We know how you hate following links to get to the next story, so we put all our shortest stories in one page.
- Rejo John and Manu Prabhakaran.
I used to spend hours gazing at her
face as she slept. When awake, we couldn’t keep our hands off each
other. I would not say what we had was “love,” it was more of an
obsession. Everyday after work, we would go on these long walks. On
these walks, she would tell me everything about her day. At times she
would look into my eyes and tell me that I am a good listener. I guess I
was a good listener.
Then, last month, I began to notice some strange happenings. One day, she came home reeking of this cologne; the kind that she didn't own. Frankly, I didn't think much of it at the time. Neither did I think much of the long "business" phone calls. What really began to bother me was that now she wouldn't come home till late into the night. And she wont tell me where she was. She would just stare at me as if it was none of my business. Some days, she would come in so late, she wont even cook dinner. We would eat the Chinese food she picked up on her way home.
Then one day, I overheard her talking on the phone with this mystery person. This "someone" was coming over to our house!
Before she left to bring him home, she turned to me and said, "I am going to bring over a friend, is it fine with you?"
I just stared at her. With a look of guilt on her face, she turned around and walked out of the house.
Inside, I was heartbroken. And I was shaking all over with anger. But I waited for her to bring this "friend" over.
After about half an hour, I heard her car pull in the parking space. Then I heard footsteps approaching the door.
As the door opened, I saw this young man. He was holding her hand. A sense of betrayal swept over me.
I jumped right at him and pinned him to the ground.
"Down boy! Down!" she shouted, but I didn't stop. He scampered and ran out into the parking lot. I was about to chase him but she pulled me back by my collar.
"I dont think your dog likes me" he said coming back. Laughing.
"Its okay. I will just let him out for sometime."
Once he was in, she forced me out and locked the door. I sat on the ground staring at the door. A sense of betrayal swept over me.
****
I had to lie to the principal. Otherwise he wouldn’t have let me go.
Only Suraj knew where I was really going.
To this girl’s house. This girl I met on Facebook. This girl I have been so close to, but have never met.
I was so happy when my class decided to go to Goa for the trip. I promised her that I would come visit her.
At first, she wasn’t excited about the idea. Her messages almost seemed like she didn’t want me to come meet her.
She’s one of those really shy girls. One of those girls who wouldn’t put up their picture on their Facebook profile. One of those girls who is always worried about that extra kilo or that mole on their face.
I hired a rickshaw to go to her home.
“Ebenezer House” it said beside the old gate. I opened it and walked towards the house.
After a lot of insistence, she had finally sent me a photo. It was a photo of a framed photo. I remember what I thought the first time I looked at it. A pale looking girl looking longingly into the camera. Very unlike the happy-go-lucky girl persona I had of her in my mind.
I brushed away my hair from my forehead, made myself presentable, and knocked on the door.
An old lady opened and peered out at me.
Her grandma. She had told me a lot about this sweet woman.
“I am here to meet Sarah.” I say.
She stares at me a few seconds, then says,“She’s not here.” and proceeds to close the door.
“When will she be back??” I quickly say.
She once again stares at me for a few seconds, then opens the door wider.
Letting me in, she starts walking inside and up a flight of stairs.
“Follow me!” she orders from the top of the stairs. I obey.
On the first floor, she takes me to this room.
Once inside, I start coughing. My eyes start to water. I am allergic to dust.
I look around. There are dolls in showcases. Pretty dresses around. And on a table was the framed photo.
I pick it up and take a close look at it.
Then I realized, this is her room! Suddenly, I felt like an intruder. This is her private place. I shouldn’t be here.
“She’s not coming back.” the old lady says. I look up at her and she is staring out of this window at something on the ground.
“Huh?” I say putting down the photo and walking to the window. Outside, I see these 2 tombstones; one a bit shorter in length than the other.
“We buried her alongside her mother.” The old lady continues.
“Fuc…..” I stop myself.
“She was always so lonely. Because of her hearing disability, she could never communicate well with anybody.”
The old lady turns to me. I am standing there, starting to turn white.
I swallow and say,“When did she die?”
“About two years ago. Were you close to her?” she says.
I mouth a “sorry” and quickly walk out the room, down the stairs, and out of the house.
I take out my phone and start writing a text to her. Or whoever is behind this sick joke.
“Who are you??”
I should have realized this sooner. She, or whoever, never picked up my calls. It was always SMSes or Facebook messages. Should have realized something was suspicious.
No reply yet. I walk out the gate and start walking along the road. Now as I walk, I can see the tombstones. A shiver travels down my spine. My phone vibrates. “1 new message.”
“I was afraid I would lose you if you came to know what I am. Can we still be friends?”
I stopped on my tracks, and for some reason my eyes were drawn to that window I was looking out of a few minutes ago. A pale looking girl with hollow eyes stared back at me.
