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The Prophet
Posted on April 16, 2020 3 Comments
I take a left at the end of my street and turn down a barely used laneway. I’m trying to avoid people, trying to maintain social distance, or physical distance, or whatever the latest pandemic catchphrase is. Hardly anyone comes down this way. I know this from walking the dogs. In the daytime, the odd […]
The Eulogy
Posted on November 15, 2018 12 Comments
CAUTION: This story contains references to domestic violence and descriptions of childhood emotional abuse. I stood at the podium looking out at the sea of faces, unfamiliar and familiar, the funeral director’s words still ringing in my ears. It’s okay to be raw and honest. There’s no right way to grieve. They’re just looking for […]
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
The Wedding Sari
Posted on March 29, 2015
The fans circle, humming sonorously, making no difference in the dense hot air. My aunt and I sit surrounded by cascades of colourful, gold-embroidered silk as the small birdlike dark skinned shop assistant claws more saris from the shelves, fanning them out to their full glory, allowing the light to catch the subtle changes in […]
The Bestowing
Posted on March 29, 2015
The old woman sits, stooped and wizened on a small wooden stool at the front door of her cottage. The skin at her throat sags and droops, as if two sizes too big for her. Her gnarled fingers trace shapes in the air and her lips move in their silent dance, forming words that will […]
The Other Side
Posted on February 25, 2015 4 Comments
She wakes with a start. The air feels stale and cold. In the darkness, she fumbles for the bedside lamp, and jostles the bottle of whisky that stands vigil. Night must have fallen while she was asleep. The gentle click of the lamp reverberates in the silent room, but there’s no light. The power must […]
Water God
Posted on February 8, 2015 12 Comments
I am ancient now. Not so old as the land, but older by millennia than the fragile flesh that surrounds me. I have watched them from their fledgling youth, teetering on uncertain feet, coming to me for sustenance, never daring to venture far.
Détente
Posted on February 6, 2015 3 Comments
BLAM! My bedroom door jangles, shaken to its hinges with the force of the slam. “I hate you! You don’t understand anything!”
The Great Beyond
Posted on January 30, 2015 4 Comments
“One night the moon came galloping by On a big horse right across the night sky One night the moon came galloping by Called all the dreamers to come for a ride”* Blackness. Silence. Robbie scrunches further under his blankets, shores up the external pillow walls, and slaps his hands over his ears. He feels […]
Asha Rajan 