The 19 Lives of Tasha
Author’s Note: This is a collection of 19 mini-short stories that I wrote a while back in a horrifying panic for a good friend of mine, (whose name has been changed due to anonymity), at the very last minute. Some stories are nice, some good, some average, some terrible, and some weird, all of which I leave you, the reader, to be the judge of. Take your time. Maybe save the article to savour and read it in parts. Or feel free to binge-read! It’s up to you and I hope you enjoy reading it.
Dearly detested Tasha,
This is a short birthday gift for your 19th birthday. Due to COVID-19, of course, I couldn’t buy anything, otherwise, it would have been cause I don’t have the money, energy, or time too. Just kidding. (It’s just the money.)
I was gonna bake the literature equivalent of a cake and write out a whole 2000-word short story but I didn’t plan this well, plus your bestie reminded me like one or two weeks back that your birthday was incoming. (I pretended like I already knew about it, so it’s cool.)
I did however make bite-sized literature cookies, 19 of them (the exactly-100-word special, some stories a little bit more), to be precise, you know, 'cause it’s your 19th birthday and everything, (symbolism, duh! I don’t need to explain it to you).
Anyway, enjoy The 19 Lives Of Tasha!
(Note: Not meant for complete consumption at one go. Try like one when you are hungry for a story and starve till you have to read the next one)
LIFE#1
Tasha and her friends stared at the gigantic white mountains, painted with a sickly yellow shade.
Some mountains hung upside down from the sky and firmly stuck whilst the others rose up from the ground beneath. Once in a while, they would separate and light would enter. The sky itself was black, occasionally turning textures of pink when the light entered.
They didn’t notice the water sliding along the floor. Their world went black as they fell and their screams died into the unknown.
The giant rubbed his stomach in satisfaction and chuckled.
Nothing like a few humans for breakfast.
LIFE#2
Tasha was prepared to catch her younger sister stealing her makeup after Tasha left. She had been repeatedly finding her lipstick case left open, annoying her to hell.
“Gotcha!”
There was no one in the room.
Sighing, she pondered at her reflection.
Blue lips.
Black eyeliner.
Straightened hair.
Wait a second.
She hadn’t used the blue lipstick. But there it was.
Clear as the sky, smeared across the lips of her reflection.
“Tasha? Are you there?”, her mother yelled out, “It’s time for breakfast.”
The room was empty.
All that was strange was the blue lipstick stain on the mirror.
LIFE#3
“Tasha, Vampires don’t exist!”
“Please, just come with me.”
“Ughh, where did you see this vampire?”
“Right around here.”
“Look, Tasha, nothing. What did this “vampire” of yours do anyway?”
“I was walking by this side and,” Tasha burst into tears, “he pulled me in and bit me on my neck.”
“Anything else?”
Tasha nodded, tears streaming down her face.
“And he said he was lonely.”
“And?”
“That he would let me go if I brought him a friend.”
“What do you mean, friend?”, Albert turned around, “What’s wrong with your teeth?”
Screams tend to die out in abandoned alleyways.
LIFE#4
Hey, Pete.
Hey, Tasha.
I wanna break up.
Oh, me too.
Wait, what?
Well, since we are breaking up, it seems fair you should know the truth.
What truth?
I have been sleeping with Linda.
What?!
Hey, you are breaking up with me via text. That’s kinda mean too.
That’s not my point!
Then?
I have been sleeping with Linda!
Oh, damn.
Exactly!
So you are bi?
Don’t judge! It’s the 21st century.
Not judging, just clarifying.
Cool.
Cool.
What do we do now?
Stop sleeping with the lying pig and get back together?
What?!
You have any better ideas?
Well, no but what if we drift apart again?
We put in twice the effort this time to make this work.
Fine by me.
Very well.
Didn’t we just break up?
Yes, we did.
So, do you want to go out with me, Pete?
I thought you would never ask, Tasha.
LIFE#5
“We need to go meta, Tasha.”
“What?”
“Break the fourth wall.”
“OHHHH, cool. Why would we do that?”
“Cause it’s plain good fun!”
“I don’t see how.”
“Look, we are stuck in an anthology of 19 stories written by Sharat as a gift to some other guy/girl.”
“Guy/girl?”
“Hey, I am being progressive, besides you never know with Sharat.”
“I doubt offending the author is the right way to break the fourth wall.”
“You have a better idea?”
“Nope. Wait, why are we doing this?”
“So that we extinguish the word limit and he is forced to end this story and we can go back to non-existing.”
“Oh.”
“That should do it.”
“What do you think those two are talking about?”