***
After 3 years of marriage, Pankaj realized how their long work hours had finally sucked the life out of their marriage. It greatly troubled him that it had been compromised to just a courteous kiss in the mornings before they both rushed off to their respective jobs and a few hours lazily spent together in front of the telly at night.
He decided what was needed was more "together" time away from work and all the distractions. On the spur of the moment, he booked two tickets for a romantic vacation. When he told his wife about it, she was very excited. Pankaj could not remember the last time he had seen her so psyched up. He told her to get used to it as it was going to be a norm from then on.
Unfortunately, his boss at work didn't take this sudden change in his work schedule all that well. He pointed out how the project Pankaj was working on was due soon and warned him that any delay of it would reflect badly on his review. Pankaj promised he would finish the project before he left for the vacation. In order to keep his word, he had to spend many sleepless nights working on the project.
At the same time, something unexpected was happening. Even before the vacation had begun, things were getting better. The otherwise groggy, dull mornings now found them waking up excited and counting down the number of days left for the vacation, and the evenings found them spend less time in front of the telly and more in bed.
Finally, the day had come. Pankaj had to first go to his office and give the clients a presentation before he could rush back home and leave for the vacation with his wife.
With the final report of the project saved in his laptop beside him in the passenger seat, Pankaj drove to his office. After few minutes, he found his eyelids getting heavy and he stopped to get some coffee. He had barely gotten about 3 hours of sleep last night.
Upon resuming his travel to the office, he got an SMS from his wife.
“All the best with the presentation. Am almost done with the packing. See you soon! :-*” Suddenly, he heard a car screech past him and he slammed on the brakes. He realized that he had jumped a red light, and to make things worse he had applied the brakes right in the middle of the oncoming traffic. Before he could even think of doing anything, a shadow quickly swept over him. The air resounded with the truck's blaring horns. The last thing he remembered was the truck hitting the passenger side of his car and pushing his car along with it as if it was a miniature toy.
When he woke up, Pankaj found himself in a bed. He realized he was in a hospital. He began to hear gasps. He looked around and saw few nurses staring at him. One of them ran out of the room. To get a doctor, he thought.
Pankaj tried to sit up, but his body didn't move. He felt weak. His eyes caught a glance of his hand. He kept staring at it because it couldn't be his hand. The hand he was looking at was the hand of an old man, not of someone who was in their early 30s.
A few more nurses rushed into the room. They all just stood there looking at him. Then they began to whisper to each other. One of them was loud and close enough that he could make out what was being said:
“Can you believe it? Its been 40 years since he has been in the coma!”
Beginning to feel restless, Pankaj started looking at the many faces staring back at him in hopes of finding one that is familiar.
***
It was a beautiful day with blue sky
and big puffy white clouds. Isamu took off from an island in the south
Pacific on his plane.
"It's such a perfect day for flying, I just wish this moment never ends." He said to himself as he roared across the blue sky in his Yokosuka D4Y3.
Since he was a little kid, it was Isamu's dream to be a pilot; but today was different.
As he flew over the vast expanse of the Pacific, he spotted a convoy of ships. "THAT'S AMERICAN!!," he cried over the radio to his wingmen. He quickly chose a ship and aligned his plane to it and dived straight into it amidst a barrage of anti aircraft fire resulting in a huge explosion sinking the ship and killing everyone onboard...
***
Counsellor: How are you feeling today?
Superguy: Just look at me!! I am bald, out of shape, and of all the people in the world, this so-called Destiny chose me to be a superhero!
C: We have already gone over this last week, Superguy. Anything else you wanna get off your chest?
Sg: Did I tell you how all the bad guys are always good-looking? I mean, not even one of them is bald! And they all look fucking fit. Its almost as if they were models getting their photoshoots done and then out of the blue decided to take over the world!
C: So you aren't happy with the way you look.
Sg: Just look at me, man! Just fucking look at me! I try combing my hair over my bald spot, but the moment I take off into the air, it slips out of its place.
C: May be you shouldn’t be so worried about your looks.
Sg: Shouldn't be worried??? I am a superhero for crying out loud. I am expected to be good-looking. The other day, I caught this little girl falling off a bridge. So I catch her and fly up to the bridge. The mother turns around, sees me holding her daughter, and starts swinging her bag at me and chase me down the road.
C: Why?
Sg: Well for starters, she didn't realize that her daughter had fallen off the bridge and that I had just saved her. And secondly, I am guessing she thought I am some kind of a bald pervert or something! Man, she wouldn't even let me explain!
C: I heard you have this new villian, The MindReader. Do you want to talk about him?
Sg: The MindReader! That freak and his fucking sidekick is making my life miserable! I mean, that asshole can literally read my fucking mind. He knows my thoughts. My secrets. My fucking everything!
