Invisibility

“Stop staring at me! 

Stupid cab, didn’t see the puddle.

Now please, eat baby, don’t fuss,” said June pushing the tray.

Just then Constantine appeared, “Sorry bud, I’m late, I was with your...”

Oskar’s tail wagged briefly before yelping.

The moist eyes searched for his parents, in the empty cage.

 

Gyanban Thoughts: Flash fiction after a long time. The subtext being promises broken and hope or the lack of it. We often set expectations without knowing the repercussions it may have on others...

Love Lock

Dr.Walter closed his chambers early and searched every shop to find the perfect gift.

His wife of twenty three years needed nothing more.

But ,he was relentless, till he got what he was looking for.

He reached home,walked down to the basement & said : “My love, I’ve got the new wax for you” looking at her corpse.

Gyanban Thoughts : A 55 word micro fiction after a long time. Getting the title right was an interesting exercise.

Polarity

She never looked back, fighting her way through a snowstorm.He watched her go away into the rocky snowy mountains from the window near the fireplace.

The cold could not bite her will & the fire didn’t burn his ego.


Expectations can clear or blur reality as love blinds you from the outside and the inside.





Gyanban Thoughts: A short 55 word fiction on philosophy of love and life.Sometimes a small gesture can go on to mend a broken sentiment or sometimes even a broken heart.But more often than not, it doesn't happen.It is important to realize that moment when we chose to put on the blinkers,because that moment goes on to re write the history of your life.

Anamnesis

After yet another boring day at work,Stella trudged into her apartment.
The Spitz barked every time she crossed his path.
‘Hush  puppy’she chuckled ignoring him.
Walking into the living room,she reclined on the rocking chair. 

Just then,widower Mr.Venkatraju, walked out of the bedroom with a newspaper & sat on the rocking chair.

Irritated, Stella flew out of the window.






Gyanban Thoughts : a 55 fiction after a long time.This time the theme is spooks.Thought of writing a longer version initially,but settled with micro fiction format. Ghosts hang around the places they love.In this case,perhaps it was Stella's house before she died.The Spitz remembered her and needless to say Mr.Venkatraju was completely oblivious to what was going around him! The title Anamnesis means recollection or remembrance of the past. Hope you guys liked it!

Opposites Attract

It was the same table they met and fell in love.

Susan and Jim sat quietly on that table. Two wine glasses one full,the other, half filled. Jim tried to renew his romance after 26 years of marriage realising how much he’d ignored her.

It was in the opposite table, Susan had her heart stolen.

Gyanban Thoughts: In pursuit of passion sometimes we forget what we have all the while,only to realise when it is too late.

Interviewed

A young executive was nervously biting her nails.

The interview results were just announced. Her name was missing.

Her shoulders sank and tears flowed.

A retired father & an ailing mother waited outside in a rickshaw.

She picked up her bag & slowly walked towards the exit, when she heard

‘These names can leave,thank you’.

Gyanban Thoughts : A 55 word fiction about how people go through so many emotions in a short span of time.Interview results churn out the most emotions if you need the job badly.So many lives are impacted and they go through the same emotional turmoil.Lets hope someday everyone gets the job they want without having to go through this roller coaster ride.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

---

The Shot

‘I want a cake,now.’ He screamed.

Sowmya looked back at him,and then resumed her cooking.

‘You are mean,its my birthday – I haven't eaten one in so many months.’

Sowmya didn’t respond.

‘Ok, I’m going out & wont come back’he said running out of the kitchen.

Sowmya shouted‘Appu,come back, now’ clutching the insulin syringe.

Gyanban Thoughts - Spare a thought for the scores of people who suffer from diabetes,more worrisome is the increase of childhood diabetes, something which was not that common a few years ago.Spare a thought for all those mothers who have to fight their emotions and cultural negligence to refrain their children from eating sweets,which in the Indian context is huge.There is a sweet for every occasion ,reason, or no reason. Childhood obesity begins from indulgence at home and serves as a root cause for most complications.

Handshake

Where is my tie?

Look in the drawer

Ashwin walked close to the Almira,looked into the mirror one last time.

Opened the left half and tugged at the handle of the drawer.

It was dark,he reached out  inside.

There were hankies on left,some buttons in the center, and another hand on the right.




Gyanban Thoughts : Withdrawal Symptoms was the alternative title I was toying with.Anyways, a post after a long time - had been travelling and almost ran into Sandy.It was in one of the hotels this idea struck me -what if there was another hand inside a drawer - would it freeze time for you? 

