Symptoms of madness

 

Every time that small spot of light flashed, this shark took it as a sign. He didn’t realise that it’s a man-made invention. In his pointed head, it was a star that had fallen from above and trapped on top of that phallic thing. So, what our hero tried to do was get as close as possible. But none of his feisty endeavours managed to fruition. Either he got severely washed off by waves or damaged his jaws at the rocky base. Regardless, he refused to give up.

Moral: Stars are best left to sky and morons, to sea.

A deal breaker

There was utter darkness; nothingness at its purest form. All of a sudden entered God. She couldn’t see anything—let anyone the beautiful void in front of her—when an idea struck her bright mind forcing to yelp, “LET THERE BE LIGHT!”
Boom!
A 50-50 deal though. Day and night. Nonetheless, she could see nothing clearly now so she got down to work and ended up creating the lovely mess we are in.
Fast forward several millennia to Edison.
He too felt the need to see nothingness clearly but he wouldn’t agree with the deal God did. 

No way.

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?

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.

Hidden message

His best friend left him today without any warning. Perhaps it was high time they went their separate ways! Besides, a four-legged being might have a destiny different from a two-legged one. However, what’s intriguing is there was no sign of grief at the tail-end. And just like that, a trial separation took place. Posters shall be up on the streets by tomorrow but they’d be pointless. Like their heading, the guy’s missing the point too. His friend isn’t really lost. He’s simply hiding because he’s tired of selfless love and everything that it’s supposed to entail for humans. 

N.B: My shorter-than-short story is in the top-4 list this week. Yes, they've clearly lowered their standards.

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.

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. 

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.

Out and about

People like you and me—not houseflies—put the buzz in bazaar. Strangers who gather for an event that doesn’t need introduction at all. Everyone is separated by a common purpose. We notice, bargain and buy while making way for everyone to move. Somebody is earning a living while the other is spending his livelihood. And while this unscripted drama is going on, bikes try to grab our short attention span with their loud honks. They are seldom allowed space THAT easily. Usually, their patience along with grip on the clutch is tested. It’s more about adjustment than movement.

N.B. It's high time you tried writing a 99-word shorter-than-short story on a given picture. The tribe is evidently increasing.

Burning Desire

He wakes up everyday. In the past 31 years, he hasn’t failed to wake up even one day. Bad habit indeed. As an compensation, he lights up and drags in as deep as he can. The idea is to feel his lungs. Leaning on the windowpane, he stares at the morning that woke up to greet him. While he’s at it, he ensures the smoke doesn’t enter the room. The sleeping beauty can’t afford to know. Before she happened, he used to be a chimney. Now-a-nights, he dozes off eagerly waiting to have his only smoke of the day.

N.B: I genuinely feel that you (whoever you are) too should try yourself at penning a 99-worder on any of the pictures offered. After all, nobody's going to judge you for poor writing. Your story is yours.

When music rolled

Materialism seems harmless when you’re a child wanting to own a piece of music. This boy from the ’90s had similar plans. Having been recently promoted from a worn-out radio to the fancy world of tape-recorders, he hoped to play something he—not others—wanted to listen to. And for that to happen, he needed money. So he started collecting coins for almost two months before he saved enough to buy a recently launched cassette by his favourite Pakistani band. When he pressed the play button and the device exhaled ‘Sayonee’, he was undoubtedly the happiest kid on earth.

 

N.B: This piece first appeared on OneFrameStories which features far better stories than the above one. You'll particularly love Monica Serban's piece. A lot.

Déjà view

Every morning, he sits on this seat facing the sea and the blue sky that never seems to age—unlike him. Not very long ago, he didn’t care about the things that are in front of him right now, be it the waves or the birds fighting against the wind. After all, he was too busy being with his beloved. Her wrinkled smile, soft voice and gentle touch occupied his failing senses. All he has now are beautiful memories of what it used to be like in front of a view that he still doesn’t give a damn about. 

N.B. Wrote this piece for a lovely initiative by a friend who believes one picture can tell several stories at once.