C: Read your mind?
Sg: Ya man! A few weeks back, the fucker called me by my real name. I mean, no one fucking knows my real name. And then he kidnaps my parents. And last week, he left this girl I used to date on the train tracks with her hands and legs all tied up!
C: Lets talk about your personal life. Did you meet anybody special?
Sg: Well, ya! I met this girl a few weeks back. We went on a few dates. But with this fucking MindReader around, I couldn't risk thinking much about her. So I told her to give me some time till I take care of some shit.
C: Oh, new development! We never talked about this before. How did you meet her. Any shared interests?
Sg: Well, I met her at this bookshop near her house on Hudson Road. But like I said, I am trying to keep it all a bit hush-hush, you know, with this MindReader fucker around. I like her a lot. I think she might be the one.
C: I am very happy to hear this Superguy! May I know the name of this young lady?
W: Her name is Anne. She’s got a beautiful smile.
C: Once again, I am glad to hear this, Superguy, but I am afraid this is all the time we have for today.
Superguy stands up and stretches. “Thanks for listening to me vent it all out, Thomas. I guess I will be on my way now.” “See you next week, Superguy.”
With that, Superguy flew out an open window of Dr. Thomas’ clinic. Dr. Thomas stood by the window and watched Superguy's form gradually shrink and vanish into the blue sky. He then quickly walked over to the next room and opened a door which revealed stairs going down to the basement. A kid in a weird suit sat in front of a huge computer screen. He removed his earphones when he saw Dr. Thomas climb down the stairs. “Did you find Anne?” said Dr. Thomas.
“Yup! Got the address right here!” the kid said pointing at the screen.
“Good! Lets see if Superguy can save her life!!”
Dr. Thomas then proceeded to don his suit which read "MindReader" across its chest.
***
“What the fuck man??!”
exclaimed Rohit staring at the human skulls ceremoniously piled up on the
ground.
Neither of his three friends said a word. They just stood there, looking at it, their faces turning white with fear. To them, the place just hit get-the-fuck-out-of-here creepy on the creep-o-meter.
Three hours ago, the four of them had abandoned their broken-down car and had began walking through the forest. Along the way, there were at least 5 instances where they came across dry bones lying scattered on the ground. It had to be the bones of some animal for sure! Or at least they told each other so. Each time they came across these bones, they would unconsciously start walking faster. And just when they had started to forget all about it, they came across this: a fucking human skull pile.
“I vote we go back to the car!” exclaimed David.
“And do what? We are gonna starve to death out there. We haven't seen a soul in the last 2 days! If we keep walking, we will come across some highway and get the hell out of this place!” said Charles.
Charles was right. They had no choice but to keep walking and hope they cross civilization.
Another 2 hours of walking later, they saw someone walking far away in the forest. A man. Long unruly hair and thick beard. He wore a saffron dhoti. A swami.
Without another thought, Rohit called out to the swami. The swami turned to look at the 4 friends and then hurried to them.
Rohit explained to him that they were lost. The swami told them,
“Not safe here. Night, madman kill you. You must come. I take you to safe place.”
“Did you just say some freak is going to kill us??” Rohit exclaimed.
“Hurry. Night not safe. Come with me.” The swami said ignoring Rohit and then turned around and started hurrying away without another backward glance at them.
“Oh great! Was that what all those skulls back there was, man?? Victims of some psychopath killer??” Rohit shouted, but the swami continued to ignore him and hurried away in small quick steps.
Charles ran up to the swami and asked him how far the nearest highway was.
“Highway, there.” the swami pointed towards where the sun was setting. “One day walk. No time now. Not safe.”
The four friends quickly decided that with this shit about the crazy psychopath running around in the forest, it probably was a good idea to spend the night with the swami and continue on their way the next day. So, they started to follow the swami.
The swami looked like he was pushing 70. He was really thin, but full of energy and kept walking at a consistent fast pace. The four friends struggled to keep up with him.
“I hope this safe place isn't far away.” whispered an out-of-breath Santhosh, the fourth of the friends.
It had been 2 hours since they started to follow the swami and it was starting to get dark. Even though he didn't voice it, Charles too was starting to feel a bit restless.
Then, all of a sudden, the swami stopped in his tracks.
“What?? Is it the fucking killer?” Rohit whisphered. He was at the rear end and couldn't see what the hell was happening.
“No. Its a river.” Charles said to Rohit.
“Safe place other side of river. River very dangerous. I take only one of you at a time. Put feet where I put. Very dangerous river,” the swami said.
“Ok, I will go first,” said Santhosh going ahead.
With the passing of every minute, it was getting darker and darker. Swami instructed Santhosh one last time to slowly mimic his movement, and a minute later, they both disappeared into the darkness.
