The First Assignment ( Micro fiction)

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee enveloping the sunlit office had a warm welcoming touch that filled Pragathi with new found confidence. The smiling attendant asked her to wait politely .It was her first assignment as a journalist .

  She was working on “Unmentioned Heroes” . During her research , she was intrigued by the story of Mrs Leila , a social worker who had sheltered hundreds of orphaned girls at - “ Beam- hope lives within”.

She felt a strange connection since she was raised as one.

The office was neatly but sparsely furnished. The walls were decorated with pictures and handicrafts made by the children . One frame particularly captured her attention- it was of a lovely toddler cuddling a teddy bear ,beaming at the camera .

“ My only daughter . Lost. That was the last time I had seen her smile,” a kind voice whispered , entered Mrs Leila, a lady in her early-fifties. " She is the beam of hope that encourages me to go on ……” her voice trailed off as she looked into a pair of familiar eyes that matched the ones in the frame!

  Pragathi was dumbfounded as she looked at her mirror- image, only years older!

PC: Self

That evening when it rained ( Micro fiction)

The monsoon played truant with the hopes of many until one evening the cacophony of the much awaited pitter-patter of raindrops greeted Roshni at her window sill. It was 7:00 pm but the fleet of  nimbus clouds made it look like midnight. Her house was located on an isolated hill with lush greenery all around .

With a steaming hot cup of cappuccino she settled to finish her latest horror story -“ That evening when it rained” . Her fingers were typing furiously on the keyboard as the plot thickened and the climax approached. With each sip of coffee,  Roshni delved deeper and deeper into the final stage of her story .

 “Bang! Bang!”, someone was at her door.  Roshni hurried wondering who could be visiting her at this hour and s-l-o-w-l-y opened the latch. She could make out the figure of a young girl of her height standing on the porch. “ I have come to finish your story”, the figure hissed!

Kraack! Lightning struck and Roshi froze in utter shock as she saw her protagonist standing right there. Her story was alive !

Next morning : The house was unusually quiet with the coffee still lying unfinished. 

                                                                                                              Amrita Paul ( Chumki)

Image Courtesy : A friend

The Unicorn

It was a cloudy morning

The mountains draped in haze

Looked mysteriously amazing!

Somewhere amidst the thick forest

The shrill call of the cuckoo pierced the foreboding silence

The clock struck 4

Time for the usual walk down the hill

Towards the fields to accompany her mother, Jill

It was a path known to her well

But the weather threatened a storm approach

Nevertheless she set off armed with a staff and a torch

Humming the favorite mountain song

When all of a sudden thunder roared above

Like a warning about the danger ahead!

Her little feet trotted along in full speed

While darkness descended much earlier than expected

The faint glimmer of the torch was not enough

She had to slow down in desperation

Was afraid of the desolate road

Sensed danger hidden in the gloomy corners

Her little heart skipped a beat

When she heard a twig creak

She glanced behind only to find

A beautiful white unicorn standing alone

Its head held high and its coat dazzling

Even in the blackness it shone like silver pristine

Amazed, she followed it, felt strangely safe

In its company by her side

The gloominess vaporized with its silvery luminance

She went ahead in confidence

Heard the trees whispering with the wind

“It’s the Magical Unicorn with the little girl from the hills”

As she neared the fields, she felt the distance with the unicorn increase

She heard her mother shout her name in joy

As she was enveloped in her warm embrace

From the corner of her eyes she could see

The silvery halo fading into the haze

The big kind eyes smiled with love immense

Their story is remembered even to this day by the green leaves

The forest still whispers with the wind

“It was the Magical Unicorn with the little girl from the hills”

Thoughts