Taint

She looked out of her 30^th floor window and took a deep breath.

The dawn was quite cloudy; she turned to look at her customer lying in a pool of blood.

‘I thought 20 years was enough to forgive him’.

‘But I guess not’.

30-year-old Kamala, finally managed to kill her first provider and perpetrator.








Gyanban Thoughts -  writing a 55 word fiction is quite a challenging task in itself,but what makes it more difficult is to capture emotions and pain with minimal usage of words. In this fiction, Kamala is a prostitute and comes across the man who forced  her into this predicament when she was just 10 years old.The use of the words "first provider" could also mean a family member,among other hidden meanings,but I leave it to the readers imagination. The title Taint has multiple layers and is applicable to the story literally and figuratively.

Countdown

5 years in solitary confinement.

4 years in a padded cell.

3 years in rigourous imprisonment.

2 years in a regular prison

1 year in judicial custody.

Day 0 – parole turned down.

Countdowns are however always the same for both the lives.

Some guilty lives are forever innocent and some innocent lives are forever guilty.







Gyanban Thoughts -  this 55 fiction tries to capture the ironies of freedom.Classics like Papillion and Shawshank Redemption are some examples of how freedom serves as the sole motivation to sustain the rigours of prison. Beyond a point whether one is guilty or innocent does not matter - what matters is when will the parole come their way? History is replete with instances where innocent lives have been lost along side the guilty ones, to the shackles of time.


. image courtesy : here

Fliegen

A famous couple had died that afternoon.

Two bullet shots were heard outside the compound.

As instructed, the seargents took the bodies upstairs and set them alight.

The world rejoiced at the fall of the Fuhrer.

Miles away from the Fuhrerbunker – Adolf Hitler & Eva boarded a millitary jet to  fly away into mystery forever.

Gyanban thoughts – Fliegen is a German word for Fly.This 55 fiction gave me something to think about when I was researching the story.Adolf Hitler’s death is known to be by a single gun shot to his right temple.Later his body was burnt along with his wife Eva Braun. The information about his death was inconsistenly released, some of which is still kept a secret.

Different versions of Hitler's fate were presented by the Soviet Union according to its political desires. In the years immediately following 1945, it maintained Hitler was not dead but had fled and was being shielded by former western allies.This worked for a time to cause western authorities some doubt. The chief of the U.S. trial counsel at Nuremberg, Thomas J. Dodd, said: "No one can say he is dead."

When President Truman asked Joseph Stalin at the Potsdam conference in August 1945 whether or not Hitler was dead, Stalin replied bluntly, 'No'. However, by 11 May 1945, the Soviets had already had Hitler's dentist Hugo Blaschke and his dential technician confirm the dental remains found were Hitler's and Eva Braun's.

But the question remains, why was information on Hitler’s death not an open text book in the first place? What could possibly be hidden? I leave it to your imagination…


information courtesy :wikipedia.

Blip

‘I am feeling cold – hold me tight’

‘It’s ok darling, I am there with you’

‘But why are we leaving them behind?’

‘They will follow, but we have to go now’

‘Wait , I can see something familiar..’

‘Isn’t that you and me lying on the ground?’

The Flight Data Recoder ended after that. Blip.

Gyanban Thoughts - This micro fiction was inspired by air crash investigation episodes on Nat Geo. There are two types FDR - flight data recorder and the CVR -cockpit voice recorder. This story is based on the visualization that what if there was a passenger voice recorder as well ? Sometimes when death is near,people have reportedly foreseen it before the actual experience...imagine listening to that conversation. The title blip was so fitting as it leaves for many interpretations, one of them being a spike - perhaps in reality!

Barbecue Garnish

The teakwood tables were neatly arranged.

The stars did not twinkle that night.

The forks, knives, spoons lay motionless.

The Bordeaux lay still in the glass.

But there was some noise.

‘Ah the barbecue sauce’he said.

He garnished the brown sauce over the meaty red below.

Hush… usually Mr.Lecter, likes to have his dinner quietly.

Gyanban Thoughts - Inspired by Dr.Hannibal Lecter of Silence of the Lambs fame.!The focus is on the quietness of it all,the silence of it all,and the underlying,or dying in this case, noises in the barbecue pit.What makes it more chilling, if you notice, the story is being narrated by a third person - who is being made to watch this macabre episode, knowing fully well, it could well be his turn next to be in the barbecue sauce.!

Image courtesy :desktopnexus.com