The three friends sat on the bank and waited for the swami to come back. It was a pretty cloudy night and by then it had gotten so dark that they could not see the other side of the river anymore.
After about 10 minutes, the swami came back. He was dripping wet.
“Ok, come.” he said.
David went next.
Charles and Rohit waited for them to come back. After a few minutes, they heard a cry from the other side of the river.
“What the fuck, man??” Rohit exclaimed jumping up on his feet. There was his signature quiver in Rohit's voice.
“David??” Charles called out towards the other side of the river. There was complete silence.
Charles was about to call out again when Rohit grabbed him by his arm and whispered,
“What the fuck you doing, man?? You want to get the psycho-killer’s attention? I have been having this weird fucking feeling that we have been followed since the time we left the car!”
Charles didn't tell Rohit, but he was starting to get all kind of crazy, scary thoughts in his head.
They heard the swami come over.
“Ok, come” the swami said. He sounded a bit annoyed this time.
The clouds had began to clear, and in the moonlight, Charles could see dark patches on the swami's dhoti. Could it be blood?
“No time, hurry” the swami said looking at them.
“Okay. My fucking turn!” Rohit said getting up, but Charles stopped him.
“I will go this time.” he whispered to Rohit.
Charles then secretly removed something from Rohit's bag's side pocket and carefully placed it inside his trouser pocket.
“Ok, be careful. Very dangerous river.” the swami said and then they both stepped into the river.
The river bed was slippery and Charles slowed down the swami. Upon reaching the other side, they began to walk some more. Suddenly, the swami stopped. Then turned around to face Charles almost as if he sensed something wrong. He then bent down to pick something off the ground, and Charles withdrew the Swiss-Knife from his trouser pocket and stabbed the swami in his side. The swami let out a cry and fell on the ground writhing in pain.
“That's for killing my friends, you sick psycho!!” Charles shouted at the swami.
“Charles?? Is that you man?” said Santhosh who had come running when he heard the noises.
Charles looked at Santhosh in shock.
“What the hell happened??” said Santhosh looking at the black groaning form on the ground.
“I... I thought he killed you! I heard a scream!”
“What?? Scream? It was David. He fell down and broke his leg!”
“Oh shit!” Charles broke down and sat beside the swami who was no longer moving.
There was a few minutes of silence as both of them sat beside the swami's body in shock.
“Where's Rohit?” Santhosh finally said.
“He's still on the oth.....”
Charles' reply was cut short by screams from the other side of the river. The screams had Rohit's signature quiver to them. As Charles and Santhosh stood helplessly, the screams continued for about another minute or so and finally ended with a loud thud.
****
- Rejo John and Manu Prabhakaran.
The Betrayal - A Short Story
Then, last month, I began to notice some strange happenings. One day, she came home reeking of this cologne; the kind that she didn't own. Frankly, I didn't think much of it at the time. Neither did I think much of the long "business" phone calls. What really began to bother me was that now she wouldn't come home till late into the night. And she wont tell me where she was. She would just stare at me as if it was none of my business. Some days, she would come in so late, she wont even cook dinner. We would eat the Chinese food she picked up on her way home.
Then one day, I overheard her talking on the phone with this mystery person. This "someone" was coming over to our house!
Before she left to bring him home, she turned to me and said, "I am going to bring over a friend, is it fine with you?"
I just stared at her. With a look of guilt on her face, she turned around and walked out of the house.
Inside, I was heartbroken. And I was shaking all over with anger. But I waited for her to bring this "friend" over.
After about half an hour, I heard her car pull in the parking space. Then I heard footsteps approaching the door.
As the door opened, I saw this young man. He was holding her hand. A sense of betrayal swept over me.
I jumped right at him and pinned him to the ground.
"Down boy! Down!" she shouted, but I didn't stop. He scampered and ran out into the parking lot. I was about to chase him but she pulled me back by my collar.
"I dont think your dog likes me" he said coming back. Laughing.
"Its okay. I will just let him out for sometime."
Once he was in, she forced me out and locked the door. I sat on the ground staring at the door. A sense of betrayal swept over me.
****
The Mystery Illness - A Short Story
The doctors didn't know what was wrong
with him. Many times during the day, he would feel a piercing pain run
through his body, almost as if someone was plunging a sword into him.
The only thing that gave him any relief was his beautiful wife's touch.When he screamed out in pain, leaving whatever it was that she was doing, she would come running to him. As soon as her tender hands touched him, the pain would leave him.
He was no longer strong enough to get out of bed. And whenever she was with him, he would hold onto her hands as long as he could. Afraid that whatever it is, will happen again.
Eventually, when he lets her go, she would walk into the next room. Then, she would take out a limp doll and pierce a long sharp needle into it.
