Pikku : The Storyteller 👧

" Sir ji. Samaan !!! (Sir! Your belongings!!!) " The cab driver shouted as Vinay dwindled away from the car. "Oh.. ya.." he turned quite unwillingly. Picking up the polybags of varieties of items, he said, "Thanks yaar."  Instead of reciprocating with a smile, the driver annoyingly asked, " Kyun pite ho saab itna ? (Why do you drink so much Sir?) Huh .. " and drove away even before Vinay could respond. "Let it be", he thought and somehow reached the door of his gloomy house. Forcefully opening his adamant sleepy eyes, he pushed the key in the keyhole and banged open the door to witness the mess of past one week- the bedsheets shrunk in the corner of the bed, the table barely empty for the polybags he held, the floor thickly blurred because of stains and dust, the sink overflowing with tea utensils, the curtain rods overloaded with sweaty T-shirts and bermuda pants. He saw all of it the way humans see pollution, "It is bad, ...

"What have you done Anita. This is not how it's done. Just a week for the presentation and you have spoilt it all. Dammit!" Tanmay almost screamed throwing the pen on the ground in frustration. Kavita quickly supported Anita as she jerked back. "Hey Tanmay! Calm down. She has just joined. Give her some appreciation for what she did with such time constraint." Pranav said as he patted Tanmay's shoulder when Tanmay bowed to pick the pen up. The anger took a sharp turn towards Pranav "You toh better shut up. It's all because of your Palak, that the work has been delayed so much. I am unfortunately the so called 'leader' of the team and it's me who has to answer that filthy creature in the cabin." "Listen Tanmay! Don't blame Palak. It wasn't her incapability but her bad luck that she couldn't continue with us. She even asked me to allow her to work from the hospital with her fractured leg tied to a traction, but I ...

"It isn't working between us. It would be better if we break up." The words were like a nail placed over the heart and the tone was the hammer. Pawan's heart bled not because of what Seema said but because of the ease with which she did it. She neither had a heavy throat, nor a stammering voice and nor even a lowered eye. She was the one for whom he had rebelled against his parents, because of which his affluent father, who was the owner of the best photography contract brand of the city, "Lamhe", had thrown him out of the house into abject misery and uncertainty. But Seema was unmoved by all his arguments. She was adamant, she wanted space. "You better go and search for yourself a living." she wasn't hard in the tone but she did no effort to choose softer words. Now, this was an assault not at Pawan's heart or emotion but self-respect. Pawan loved Seema like a kid loves his dreams, but he did not realize that dreams change and even di...

"Add right here, a blot on the right cheek.  A BIG,  UGLY, BLACK, BLOT." Divya shouted, each word loud and clear, pointing with her index finger the heading 'Other traits' in her biodata, pressing it against the sofa foam with a force that could tear a finger size hole in the paper. She gazed her parents in disappointment and barged out of the living room. Throwing the puckered biodata into the dustbin, she ran up to the terrace. The tantrum was thrown on the yet another rejection of arranged marriage proposal.  She pushed open the door of the terrace, whamming it on the outer wall. The loud sound didn't although panic her parents who were familiar with this childhood habit- this running to the terrace, creating ruckus by whamming things, weeping badly and then coming back down, exhausted. But they didn't realise the gravity of the matter this time.  Divya moved out with force and then feeling exhausted of the over-anger knelt down bending the neck backwards, ...

"Hi Maa! Happy Diwali. I am doing good. How are you?" Ravi's voice was extremely relieving for Sunita, even though it came through the phone. Sunita's age had taken toll on her vision and vocal cord paralysis had swallowed her voice completely. She could barely recognize people and things. Last week, Madhu, her sister's daughter, had been mistaken for the maid and reprimanded for absence. Not Sunita's fault though, Madhu had not worn her usual perfume that day. Madhu was actually the bluetooth between Sunita and Ravi as she aided their conversation where Ravi spoke and the Sunita just smiled. Sunita couldn't dial because of blurred vision, but Madhu was regular. This call routine was strictly followed. Not a single day was missed. And with the elixir of Ravi's voice Sunita obtained one more day of life everyday. Ravi worked in another city and had not been able to visit home for seven months in a row. "No. He is not like those crooked sons who ...

David bought a new house in Golden heights, far far away from his old home because he did not want anyone from his past life to re-enter. The house was a luxurious 3bhk with large balcony space. Of course, where else could he throw his money. He no more had a loving girlfriend, caring parents and freaking friends to spend money on. One accident took everything. But he moved on with a feeble smile, teary eyes and liters of alcohol everyday. Yes! He had become an alcoholic and his money and he were going to end together one day. His home was on the top floor and the terrace was so easily accessible from his very balcony. The balcony which was meant to provide him solitude had become a menace for him. Kids played on the terrace making a lot of noise, kicked balls into his balcony and asked for them sometimes with appealing faces and sometimes in demanding tone. Many a times he had yelled at the kids, refused return and sometimes even damaged the ball. Kids nicknamed him Frustu Uncl...