“I don’t know, but aren’t they just adorable!”
The mothers chuckled as they watched their two babies babble and coo to each other frantically in the playpen.
LIFE#6
“Mommy, can I tell you a bedtime story?”
Tasha sighed walking over to her daughter’s bedroom.
“What don’t you tell Daddy, sweetheart?”
“Daddy fell asleep when I tried to tell him.”
“What?”
Tasha was greeted by the sight of her husband lying asleep contently, in their daughter’s bed, eyes closed and mouth open.
“Fine, sweetie. Go ahead.”
The toddler chuckled, “Okay, once upon a time, there was a demon that escaped from hell.”
“Uhuh?”
“And the demon had to run away to earth and hide. The end.”, the child smiled happily, “ Did you like my story, Mommy?”
“Very scary, indeed. Does the demon have a name?”
“Marie!”
Tasha paused, “Honey, why would you name a demon after yourself?”
Half an hour ago
“ Daddy, can I tell you a bedtime story?”
LIFE#7
“You set him up with Tasha?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Well, look at them. They are perfect for each other.”
“But you liked him!”
“Oh, that would never have worked out. Besides, I have only ever wanted his happiness.”
“That’s the most stupidly selfless thing I have ever heard.”
“What would you have me do? Go up to him and say, “I like you.”?”
“Yes!”
“Well, I am never going to do that. It’s too late, anyway.”
“That’s it, I am getting out of here.”
The dog stared mournfully at the two cats frolicking in the distance and sighed.
LIFE#8
Running. Scared. Running.
Tasha woke up, sweating in fear.
The nightmares never stopped.
Chased by the hooded figure, with scars around their arms, afraid for her life.
She and her twin sister had always shared a close telepathic bond, until her sister’s untimely death. Every night, when she closed her eyes, she felt what her sister had felt in her final moments, before being mercilessly slaughtered.
“Time for your medicine, dear.”
A kind face loomed over her head, offering her a tray of pills.
Tasha swallowed them obediently.
She stared at the scars on her arms.
What had she done?
LIFE#9
“Do you believe in parallel universes, Tasha?”
She looked up, “Huh?”
John chuckled, “You are a physicist in some sense of the term. Do you believe in the concept of parallel universes? Every conceivable action becoming reality in another plane of existence?”
“No, Tasha smiled, “You, my friend, have read a bit too much science fiction.”
“What’s your belief?”
“A creator of a single universe, I suppose.”
“Not even a universe where the earth swallows us whole right now?”
She laughed, “I would attribute that to lazy writing on the part of the creator.”
Then the earth swallowed them whole.
LIFE#10
The child tapped away at the piano, one note at a time, a broken tune more out of place as it progressed. Whilst the music was terrible, the delight on her face balanced it out.
The teenager stomped away at the piano, taking out her frustrations with every sharp and flat, slicing the air with a plea to be understood.
The adult’s fingers danced upon the piano, plucking notes and chords out of nowhere, pleasing the masses that elevated her to that of a god.
The old woman stared at the broken piano. A lifetime, a legacy, all for naught.
LIFE#11
John waited patiently at the stand.
Saving the president had taken so long and he was tired.
“One double chocolate!”
“Yes, that’s me.”
As his hand reached out, another hand was faster and snatched the ice cream from the hands of the vendor.
Annoyed, John turned to find a hooded figure walking away with his double chocolate.
“Who the hell do you think you are?!”
The figure stopped and turned around, the face still obscure.
“Yeah, buddy. You in trouble now.”, John continued, “You see, I am a time traveller. After this conversation is over, I am going to go back ten minutes back in time, stand all the way across the street over there, and hit you with a bunch of snowballs, which should knock you off your stupid feet right about now.”
The figure laughed, “You might wanna look up.”
John was instantly attacked by a hailstorm of snowballs. He spluttered on the ground, spitting out snow, “How?”
The figure took off the hood to reveal a frizzy-haired, blue-eyed face with a spark of joy about her. “Well, honey, you aren’t the only time traveller around here.”
And that, kids, is how I met Tasha, your mother.
LIFE#12
Dear Dad,
I am scared. Tom has changed. He is more violent now. He keeps lashing out. Dad, I don’t know what to do. I can’t stay here any longer. By the time you reach here, I will be gone. I am getting on the 7:30 bus and heading south.
I would come home but I am afraid of the extents Tom might go to.
Yours lovingly,
Tasha
Tasha smiled at the letter.
That would teach him to break up with her. Who’s a psychopath now?
She climbed onto the chair, pulled the noose around her neck, and let go.