As she hears him scream, she has a smirk on her face.
***
The only thing that gave him any relief was his beautiful wife's touch.When he screamed out in pain, leaving whatever it was that she was doing, she would come running to him. As soon as her tender hands touched him, the pain would leave him.
He was no longer strong enough to get out of bed. And whenever she was with him, he would hold onto her hands as long as he could. Afraid that whatever it is, will happen again.
Eventually, when he lets her go, she would walk into the next room. Then, she would take out a limp doll and pierce a long sharp needle into it.
As she hears him scream, she has a smirk on her face.
***
Luke's Love - A Short Story
Luke stared at the empty bottle. A
few minutes ago, it was full. He kept the bottle aside and took a sip
of water to ease them down.
He laid back on his bed and began to read the letter he had given to Rani earlier in the day. The letter in which he professed his undying love for her. The letter in which he told her that the only good thing about his life was that everyday he got to dress up, come to work, and get to see her. That she was the reason he lived.
This was not the first time he tried telling her this. Many a times, he had tried talking with her. He even tried IMing her. But she always tactfully avoided him.
He had given this letter to Rani today. In the afternoon, she had come over to his workstation, kept the letter on his desk, and just walked away without even looking at his face.
By now, he could feel his heart pounding at his ribs. The pills had started to take effect. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open.
He opened Facebook on his cellphone and browsed to her profile and then to her photos. He was surprised she hadn't unfriended him yet.
He began to browse through her birthday photos. He wanted to be looking at her when he died.
Just then, the phone buzzed. He just received a message. It was from Rani:
Hi Luke. Your letter was very sweet. You know, I always liked you, and I think I have slowly fallen in love with you. As you might have already noticed, I am very shy and the very thought of talking to you gives me an anxiety attack. I am afraid that I will say something that will make you hate me.
Shall we meet for breakfast tomorrow?
Lets meet somewhere close to a hospital, so that in case I get an anxiety attack and blackout when I try talking to you, help will be closeby ;)
<3 Rani.
By the time Luke finished reading the message, his vision had started to go blurry. Frantically, he tried to find his parent's number on the cell, but couldn't.
A few seconds later, he couldn't see anything.
Now his only hope was to get out and call for help and hopefully someone will take him to the hospital.
But as he stumbled towards the door, he began to feel his legs wobble. The last thing he felt was his head hit the floor.
***
He laid back on his bed and began to read the letter he had given to Rani earlier in the day. The letter in which he professed his undying love for her. The letter in which he told her that the only good thing about his life was that everyday he got to dress up, come to work, and get to see her. That she was the reason he lived.
This was not the first time he tried telling her this. Many a times, he had tried talking with her. He even tried IMing her. But she always tactfully avoided him.
He had given this letter to Rani today. In the afternoon, she had come over to his workstation, kept the letter on his desk, and just walked away without even looking at his face.
By now, he could feel his heart pounding at his ribs. The pills had started to take effect. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open.
He opened Facebook on his cellphone and browsed to her profile and then to her photos. He was surprised she hadn't unfriended him yet.
He began to browse through her birthday photos. He wanted to be looking at her when he died.
Just then, the phone buzzed. He just received a message. It was from Rani:
Hi Luke. Your letter was very sweet. You know, I always liked you, and I think I have slowly fallen in love with you. As you might have already noticed, I am very shy and the very thought of talking to you gives me an anxiety attack. I am afraid that I will say something that will make you hate me.
Shall we meet for breakfast tomorrow?
Lets meet somewhere close to a hospital, so that in case I get an anxiety attack and blackout when I try talking to you, help will be closeby ;)
<3 Rani.
By the time Luke finished reading the message, his vision had started to go blurry. Frantically, he tried to find his parent's number on the cell, but couldn't.
A few seconds later, he couldn't see anything.
Now his only hope was to get out and call for help and hopefully someone will take him to the hospital.
But as he stumbled towards the door, he began to feel his legs wobble. The last thing he felt was his head hit the floor.
***
The Facebook Friend - A Short Story
I had to lie to the principal. Otherwise he wouldn’t have let me go.
Only Suraj knew where I was really going.
To this girl’s house. This girl I met on Facebook. This girl I have been so close to, but have never met.
I was so happy when my class decided to go to Goa for the trip. I promised her that I would come visit her.
At first, she wasn’t excited about the idea. Her messages almost seemed like she didn’t want me to come meet her.
She’s one of those really shy girls. One of those girls who wouldn’t put up their picture on their Facebook profile. One of those girls who is always worried about that extra kilo or that mole on their face.
I hired a rickshaw to go to her home.
“Ebenezer House” it said beside the old gate. I opened it and walked towards the house.
