Beware the witch woman cometh…
Or is she goeth? 😉 😀
For Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge
Have a Happy Happy New Year
Month: December 2016
SPF: Return Gift
Return Gift
Words 201
On a courtesy visit to a distant cousin, I was constrained to accept their lunch invitation. Didi was busy cooking while Jeejaji was out working.
Hot and bored, I tried to make friends with my 6-year–old niece.
“So many toys!” I remarked.
Sia didn’t look up.
“I don’t have any. Give me one?”
“Adults don’t play with toys.”
“Even as a child I didn’t have any toys.”
“Liar.” She looked up. “Even Granny had toys.”
“Well, I don’t remember. Surely you can spare me one?”
“You didn’t get me anything.”
“Sia!” Didi came bustling in.
“Let her be.”
“But…”
“Please.”
“Here have samosas.” Didi shook her head at Sia before disappearing.
Sia bent her head.
“Have one.” I offered.
Sia’s eyes flickered but she shook her head.
“Why not?”
“That is only for guests.”
“I am a relative.”
“Mother will scold me.”
“Consider it my ‘gift’ to you.”
Her face shone. “I love samosas.”
“Me too.”
Nibbling, she confided, “Mother makes samosas only for guests. And they eat up all the samosas.”
“Maybe I should come more often?”
She giggled.
“You can take this house. No! Santa. Okay the tree. Or…”
I left with the tree and a nagging conscience.
***
Written for Sunday Photo Fiction – a story in 200 words or less hosted by Alistair Forbes.To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here
For readers of Moonshine, here's Chapter 109 and Calvin and Hobbes
WPC: Que Sera Sera
As the year draws to a close, the Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge prompts us to reflect on our own path. When the year began, I had no inkling of what upheavals lay ahead. And the end of the year has thrown up another kind of twist. As I grapple with the events of the year gone by and consider the myriad developments that have occurred over the years, I can only say that:
Just when you think the path ahead is clear and the world is at your feet
you may find yourself floundering in the wilderness
or dogged by tricky paths and trails
and in the midst of turbulent times.
But believe that sooner or later, things will settle down.
Always keep the larger picture in mind, eyes on your destination or goal
Whatever and wherever that might be.
Until then, count your blessings
stop to look at the flowers
cherish those special moments
while you hang in there.
“Morning will come, it has no choice” — Marty Rubin
Thank you for visiting – a (virtual) penny for your thoughts 🙂
Here’s wishing you all a Wonderful, Happy New Year
CFFC: Roped!
This time Cee has us me jumping through hoops rope. Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is all about Jumping Rope or Skipping Rope as we call it. I rifled through my collection and found this
Hmm, a bit boring and too literal don’t you think? I decided to take Cee’s advice and use my imagination and have tons of fun 😉
So here we go rope hunting 😀
There that looks better doesn’t it? Lots of ropes over there – boats tethered to the barge, buckets dipped into the Ganga for drawing water…
Lots of ropes hanging from the tree
And this one quite literally ‘roped’ herself to her partner – bonded for life without any rituals or customs.
Raw material being carted to make ropes. But my favorite one is
Loved this image right outside my window of how the kid ‘roped’ in his grandad for a stroll out in the winter Sun 😀
Thanks for dropping by – do let know which one you liked best.
For readers of Moonshine, here's Chapter 108 and Calvin and Hobbes
The Bright One
Today it is terribly dull, dreary and overcast in Delhi, so I hunted for something fresh and cheery 😀
Doesn’t she look happy and shaped a bit like a Christmas tree?
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
For Becca’s Sunday Trees – 267
FFfAW #94: Lost in the Wilderness
Lost in the Wilderness
Words 175
Admit it Chotti you are lost.
‘Nonsense!’ Furious, Chotti scrubbed her face.
Why did you go off with Rishabh?
‘That %^$@*&!’ Chotti adjusted the stole over her torn neckline.
Just to make Shubham jealous?
‘Shut up dammit.’
A mewling halted her in-house altercation.
Peering though the foliage, Chotti gasped – an abandoned baby.
“Aren’t we a pair?” Chotti muttered as she swaddled the baby in her stole.
At the picnic, her plans to ‘show’ that insufferable obnoxious Shubham had backfired. Rishabh had an agenda of his own and worse, she had lost her phone in the ensuing scuffle.
She was lost.
The baby needed medical care.
ASAP.
The crunch of footsteps alarmed her.
Rishabh?
“You!”
Shubham took in her disheveled appearance and the baby in her arms.
His brow quirked. “That was umm… quick.”
“Very funny.” She glared – she could have hugged him. “Stop following me!”
“Then stop getting into trouble.” He draped his jacket over her.
“Good thing I did!” Chotti retorted, cuddling the baby. “If I hadn’t, she would have been lost forever.”
***
Written for Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers – Thank you PJ for hosting and Joy Pixley for the photo prompt. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here
Protected: SPF: Tricks of the Trade
When it is Not Time
When it is Not Time
Words 98
“Time!” The conductor called.
Passengers trickled out the roadside joint.
“Time!” He banged the bus.
Stragglers hurried.
The driver revved the engine.
“Wait! My daughter is in the washroom.”
“The mountain roads are treacherous and it’s getting dark.”
“Please wait just 5 minutes!”
“Take the next bus.”
The bus began rolling.
Protesting, the man exited with his luggage.
The bus roared away showering him with dust.
“Papa! Our bus…”
“The Royal Highnesses. Always late. My rotten kismet.” He alternately cursed them and bemoaned his fate.
Until news came – their bus had fallen into a gorge.
There were no survivors.
***
Note: Based on a ‘real’ incident I heard as a child.