LIFE#13
Tasha befriended him out of pity and introduced him to her gang.
He seemed lonely, sitting all alone at his desk in school.
He was a warrior, with powers unknown that he wasn’t even aware of.
She helped him out. Went on his adventures. Slayed dragons with him.
She was cheerful and kept everyone hyped for each quest.
She was their heart and soul and kept them alive.
Then they met the one the prophecy had foretold as the Destroyer.
She sacrificed herself to save him.
The author kept writing, muttering to himself, “No one cares about supporting characters anyway.”
LIFE#14
“Mommy, I saw a unicorn today!”
Tasha sighed.
“Darling, what did I tell you about mythical creatures?”
“That they aren’t real?”
“Exactly.”
“But I did see a very very fat unicorn at the school trip at the animal sanctuary today!”
“Mrs. Dalton, what is this I hear about my daughter having seen a fat unicorn?”
“Well, I did want to correct her but it was quite an adorable mistake.”
“What do you mean?”
“Try taking her there yourself?”
“Okay, cutie, where did you see this fat unicorn?”
“There!”
Tasha chuckled. “That’s a unicorn alright.”, and waved back at the rhinoceros.
LIFE#15
Tasha woke up, looked at her husband lying next to her. The empty cup on the nightstand made her pretty sure he was dead and the mere thought filled her with joy.
She wasn’t gonna check his pulse now, no, no, she was saving the best parts for later.
She went down and started preparing breakfast. Now, as she was ready to tell the police later on, of course, she didn’t know her husband had been poisoned so she had been making breakfast for two.
She poured sugar into her cup and sipped away at her hot coffee.
All it had taken was for her to spike his mandatory cup of tea with the customary powders before sleeping. Now she just had to wait for the money.
“Honey, breakfast done yet?”
How was he still alive? Why did this coffee taste weird?
“Hey, I think you put sugar in my tea last night. Didn’t like it.”
No, she didn’t put sugar in his tea!
Oh, no.
She did.
But that meant-
“Honey, are you alright?”
As her vision blurred and she collapsed to the floor, she heard her husband whisper, “If you are going to poison someone, do it right.”
LIFE#16
The slave let out loud cries for mercy, They fell on deaf ears.
The master did not care and compelled him to keep digging his grave.
The more the slave dug, the more he knew he was getting closer to his own death and being replaced.
He desperately wished to break free but the master controlled his every move. After three hours, the slave was sweating and near tears but he had to keep on digging.
Suddenly he heard, “Perfect!”
Happily, Tasha clicked “Add to Cart” on her computer to purchase a new laptop after three hours of online shopping.
LIFE#17
The white paper boats floated along the bubbling riverside.
“She will be alright. I am sure we can leave her alone for a few minutes.”, the father uttered as he watched his daughter sit along the riverside and make paper boats.
Giggling, the parents disappeared out of sight
The little girl continued making and setting her paper boats free. Suddenly, she noticed a dark red paper boat floating beside her creations.
Curious, she reached out to grasp it.
“Hey, where’s Tasha?” The parents watched in horror on their return as a lone dark red boat sat on an empty riverbank.
LIFE#18
“Oh, I will miss Tasha so very much.”
“Always took such good care of me.”
“I wonder who will be my new owner.”
“Probably someone very fancy.”
“A rich person, no doubt.”
“Maybe it’s an entire friendly family.”
“I have rooms for lots of little cute children.”
“Ooooh, I can’t wait to see who it might be.”
“I really hope it’s a family.”
“I might get to see children playing in the backyard.”
“Maybe they will grow old and fight for me when the will is out.”
Lost in its daydreams, the house didn’t notice Tasha signing the demolition papers.
LIFE#19
Sharat stared at the laptop screen in frustration.
Just one more story to go.
He was completely and utterly blank.
Impeccable timing, of course. A simple beautiful birthday gift for Tasha and his brain was a clean slate.
He should probably sleep on it.
Good idea.
At 12:45 pm
Still nothing. He could always wish her a happy 18th birthday and express surprise when she corrected him.
18 stories wasn’t so bad.
Oh, wait!
He began typing furiously and within a few minutes, he was done.
19 stories.
Who knew scribbling a pointless paragraph about himself would have been helpful?
…
Finally!
I am done.
That was so hard. Oh my- Man! You cannot believe how hard it was to write 19 of those things.
I am so glad that you have only one birthday a year. I am nearly cured of my passion to be an author, like how even, aaaaaaaaaaaagh.
I want to kill somebody.
Anyway, happy birthday.
You are one year closer to your death.
Yours something,
Sharat
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