After a lot of insistence, she had finally sent me a photo. It was a photo of a framed photo. I remember what I thought the first time I looked at it. A pale looking girl looking longingly into the camera. Very unlike the happy-go-lucky girl persona I had of her in my mind.
I brushed away my hair from my forehead, made myself presentable, and knocked on the door.
An old lady opened and peered out at me.
Her grandma. She had told me a lot about this sweet woman.
“I am here to meet Sarah.” I say.
She stares at me a few seconds, then says,“She’s not here.” and proceeds to close the door.
“When will she be back??” I quickly say.
She once again stares at me for a few seconds, then opens the door wider.
Letting me in, she starts walking inside and up a flight of stairs.
“Follow me!” she orders from the top of the stairs. I obey.
On the first floor, she takes me to this room.
Once inside, I start coughing. My eyes start to water. I am allergic to dust.
I look around. There are dolls in showcases. Pretty dresses around. And on a table was the framed photo.
I pick it up and take a close look at it.
Then I realized, this is her room! Suddenly, I felt like an intruder. This is her private place. I shouldn’t be here.
“She’s not coming back.” the old lady says. I look up at her and she is staring out of this window at something on the ground.
“Huh?” I say putting down the photo and walking to the window. Outside, I see these 2 tombstones; one a bit shorter in length than the other.
“We buried her alongside her mother.” The old lady continues.
“Fuc…..” I stop myself.
“She was always so lonely. Because of her hearing disability, she could never communicate well with anybody.”
The old lady turns to me. I am standing there, starting to turn white.
I swallow and say,“When did she die?”
“About two years ago. Were you close to her?” she says.
I mouth a “sorry” and quickly walk out the room, down the stairs, and out of the house.
I take out my phone and start writing a text to her. Or whoever is behind this sick joke.
“Who are you??”
I should have realized this sooner. She, or whoever, never picked up my calls. It was always SMSes or Facebook messages. Should have realized something was suspicious.
No reply yet. I walk out the gate and start walking along the road. Now as I walk, I can see the tombstones. A shiver travels down my spine. My phone vibrates. “1 new message.”
“I was afraid I would lose you if you came to know what I am. Can we still be friends?”
I stopped on my tracks, and for some reason my eyes were drawn to that window I was looking out of a few minutes ago. A pale looking girl with hollow eyes stared back at me.
***
A Life Not Lived - A Short Story
After 3 years of marriage, Pankaj realized how their long work hours had finally sucked the life out of their marriage. It greatly troubled him that it had been compromised to just a courteous kiss in the mornings before they both rushed off to their respective jobs and a few hours lazily spent together in front of the telly at night.
He decided what was needed was more "together" time away from work and all the distractions. On the spur of the moment, he booked two tickets for a romantic vacation. When he told his wife about it, she was very excited. Pankaj could not remember the last time he had seen her so psyched up. He told her to get used to it as it was going to be a norm from then on.
Unfortunately, his boss at work didn't take this sudden change in his work schedule all that well. He pointed out how the project Pankaj was working on was due soon and warned him that any delay of it would reflect badly on his review. Pankaj promised he would finish the project before he left for the vacation. In order to keep his word, he had to spend many sleepless nights working on the project.
At the same time, something unexpected was happening. Even before the vacation had begun, things were getting better. The otherwise groggy, dull mornings now found them waking up excited and counting down the number of days left for the vacation, and the evenings found them spend less time in front of the telly and more in bed.
Finally, the day had come. Pankaj had to first go to his office and give the clients a presentation before he could rush back home and leave for the vacation with his wife.
With the final report of the project saved in his laptop beside him in the passenger seat, Pankaj drove to his office. After few minutes, he found his eyelids getting heavy and he stopped to get some coffee. He had barely gotten about 3 hours of sleep last night.
Upon resuming his travel to the office, he got an SMS from his wife.
“All the best with the presentation. Am almost done with the packing. See you soon! :-*” Suddenly, he heard a car screech past him and he slammed on the brakes. He realized that he had jumped a red light, and to make things worse he had applied the brakes right in the middle of the oncoming traffic. Before he could even think of doing anything, a shadow quickly swept over him. The air resounded with the truck's blaring horns. The last thing he remembered was the truck hitting the passenger side of his car and pushing his car along with it as if it was a miniature toy.
When he woke up, Pankaj found himself in a bed. He realized he was in a hospital. He began to hear gasps. He looked around and saw few nurses staring at him. One of them ran out of the room. To get a doctor, he thought.
Pankaj tried to sit up, but his body didn't move. He felt weak. His eyes caught a glance of his hand. He kept staring at it because it couldn't be his hand. The hand he was looking at was the hand of an old man, not of someone who was in their early 30s.
A few more nurses rushed into the room. They all just stood there looking at him. Then they began to whisper to each other. One of them was loud and close enough that he could make out what was being said:
“Can you believe it? Its been 40 years since he has been in the coma!”
