Flagging a debate

The schoolteacher is trying her best to engage as many kids as possible. One of the students raises his hand before asking, “Why is history so important for us? I find it boring, don’t you?” The class gasps in unison while the lady-in-charge smiles. She asks the young rebel, “What do you find interesting then?” The boy says, “Science.” To which, the teacher says, “Well, science has history too, doesn’t it?” The boy nods along but makes another point, “I think our country needed science more than freedom.” The class breaks into muffled laughter and so does the teacher.

When bubbles burst

He wanted to grow up as soon as possible so he could be Sinbad, exploring places like nobody else has. Although he didn’t have friends like his idol did, he was preparing to sail on his own. All he needed was a boat and the strength of a man. Besides, the sea was already willing to be a part of his plans. This was last century. As of now, he knows how he was then and what he has become. Every morning, he reaches office before his colleagues do and pulls up the venetian blind pretending to be Sinbad.

Him, her and weather

The rain stopped as abruptly as it started.
Happy news for the girl-with-umbrella. Not so for the guy-with-umbrella.
Her chances of catching an auto—even if its meter was rigged—rose exponentially. His chances of spending few more moments with her—some uncomfortable feet apart, of course—dipped drastically.
It was that time of his life he could only wish a terrible wind passed by blowing away her umbrella for good.
And…
Desperation drove him to pray for it to start again, so she could at least be interested in his umbrella, if not him.

Feline loneliness

Once upon a hole, there lived two mice who led a hippie lifestyle, stealing whenever they can and running whenever they should. They had an enemy—a cat with eyes as devious as they come—in sight. As a result, the couple would remain indoor and make love all day. One night, the two got out for food. But before they could realise, two paws thumped each down; both struggled to escape. All they could manage was turning turtle under the furry grip. Face to face with death, they didn't know how to respond to “Mujhse dosti karoge?”.

Roads least travelled

Running away from home was a tough decision. The lack of money wasn’t bothering him as his disdain for this world helped. On the other hand—or leg, if you may given the journey was going to be a long one like this sentence—his worries were geographical. He wanted to be somewhere north—cold, colonial and calm—but he wasn’t sure. After all, he also wanted to be somewhere northeast—hilly, harsh and harmonious—but then again, he wasn’t sure. What if he didn’t make it? Similarly, wasn’t it too late to not find a brand new home?

Temporary friendship

Waiting for Mumbai local trains is one of those bad habits nobody complains about. Trains are seldom on schedule and the conjuring crowd only makes you feel lonelier. However, this isn’t the case when you can kill time with others. Two such lucky gentlemen found each other on the platform bench. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get in to the last train that passed by. Fortunately, that was a commonality good enough to break the proverbial sweat. After conversing for nine minutes about things they care about—but seldom expressed an opinion on—they were back to being perfect strangers once again.

Wheels on fire

Not a day goes by when he doesn’t think of killing himself. Being dependent on others has clearly taken a toll. As a kid, things were different because innocence makes life bearable. That’s before hostile realities of adulthood hits you. He was hit hard. It wasn’t about his inability to walk. It had more to do with the aimlessness that others were walking around with. He could barely come to terms with this abject wastage of limbs.
People think that one gets used to disabilities.
People are mistaken.
Unless he’s on his wheelchair believing he’s in control—of everything.

Unoriginal sin

Adam and Eve were strolling in the garden when they chanced upon an apple tree. They kept staring, each wanting to know how it tasted like. Being a virginal naked man with nothing to hide his hard on in, he plucked one to impress his lady. Before they could realize, both were stuffed. There was neither serpent nor God; only two beings who had no choice but to lie down on the grass before dozing off. Oh yes, the next day, they tried pears. But it was only when he ate her that he found out fruits are totally overrated. 

PS: Read some really short stories here. No, not shorter than your attention span. 

Raddi

“I won’t leave anything behind,” thought the boy before piling up all the newspapers in the house along with a ream of useful magazines, used notebooks and useless papers. No, this had nothing to do with the PM’s call for cleanliness. The money he’d derive in exchange for raddi would be buying him his favourite comics. To him, the news didn’t matter nor the trends because the world he escaped to was filled with coloured sketches and words trapped in bubbles. And this escape route just happened to pass through the raddiwallah’s shop at the end of every month. 

N.B. The above piece was written for the heck of it. You can read a lot better tales in here. Also, you can write too on a given frame. Won't hurt. Promise.

A Wonderful Pause

Worries accompany a man wherever he goes. It’s a mental orgy he initiates but seldom enjoys. He travels with them in the hope that they’ll abandon him sooner or later. But being selfish, they don’t. Speaking of which, only a friend as selfless as a forest can help him divorce them. Needless to mention, woods can be shamelessly tiring. And strolling can become a time-consuming process that involves a lot of rustling of leaves and halting of feet. Fortunately, it’s worth the effort too because whenever he’s tired enough to sit down on his haunches, he wonders—not worries. 

N.B. A frame is worth a little less than a hundred words. Some of the tales here are worth your not-so-precious time. 

Castles in the air

What’s there not to love about blue sky, bluer sea, cool breeze, wet sand and a friend as crazy as you? Nothing. So what do you do? You build castles. Getting down on your knees, turn into god. You build. Even the grains stuck in your nails agree with your vision. Although miniature in size, the partners-in-crime figure out everything—gateway, doors, windows, veranda and that stupid flag on the top. It’s so beautiful that even the sea is lured. And out of curiosity to have a closer look, it ends up ruining the whole design. Every single time.

 

N.B. The site on which this little tale is posted looks awesome. 

Hue and Caw

Once upon a time, the color black was banned. Nights turned navy blue as darkness had a shade closer to purple. Racism took a turn for the worse. Whiteness inspired resentment as Africa was no longer the (com)promised land. Reading between the lines became easier while the fire at the end of the tunnel made little sense. Things were fast changing but crows weren’t willing to conform. So what did they do? Well, the murder waited patiently for the sentence to end; adapting themselves to wisdom. They learnt nothing lasts forever—neither laws nor the ones who write them.

N.B. This racist piece was written for One Frame Stories. Once upon a time. Also, check out Pallavi's story. Undoubtedly the funniest one.

Reel and reality

H: “Let’s catch a movie.”
S: “Sure…but it gets too cold in there.”
H: “Hmm.”
S: “Anyway, which one would you like to watch?”
H: “Forget it.”
S: “Well, do you remember the last film we watched together?”
H: “Hmmmmm…I don’t.”
S: “I do. It was on my laptop and we were both lying on our sides… watching the film sideways! I remember your chin resting on the top of my head and your arms enveloped my bosom.”
H: “How come I don’t remember this?”
S: “You fell asleep in the middle holding me.”
H: “So that wasn’t a dream?”

N.B. This shorter-than-short story was written for a project that you should write for too. It's not monetary but it's worth something big.