Ellie walked to the beach every evening. It was a ritual she had followed ever since she could remember. The beach was where one could touch a little…

The morning sun did not stream through the partially slit plastic blinds to wake her up like it did every other day. Varsha had never trusted a normal alarm clock like most people, for that would mean trusting every mechanical part of it from its batteries to the blinking green LED display. She preferred…

The Kiss

It was 6 p.m. and Valli waited impatiently for the bus home. It was later than usual but at least predictable and therefore expected, not like the husband of two years who impatiently waited for her at home. He was always full of surprises, almost never the nice kind, and if that bus did not come in the next two…

Framed by the sloping edge of her nose and a section of her right forearm, pink and white flowers gazed into Sophia’s right eye as they lay stuck on the soft cotton bed sheet. Her left eye was forced closed by her left arm; even if it were open she would only see darkness. “We’re headed for a…

She raced home on a borrowed bicycle, pedaling as fast as her legs would pump without falling apart. Pedestrians were shoved aside by urgent bell-ringing with little time for shock and recovering too late to abuse. She was long gone past them and others. The sun stared straight into her eyes, she…