Beginning to feel restless, Pankaj started looking at the many faces staring back at him in hopes of finding one that is familiar.
***
Hard Choice - A Short Story
"It's such a perfect day for flying, I just wish this moment never ends." He said to himself as he roared across the blue sky in his Yokosuka D4Y3.
Since he was a little kid, it was Isamu's dream to be a pilot; but today was different.
As he flew over the vast expanse of the Pacific, he spotted a convoy of ships. "THAT'S AMERICAN!!," he cried over the radio to his wingmen. He quickly chose a ship and aligned his plane to it and dived straight into it amidst a barrage of anti aircraft fire resulting in a huge explosion sinking the ship and killing everyone onboard...
***
The Not-So-Amazing Superguy! - A Short Story.
Counsellor: How are you feeling today?
Superguy: Just look at me!! I am bald, out of shape, and of all the people in the world, this so-called Destiny chose me to be a superhero!
C: We have already gone over this last week, Superguy. Anything else you wanna get off your chest?
Sg: Did I tell you how all the bad guys are always good-looking? I mean, not even one of them is bald! And they all look fucking fit. Its almost as if they were models getting their photoshoots done and then out of the blue decided to take over the world!
C: So you aren't happy with the way you look.
Sg: Just look at me, man! Just fucking look at me! I try combing my hair over my bald spot, but the moment I take off into the air, it slips out of its place.
C: May be you shouldn’t be so worried about your looks.
Sg: Shouldn't be worried??? I am a superhero for crying out loud. I am expected to be good-looking. The other day, I caught this little girl falling off a bridge. So I catch her and fly up to the bridge. The mother turns around, sees me holding her daughter, and starts swinging her bag at me and chase me down the road.
C: Why?
Sg: Well for starters, she didn't realize that her daughter had fallen off the bridge and that I had just saved her. And secondly, I am guessing she thought I am some kind of a bald pervert or something! Man, she wouldn't even let me explain!
C: I heard you have this new villian, The MindReader. Do you want to talk about him?
Sg: The MindReader! That freak and his fucking sidekick is making my life miserable! I mean, that asshole can literally read my fucking mind. He knows my thoughts. My secrets. My fucking everything!
C: Read your mind?
Sg: Ya man! A few weeks back, the fucker called me by my real name. I mean, no one fucking knows my real name. And then he kidnaps my parents. And last week, he left this girl I used to date on the train tracks with her hands and legs all tied up!
C: Lets talk about your personal life. Did you meet anybody special?
Sg: Well, ya! I met this girl a few weeks back. We went on a few dates. But with this fucking MindReader around, I couldn't risk thinking much about her. So I told her to give me some time till I take care of some shit.
C: Oh, new development! We never talked about this before. How did you meet her. Any shared interests?
Sg: Well, I met her at this bookshop near her house on Hudson Road. But like I said, I am trying to keep it all a bit hush-hush, you know, with this MindReader fucker around. I like her a lot. I think she might be the one.
C: I am very happy to hear this Superguy! May I know the name of this young lady?
W: Her name is Anne. She’s got a beautiful smile.
C: Once again, I am glad to hear this, Superguy, but I am afraid this is all the time we have for today.
Superguy stands up and stretches. “Thanks for listening to me vent it all out, Thomas. I guess I will be on my way now.” “See you next week, Superguy.”
With that, Superguy flew out an open window of Dr. Thomas’ clinic. Dr. Thomas stood by the window and watched Superguy's form gradually shrink and vanish into the blue sky. He then quickly walked over to the next room and opened a door which revealed stairs going down to the basement. A kid in a weird suit sat in front of a huge computer screen. He removed his earphones when he saw Dr. Thomas climb down the stairs. “Did you find Anne?” said Dr. Thomas.
“Yup! Got the address right here!” the kid said pointing at the screen.
“Good! Lets see if Superguy can save her life!!”
Dr. Thomas then proceeded to don his suit which read "MindReader" across its chest.
***
The Forest Killer - A Short Story
Neither of his three friends said a word. They just stood there, looking at it, their faces turning white with fear. To them, the place just hit get-the-fuck-out-of-here creepy on the creep-o-meter.
Three hours ago, the four of them had abandoned their broken-down car and had began walking through the forest. Along the way, there were at least 5 instances where they came across dry bones lying scattered on the ground. It had to be the bones of some animal for sure! Or at least they told each other so. Each time they came across these bones, they would unconsciously start walking faster. And just when they had started to forget all about it, they came across this: a fucking human skull pile.
“I vote we go back to the car!” exclaimed David.
“And do what? We are gonna starve to death out there. We haven't seen a soul in the last 2 days! If we keep walking, we will come across some highway and get the hell out of this place!” said Charles.