Written for the Friday Fictioneers – a story in 100 words or less. Thanks to Rochelle for hosting the irresistible challenge and Roger Bultot for the photo prompt. To read the other stories inspired by the prompt or add your own click here.
Thanks for reading – do let me know your thoughts 🙂
CFFC: Down and Up
Whoosh! That’s how time flies and just as I thought there was tons of time for Cee’s next Fun Foto Challenge – Snakes and Ladders oops I mean Chutes and Ladders I find she’s already roped in the others for her next 😉 Anyway, better late than never right?
Okay so here goes – and I am glad the challenge is not called Snakes and Ladders, Chutes were difficult to get as it is 😀 The pictures are mostly from around the wedding venue I had recently attended.
A luggage chute – will it do?
A chute ramp to the motor boat 😉 Okay now for some ladders
A hard at work decorator or is the electrician?
Basking in the winter Sun. Can you imagine him doing this in 42o C (108 o F) with 80% humidity? Not just him, millions do it.
Triple bonanza 😀
Enough work, time for a bit of a rest, after a drink or two 😉
Hic hic hitching a ride home 😀
Thanks for visiting – hope you liked my selection.
Do let me know you were here 🙂
For readers of Moonshine, here's Chapter 106 and Calvin and Hobbes
Story Club #6: Knowing the Unknown
Oh shoot! It’s Story Club time and I clean forgot all about it. So much has been happening lately, travel, wedding, trying to capture scissors and ladders, studying art whew! No wonder it slipped my mind. Oh well, better late than never right?
So here’s Story Club number 6, the last one for this year. And in honor of that, I am tweaking the rules – since it’s already late, I am skipping the pre-announcement of the story. Besides, nobody seems to be reading them in advance in any case 😦
And instead of a short story, I am picking up a book this time.
Hey hey!! Pipe down will ya? I can’t hear myself type. Just read me out 😉 The thing is I am way behind in my reading target for this year, so I thought why not kill two birds with one post? Tick off a book (or two) from my list and get in the Story Club as well – great idea isn’t it? 🙂
What about you – you ask.
Well how about reading the review and then you make an informed decision whether or not you would like to read this book? Come on admit it, that’s what you usually do don’t you? Anyway, since this is a book and I know it is short notice, I won’t give away any spoilers.
Okay, all set?
On the same page?
Let’s go.
The book I have chosen for last Story Club of 2016 is Everything a Man Knows About a Woman by Alan Francis (1930) who is a comedian and writer from Scotland.Not much is known about Francis as an author but this book has an average rating of 4.3 on 5 on Goodreads and 49 reviews. He first published this book in 1987 in consultation with Cindy Cashman.
I read the book in one sitting. In fact I don’t think I wasted any time drawing any breath either. It was gripping right from Page 1. The book was particularly fascinating from a woman’s perspective. It was a real eye-opener and made me understand men better than before. I have to confess that exposure to this book has given me significant insight into the male psyche and softened my harsh attitude towards them. I am a softer and mellower person particularly towards my significant other. I thought of gifting this book to him. But then I thought no point, he already knows all this (he may not admit it of course), better to gift to my girlfriends. They are bound to benefit richly from this fresh and rich insight and vision into the minds of the men who matter. I can almost guarantee you won’t regret reading this book.
Amazon is offering a 25th Anniversary Edition (1995) as well and the E-book costs just over 3 $ while the paperback edition is just under 4 $
But tell you what – If you are interested, I would be happy to ‘give’ you a copy of the book for free this Christmas season – ahem ahem I have inside information 😉
So, if you are hesitant to purchase this slim book of 128 blank pages of what men know about women, do let me know 😀
On the other hand, if you are willing to spend a little bit more in this holiday season (and expand your reading list for the year 2016), you could try What Every Man Thinks About Apart from Sex by Sheridan Simove published more recently in 2012. This is a thicker volume, about 200 blank pages.
In an apparent bid to decode the female psyche Dr. Melissa J Marshall jumped on to the bandwagon and published What Every Woman Thinks About (June 2016).
However, I personally found this book rather misleading and self-contradictory. I mean the author must have thought about what women think? And only after thinking about the topic did she come up with book of blank pages – did she not? And hey come on – does she or every other woman not think incessantly and ad nauseam about shopping, diamonds, how to steal their girl-friends’ boyfriends, murder their mother-in-laws etc etc?
You might call me biased but in my defense, I would have lauded the book if it had been titled What Every Woman Knows About Man. Now that would have been an epic tale.
Inspired by these priceless books, I am tempted to publish, “What Every Woman Should Know About Men.”
A hardbound book with a dark handsome beautiful cover design but no – the pages wouldn’t be blank. I have some plagiarized (suitably edited) material (from somewhere on the internet):
“Men have 2 interests: hunger and hanky-panky, and they can’t tell them apart. If you see a gleam in his eyes, make him a sandwich.”
Look forward to reading your reviews (and contributions to the above book) while I add 3 books to my list of books I read this year. Apparently I can add a few more before the year is over 😀
As a peace offering, here is a short film (20 min) in Marathi with English subtitles – it gives a glimpse of Indian culture, traditions and psyche. Even I was unaware of this particular ritual. I would go so far as to say this is one of the best short films I have seen in a long time. Seriously. No hanky-panky. Off to have a sandwich.
By the way, just in case something isn’t quite clear in the short film, please do read the comment section of the video or even better we could discuss it here 🙂
If anyone wishes to join the Story Club (including this one) most welcome. Just post a review and link back to this post. Or you could host the next month’s Story Club?
You can read the other Story Club posts and rules here. Or leave me a comment below or mail me at mysilverstreaks@gmail.com.
Please free to discuss, comment, suggest and protest 😉
Stories and more 