Month: July 2017

Look Within

Words 194

“What’s the matter?” Madhu asked. “Had a tiff with your hubby?”

“When don’t I?” Trupti kicked a pebble, “All he thinks about is work and money.”

Madhu hesitated. “Perhaps you should…”

“Not you too!” Trupti groaned. “Have a baby and everything will be fine!”

“Perhaps you should learn to appreciate him.” Madhu advised. “Raghu’s a nice boy, steady, decent, doesn’t smoke or…”

“The perfect matrimonial catch.” Trupti sneered.

“Was there someone else?” A sudden doubt assailed Madhu.

“I don’t get this marriage business. Why can’t we lead our own lives, the way we want to?”

“Because each of us is incomplete.” Madhu said. “See that wall?”

“You should see it in spring, it turns orange…”

“Ever wonder why the creeper grows up?”

“To avoid getting trampled or munched up?”

“Not just security but also the space to showcase herself.”

“Yeah right!” Trupti scoffed.

“It’s there,” Madhu pointed out. “It’s up to her to utilize it.”

“What does he get?”

“She’s the wall’s raison d’etre, and also gives it stability and keeps it grounded.”

“But are they happy?”

“Nobody else can make you happy. You have to teach yourself to be happy, to be content.”

***

Written for the Sunday Photo Fiction – a story in 200 words or less. Thanks to Alistair Forbes for the photo and hosting the challenge. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt, click here.

For readers of Moonshine, here's Chapter 155

 

 

Stumped

Words: I plead guilty

 “Why did you call the office landline?” She kicked off her heels.

“You weren’t picking your mobile…” He straightened the penguin.

“I was in an important meeting…!” Her bag was next.

“It was a question of our son’s future.” He fiddled with the pen stand.

“What if you were in a meeting? Would you also have left it?”

“Of course! I know my priorities.”

“Then why didn’t you check the admission papers before leaving?”

“Why didn’t you?”

“If I have to do everything, what will you do?”

“Put the blame on you.” He grinned.

“Very smart.” She seethed.

“I am glad you agree.” He smirked.

“I wonder you can say that after today’s fiasco.”

“I am not such a fool as you.”

“Are you calling me the fool?” She clenched her fists.

“I chose you. You chose me. So who’s the fool?”

 ***

A/N I overshot the word limit heavily but with a purpose – a bit of any experiment really. And I would appreciate your help. It’s about the dialogue tag. I used the first one (she kicked off her heels) to denote who’s speaking. And then I felt like adding a few more and ultimately went overboard. But I am not sure if they worked or not. In fact I think it didnt add, perhaps even detracted. But this is something that I have been wrestling with. Also is it okay to use just one dialogue tag? Wouldnt it have looked odd? Questions, questions and I am quite stumped 😉

What do you think? Could I request you to read it again minus the dialogue tags and let me know your thoughts? But I understand that you may be too busy. Thanks a lot for visiting – have a great day 🙂

 

Stumped

“Why did you call the office landline?” She kicked off her heels.

“You weren’t picking your mobile…”

“I was in an important meeting…!”

“It was a question of our son’s future.”

“What if you were in a meeting? Would you also have left it?”

“Of course! I know my priorities.”

“Then why didn’t you check the admission papers before leaving?”

“Why didn’t you?”

“If I have to do everything, what will you do?”

“Put the blame on you.”

“Very smart.”

“I am glad you agree.”

“I wonder you can say that after today’s fiasco.”

“I am not such a fool as you.”

“Are you calling me the fool

“I chose you. You chose me. So who’s the fool?”

 ***

Written for Friday Fictioneers – a story in 100 words or less. Thanks to Rochelle for hosting the challenge and Claire Sheldon for the photo prompt. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here.

For readers of Moonshine, here's Chapter 154

Thanks for visiting, have a great day 🙂

Once Upon a Time

Words 200

It was a carefree life.

I was the pampered child, the adored sibling the student of the year.

Friends were my life and I was the life of the party.

There was no need to conquer the world – I was on top of the world.

But something – someone was missing.

Someone of my very own, someone to love, someone to care, to share…

Fate was kind.

I found the one perfect for me in every respect.

We yodeled, tap-danced and ultimately waltzed through our rollicking wedding.

I now had a kingdom of my own.

That’s when the trouble began.

Lured by the lust of a good life, I fell deeper and deeper into the trap.

A bigger house.

A bigger car.

A bigger family.

A bigger loan.

Gone were my carefree days.

All I did was work and work.

Endless cycles of earn and spend.

Earn and spend.

Earn and save – for the near and the distant future, for children and children’s children.

Chained to the grindstone, squeezed into a straitjacket I underwent transmutation.

And that is the story of how I turned from a blue-eyed boy into the fire spewing dragon king of today.

***

Written for the Sunday Photo Fiction – a story in 200 words or less. Thanks to Alistair Forbes for the photo prompt and hosting the challenge. To read the other stories inspired by the prompt, click here.

 

For readers of Moonshine, here's Chapter 153

 

 

A Reminder

Words 102

The road ahead was steep and endless.

The walls closed in, suffocating her.

She spied a crack, a ray of hope.

Her breath eased.

She hurried towards it.

A sheer cliff.

Another dead end.

Or was it a sign?

To give in.

To jump.

“Mamma, should we count to three?” Her trusting innocence shone through the black eye.

“No!”

“Should we go back?”

“No.”

“Then let’s walk on.” She tugged her.

“It’s dark and unknown. What if we…you get tired?”

“We’ll go slowly. One step at a time.”

“But…”

“Have you forgotten our song Mamma?”

“Which song?”

“We shall overcome, some day.”

 ***

Written for the Friday Fictioneers – a story in 100 words or less. Thanks to Rochelle for hosting the challenge and the photo prompt. To read the other stories inspired by this prompt click here.