Charles was right. They had no choice but to keep walking and hope they cross civilization.
Another 2 hours of walking later, they saw someone walking far away in the forest. A man. Long unruly hair and thick beard. He wore a saffron dhoti. A swami.
Without another thought, Rohit called out to the swami. The swami turned to look at the 4 friends and then hurried to them.
Rohit explained to him that they were lost. The swami told them,
“Not safe here. Night, madman kill you. You must come. I take you to safe place.”
“Did you just say some freak is going to kill us??” Rohit exclaimed.
“Hurry. Night not safe. Come with me.” The swami said ignoring Rohit and then turned around and started hurrying away without another backward glance at them.
“Oh great! Was that what all those skulls back there was, man?? Victims of some psychopath killer??” Rohit shouted, but the swami continued to ignore him and hurried away in small quick steps.
Charles ran up to the swami and asked him how far the nearest highway was.
“Highway, there.” the swami pointed towards where the sun was setting. “One day walk. No time now. Not safe.”
The four friends quickly decided that with this shit about the crazy psychopath running around in the forest, it probably was a good idea to spend the night with the swami and continue on their way the next day. So, they started to follow the swami.
The swami looked like he was pushing 70. He was really thin, but full of energy and kept walking at a consistent fast pace. The four friends struggled to keep up with him.
“I hope this safe place isn't far away.” whispered an out-of-breath Santhosh, the fourth of the friends.
It had been 2 hours since they started to follow the swami and it was starting to get dark. Even though he didn't voice it, Charles too was starting to feel a bit restless.
Then, all of a sudden, the swami stopped in his tracks.
“What?? Is it the fucking killer?” Rohit whisphered. He was at the rear end and couldn't see what the hell was happening.
“No. Its a river.” Charles said to Rohit.
“Safe place other side of river. River very dangerous. I take only one of you at a time. Put feet where I put. Very dangerous river,” the swami said.
“Ok, I will go first,” said Santhosh going ahead.
With the passing of every minute, it was getting darker and darker. Swami instructed Santhosh one last time to slowly mimic his movement, and a minute later, they both disappeared into the darkness.
The three friends sat on the bank and waited for the swami to come back. It was a pretty cloudy night and by then it had gotten so dark that they could not see the other side of the river anymore.
After about 10 minutes, the swami came back. He was dripping wet.
“Ok, come.” he said.
David went next.
Charles and Rohit waited for them to come back. After a few minutes, they heard a cry from the other side of the river.
“What the fuck, man??” Rohit exclaimed jumping up on his feet. There was his signature quiver in Rohit's voice.
“David??” Charles called out towards the other side of the river. There was complete silence.
Charles was about to call out again when Rohit grabbed him by his arm and whispered,
“What the fuck you doing, man?? You want to get the psycho-killer’s attention? I have been having this weird fucking feeling that we have been followed since the time we left the car!”
Charles didn't tell Rohit, but he was starting to get all kind of crazy, scary thoughts in his head.
They heard the swami come over.
“Ok, come” the swami said. He sounded a bit annoyed this time.
The clouds had began to clear, and in the moonlight, Charles could see dark patches on the swami's dhoti. Could it be blood?
“No time, hurry” the swami said looking at them.
“Okay. My fucking turn!” Rohit said getting up, but Charles stopped him.
“I will go this time.” he whispered to Rohit.
Charles then secretly removed something from Rohit's bag's side pocket and carefully placed it inside his trouser pocket.
“Ok, be careful. Very dangerous river.” the swami said and then they both stepped into the river.
The river bed was slippery and Charles slowed down the swami. Upon reaching the other side, they began to walk some more. Suddenly, the swami stopped. Then turned around to face Charles almost as if he sensed something wrong. He then bent down to pick something off the ground, and Charles withdrew the Swiss-Knife from his trouser pocket and stabbed the swami in his side. The swami let out a cry and fell on the ground writhing in pain.
“That's for killing my friends, you sick psycho!!” Charles shouted at the swami.
“Charles?? Is that you man?” said Santhosh who had come running when he heard the noises.
Charles looked at Santhosh in shock.
“What the hell happened??” said Santhosh looking at the black groaning form on the ground.
“I... I thought he killed you! I heard a scream!”
“What?? Scream? It was David. He fell down and broke his leg!”
“Oh shit!” Charles broke down and sat beside the swami who was no longer moving.
There was a few minutes of silence as both of them sat beside the swami's body in shock.
“Where's Rohit?” Santhosh finally said.
“He's still on the oth.....”
Charles' reply was cut short by screams from the other side of the river. The screams had Rohit's signature quiver to them. As Charles and Santhosh stood helplessly, the screams continued for about another minute or so and finally ended with a loud thud.
****
