Follow your heart

The late afternoon sun poured through the window and fell on the varnished wooden floor in narrow strips. Colouring books and crayons lay across the dusty pink rug where he was propped up on his elbows with his tiny chin resting in his hands, eyes gazing intently at the outlines of farm animal illustrations on…

Little Wings

He was filling the empty white spaces between the green and purple squiggly lines with a red crayon when the throaty cooing sound coming from the window sash distracted him. He hastily walked to the closed window, stood on tiptoes and peered out. The plump pigeon, with a short stout shimmering neck and a thin…

Love without a reason

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and felt the salty sea air brushing against her face, rustling her wavy locks of hair. Her lips stretched into a smile as she dug her toes deep into the squishy sand. The gentle waves lapped at her feet as if trying to tell her a secret.…

Comfort Food

She slowly turned the knob around, the latch spring recoiled and the door creaked open. She peeked in without making a noise and caught a glimpse of her roommate lounging on the couch looking distraught and heartbroken- mascara smeared cheeks, vacant gaze, and eyelids swollen from hours of crying incessantly. “Ah, not again!” she sighed…

Unfulfilled

Johnnie spent a major part of his life emptying trash cans from the poor neighbourhood. A job he diligently did without complaint. The other garbagemen who worked with him loved him for his cheerful talkative nature. While loading garbage into the rear-loader, they keenly listened and laughed at his anecdotes about the residents living in…

In Other Words, done…

Another year has gone by and here I am sitting with the same list of things that I had wanted to do last year and the year before that and the year before that and….. Well, as you’ve guessed from the first line, I have a tendency to procrastinate, to keep postponing things. With an…

A new companion

You’re experiencing Empty Nest Syndrome. How’s that even possible? I’ve tried to keep myself busy after Dave left for college. Have you thought about pets? They help in alleviating loneliness. I am not an animal lover. Dogs and cats are too high-maintenance. How about a bird then? 277 Characters Written for Twittering Tales #117 –…

In the Desert

His back ached when he tried to turn over and gauge at the situation before him. Grains of sand stung his partially opened eyes as he let out a sigh of despair. Nope, he wasn’t dreaming after all. God knows how long he had been lying there in the middle of the desert. An endless…

Santa Claus is coming to town

Little Roni stayed up all night waiting for Santa. Despite her parents’ affection-filled entreaties, the girl refused to go to her room and sat up by the Christmas tree in the hope of welcoming the portly man when he slides down the chimney at night. Last year, she was pretty upset with the gift she’d…

The motel room

Her eyes ran through the dimly lit room, scrutinising every object. The crumpled silken sheets were frayed at the edges, the satin flowers embroidered on them had lost their sheen; splotches of sweat mixed with dirt collected over the cushioned headboard were in dire need of scrubbing; the faded lampshade on the bedside table had…