A Good Life

  Andy and Sam were best friends who lived in a quaint mountain town called Rivervale. This used to be a small village beside a river until a dam was built in the mountains. After the dam, the village gained importance and transformed into a town. The town, though, was precariously placed in a triangular valley formed by high rising mountains with only one entry and exit road. Behind them was the mighty dam and on two sides were giant mountains with impenetrable forests. “Let’s do something adventurous,” suggested Sam one day when he was sitting at the local bar with Andy. “Like what?” “How about trying to find a way out of the valley through the forest?” “You know it’s forbidden to climb that mountain!” Cautioned Andy. “Oh come on, don’t tell me you believe that myth!” “I don’t believe in myths, but I do believe there’s always a reason why stories exist. Do you know the reason?” Asked Andy. “Well, yes,” said Sam. “The forest is impenetrable, they say. In the past, people h...

  Early one evening Jack returned from school to see his dad, Andrew, moor the boat. He ran towards his dad. “Hey, dad!” “Hello, Jack. You’re back early?” “Yes, can you take me out to sea?” “I just tied her up buddy.” “Please, dad. I really want to sail with you, please.” “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?” Jack grinned. “Come on, in the boat,” instructed Andrew. “Yahoo!” Yelled Jack and jumped in. Andrew smiled, untied the boat and got in. He fired up the engine and they were on their way. They sailed into the sea for about half an hour. The sun had started to set and looked like a big orange ball in the evening sky. Jack sat near the bow staring at the setting sun, listening to the gentle waves splashing against the sides of the boat. Andrew turned off the engine and joined Jack. “Pretty sight, isn’t it Jack?” “Sure is, dad,” replied Jack. “I love the ocean.” “I’m sure you do; it runs in the family. Your grandpa was a sailor and so am I.” “I want ...

  On a beautiful spring morning, he slowly started to unfurl. He was startled the moment he looked down. “That’s a long way off the ground,” he said. “Don’t worry, Tiny,” said an older leaf. “You are exactly where you are supposed to be.” Though he was called Tiny because he was just a small leaf, it was a name that stuck with him. He looked around and found himself in a sea of green emerging from a brown bed. “Hi there,” said another little leaf. “Who are you?” Asked Tiny. “They call me Emerald, I guess it’s my colour.” “They call me Tiny,” he said, she giggled. A new friendship blossomed in spring time. “Hey, you two,” called an older leaf. “You guys are looking in the wrong direction. Turn around and face the sun. That’s how we do our job” Slowly, Emerald and Tiny turned around to face the sun. They were mesmerised by the blue sky and fluffy white clouds. The mornings were fresh and the evenings pleasant. The leaves grew bigger by the day in these favourable condition...

  Vikram boarded the train and looked for his seat. He found his window seat and sat down. It was hot and humid and that seemed to bother him. He looked up to realise the fan was off. He turned it on and sat down once again, grumbling all this while. “It’s so hot,” he said to himself. “One simple instruction he cannot follow.” He took his phone out and called someone. “Listen, let this be your first and last mistake. If you make one more mistake, I will fire you,” he yelled and hung up before the person on the other side had a chance to speak. Ahmed, who was sitting in the opposite seat, was watching this, albeit a little amused. Ahmed was a young Muslim sporting a beard and a skull cap. The train started to roll and slowly pulled out of the station. Vikram still looked irritated while engrossed in his phone. “Hello, my name is Ahmed,” he tried to break the ice. Vikram looked up with an expression that portrayed he wasn’t interested in a conversation. “I’m Vikram,” he said a...

  Rays of the sun crept in through a gap in between the curtains to flood my room. I stretched, rubbed my eyes and looked for water. I drank from a bowl and spotted a banana lying next to it. After eating it, I noticed something wasn’t right. I was flabbergasted to find myself in a cage!   I grabbed the bars of the cage and shouted for help. A grumpy, hideous looking man walked in from the other room. “Quiet!” He yelled gruffly, obviously irritated by the commotion I was causing. “Who are you?” I asked. “How did I land up in this cage?” “Too many questions, little monkey. Wait, I’ll get you out first.” He brought a rope, cautiously opened the cage door and attached the rope to a collar that was around my neck. Then he allowed me to walk out of the cage, even as he firmly held the other end of the rope.  “Come, on the table,” he instructed. I jumped up onto the table that was placed beside a mirror. When I saw myself, I screeched in horror. “How can ...

  Sanjay had been trekking through a dense forest for hours. ‘I have been here before,’ he thought. ‘I’m moving in circles!’ He started to panic. He looked around for help but there was no one in sight. He sat down on a rock and looked around. All he saw was dense forest, entangled roots and cacti. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. “Hello my friend,” said the stranger. “You looked worried?” Sanjay was ecstatic to see the man, “You have no idea how happy I am to see you!”   The stranger smiled and said, “What is bothering you?” “I have been trekking for hours moving in circles. I’m lost in this forest.” “Don’t worry, I’m here now. Follow me.” The stranger started walking and Sanjay followed. “You are an angel, brother, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” “I’m not an angel, I’m someone much closer to you,” said the stranger. “Yeah, you look and sound strangely familiar. What are you doing here?” “Well, you can say I am a guide. I guid...

  “Eight and six, eighty-six,” announced Neha, who was conducting a game of Housie at the Senior Citizens Club. The call was greeted with some cheers and some boos! Just as the next number was about to be called, the entrance door creaked and an old lady walked in. “You are late Farida,” said Yasmin, her friend. “I’m so sorry,” said Farida and walked towards the podium to collect her ticket. Neha handed over a ticket to Farida with a smile and said, “let’s go through the numbers that have been called out already, shall we?” “Sure,” replied Farida. “Can you please check for me?” “I will do that,” said Neha and took the ticket back.   “What’s in the bag Farida?” asked Yasmin who was sitting in the front row. “It’s empty, this is why I got late.” “What do you mean?” “I was looking for a hand bag to carry home the gift I’m going to win!” replied Farida confidently. The crowd giggled at her statement, probably at her confidence. But Farida just turned a deaf e...

                       Days Like These On a beautiful night at Everest base camp, Rahul came out of his tent. He was mesmerised by the starry night. He rushed in to wake up Varun, his friend with whom he was sharing the tent. “Wake up Varun,” he yelled. “What’s the matter,” mumbled Varun, barely able to open his eyes. “You must come out and see the sky, right now.” “Let me sleep, Rahul.” Rahul was adamant though and Varun finally gave in. “This better be worth it pal,” he said, clumsily making his way out of the tent. But, as soon as he looked up, he too was mesmerised. He gaped at the sky with eyes wide open.   “Let’s start a bonfire, make some coffee and wake up the others too,” suggested Varun. “That’s a great idea, let’s get to it.” So, the duo lit up a fire and made prepared coffee. “I’ll go wake up the others,” said Varun. “Hey, don’t forget Sherpa Dor...