Fiction Category
Noir
Posted on August 3, 2017 22 Comments
Crimson splatters line the walls, crime scene tape girds the door. Shattered glass, a single lily, and pristine white shagpile carpet grace the floors. He lifts the needle, abruptly silencing the Shostakovitch piano concerto. Tipping back his trilby, he scratches his head. Who still uses a record player? Image credit: SouthernRebel/pixabay SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave
Kali’s Fortunes
Posted on August 2, 2017 1 Comment
“Charlatan! Mountebank! Rogue!” Angry arrows of spittle punctuated each word. Like some fearsome avenging Statue of Liberty, the woman waved her bag held aloft at the roadside fortune teller.
A Reliable Sign
Posted on July 27, 2017 4 Comments
Saudamini squinted at the cloudless sky, trying to divine its hidden messages. “Bring in the clothes, Amini!” she called to her daughter-in-law. “Why, Amma? The sun’s shining!” Amini’s voice floated thinly from the small, bare kitchen at the far end of the house. “Rain is coming.” Saudamini rubbed at her aching knees.
Ramesh and the Deer
Posted on June 21, 2017 10 Comments
The fire hissed and fizzled as the moisture in the kindling bubbled into vapour and the twigs caught alight. Ramesh hadn’t expected to be making camp in the jungle’s damp undergrowth overnight. But then, he hadn’t expected his shot to knick the flank of the deer instead of felling it where it stood.
Flug’s Long Night
Posted on May 3, 2017 7 Comments
The first flickering fingers of dawn stretched over the horizon. Flug held his gossamer wings stiff, as a zephyr whispered through the grasses and caught his weight. He loved summer parties, but it had been a long night and he was tired. Coasting on a steady breeze instead of flapping his wings felt like sweet […]
Premonition
Posted on March 30, 2017 8 Comments
I left my baby lying there, lying there I left my wee one lying there A crying and alone The moon she saw me flying there, flying there The moon she saw me flying there To the lake all on my own The wind he heard me crying there, crying there The wind he heard […]
Sun Salutation
Posted on March 25, 2017 3 Comments
Om Aruna sat as cross-legged as she could on the narrow strip of foam optimistically passing for a yoga mat. This was her first time in this group. Inhale Oh-exhale-mmm. Rise into mountain pose. Aruna scrambled to her feet, hands still palms together in front of her. Arms pointing to the sky. Stretch your fingers to the […]
Orange skin
Posted on March 25, 2017
“Mama, Mama, look!” Little chubby hands grabbed at the hem of her skirt. She smiled and reached for the child. She’d never imagined her heart could be so full. “What, baby? What do you have there?” she asked, settling him on her hip.
Night Shift
Posted on September 4, 2015
The sun peeked over the horizon, ensuring everything was as he’d left it. The earth, clearly pleased to see his return, snaked long wispy tendrils of steam upwards, celebratory streamers heralding the return of her luminous lover. Fred yawned and stretched, reaching his fingers high into the early dawn sky. Night shifts were starting to […]
Tiny Acts of Revenge
Posted on March 29, 2015
The blue and white pot glares disapprovingly at me from the mantle. In death, in ashes, as in life, my mother has the power to make me feel inadequate. “Bury me in the ground. I don’t want to be burnt to a crisp and sit cooped up in some urn on a mantlepiece!” She […]
Asha Rajan 