Outmatched

“Madam, time,” he mumbled. I was startled out of my contemplation of suicide. “Madam, time bolo please,” he repeated patiently. “Oh, 12.15,” I said. I was so dead. The meeting had started 15 minutes ago…already the boss had messaged me twice. And now this goddamned traffic! My heart beat an alarmed tattoo and I tried...

Try everything, once

“In life, you gotta try everything once!” My advice had come back to bite me you-know-where. The words had been my lifelong mantra, for all these 27 years. With these words and a cheery wave of the hand, I had sent my mother traipsing across Europe all by herself, had managed to get my then-fiancé...

A fairy tale

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a beautiful Princess. The day our tale opens, our Princess woke with a yawn and a temper. It was her 18th birthday. To mark this unprecedented occasion, her doting father - the King - had organized a great ball. Royal families from kingdoms...

Surgery gone wrong

It was time to make the incision. Nervous, my new colleague looked to me for assurance. I smiled at him; it was a simple-enough procedure - only a total fool could botch an operation of this nature. In unison, we looked down at the exposed leg of the man lying inert before us. The man...

Role reversal

The bitch and the Goddess sat down for a chat. Blowing steam off her hot mug, the Goddess said, “Been such a hectic week. You remember Ajay, your blue-eyed one? Fixed him up good, I must say.” “Noooo! What did you do this time? Haven’t I told you not to mess around with my works-in-progress?”...

In the face of sorrow

The bus crawled forward. The stationary caravan of heaving, honking vehicles did nothing for her spirits. Weary, she closed her eyes and rested her head on the steel bar at the window. Soon, she slept. It was a few moments before she realized she had been crying. Her cheek felt moist and she used a...

The cup that cheers

I was getting impatient. This shouldn’t be taking this long! So I grabbed the wheel and shoved the driver out the door. Shuffling over to the vacant seat, I pushed the accelerator to its limit. I braked hard under the flyover and leaped out. “Is it ready?” I yelled at the man in the yellow...

A deal’s a deal

This was one wedding I had vowed not to attend. And yet here I was, driven perhaps by the insane urge to test the limits of my own endurance. My hardest moment came as they completed the seventh - final - round around the fire. I was not family - not to either of them...