is rocked with three blasts….reminder of the 2008 attack… Panchratna building in the Opera house… authorities have sounded high
The Hungry Girl Scorned
The piquant aroma of methi-malai-mutter wafted through my senses and I almost brazenly drooled. The creamy dish placed next to Jeera-rice was followed by the
Kismet Connection
Subodh panted his way to ‘Blue House’, the secret joint exclusively for the city’s elite. It had taken two years of greasing palms and hefty
The Futile Trial by Fire
The chariot set in motion as Lakshman cracked his whip, and I turned around to look at the massive palace I had painstakingly and dedicatedly
Destiny’s Children
“May I… sit here?” Shekhar’s deep baritone stirred her loins. The embers she thought had gone cold suddenly sparked alive, and that old flutter in
Her Bhairavas
The audience roared while the shutterbugs clicked to glory, the flashes providing collective illuminance to brighten the dark auditorium confines. “The influencer award goes to
Peek-a-boo
“Rabiya, start counting, will you?” Seema gently coaxed her three-year-old daughter to begin the peek-a-boo, Rabiya’s favorite game. “Ammi, where should I go to count
The Trunk’s Secret
3rd October 1993, Killari, Latur Keshav stomped through the debris as the landscape of rubble that was once his village began to shake beneath his
Kanha’s Friend Request
Prologue He peered at the group of campers under the awning of the glittering night sky, particularly at the young woman in the sequined LBD.
Rhapsodic Trinkets
“The National award for the Best Actor goes to Rishabh Sehgal….” The auditorium erupted, drowning the emcee’s drawl. The dignitaries on the dais of the
The Arrant Closure
Prologue Fifteen years ago, Elephant-head point, Mahabaleshwar He stared at the vast expanse of the Sahayadri range, the beauty mesmerizing as the hills played hide
Forever the Neophyte
2008, Begusarai “Tara, pass me that stone…?” Amjad screeched, jerking four-year-old Tara from her stupor. She saw a round pebble rolled towards her, smiling at
Mystical Cosmos
The dreaded A Merlyn D’Souza waited with bated breath as the developmental paediatrician went through the assessment reports collated together. Her five-year-old son, Aaron lay