Different yet alike or Alike yet different

He was a part of them, and yet not one of them. He looked like them in appearance but not in the mind. He appeared to be on their side, and yet always followed his own path. He was the youngest in the group, yet mature in his thoughts. He was like that as long as he could remember. 

At seven, when other young boys in the group bathed in the river and played on its banks, he dreamed about sitting with his mother and listening to her songs. At nine, when other boys in class got into fist fights, he talked to his sister. At fourteen, when others talked about girls in deriding manner, he told them stories about brave queens and goddesses that he had heard from his mother. At eighteen, when other boys mistreated their wives, he stayed mum about the way he treated his own. 

He didn't mistreat his wife. But neither did he treat her any special in public. He was educated. But not so much to be able to avoid the social stigma of being called a henpecked husband surrounded by illiterate people he called society.  

Day 3 - Picture prompt

‘I’m Writing Bravely for the Write Tribe Festival of Words – March 2019’

World upside down

I remember that day clearly. The day my world went upside down. It was around 8 in the evening. Sunaina, my wife was on her way back home. She had been a little late from office due to March coming to a close. The weather was getting hotter. Slowly, the weather Gods would be increasing their wrath, as if testing people’s patience or punishing them for their past life’s crimes. I had reached home on time and served myself a couple of glasses of fresh lime juice. The sugary sweet taste of fresh lime juice was a perfect anecdote for the weather. Meanwhile, waiting for my wife, I had cut vegetables and soaked rice. Tonight, we had planned on having biryani. I loved devouring my wife’s biryani. Not just biryani, I loved everything she cooked. My stomach churned a little and I helped myself to a few pieces of cake she had baked a couple of days ago. I left last two pieces as post dinner dessert.

Little did I know my world was about to go upside down in a few minutes. Little did I know that I wouldn’t be able to have my last piece of cake. Little did I know that I would not be able to have my wife’s biryani that day. Little did I know that my wife would come home with a doctor’s report making me a diabetic and snatching me away from the true love of my life – sweets.  

Day 2 - Picture prompt

‘I’m Writing Bravely for the Write Tribe Festival of Words – March 2019’

The colour of everything I knew

The first thing I noticed about you and fell for, it was the colour of your eyes. When we were on the dance floor, it was the colour of my twirling dress. When you held my hand for the first time, it was the colour of the chandelier in the restaurant. When you made me laugh lifting my spirits from its dungeons, it was the colour I saw fading from my mood. When time stopped by as we intertwined our lips, it was the colour of the sky and promises of a happy future. When you took my breath away asking me to marry you, it was the colour of the ocean below us and its reflection in my tears. 

After our first misunderstanding, because you thought I was lying to you, it was the colour of my bruises. As I sat for days and nights crying, it was the colour of the door I pleaded into. While you abused my body night after night, it was the colour of my numbness. When you asked me to cook for you over a call with a voice full of kindness, it was the last colour I saw when I switched on the stove.    

 Day 1 : Picture prompt

‘I’m Writing Bravely for the Write Tribe Festival of Words – March 2019’

Friday Fictioneers - The Sewing Machine

Samar dreaded whenever Sandra would begin dusting the house. She would come to clean his study room which would trigger another argument about giving away this rusted sewing machine. He couldn’t make Sandra understand that it was precious. It was this machine on which his mother had sewn garments all her life to bring him up after his father left. Whatever Samar was today, he owed it to this machine and his mother’s deft hands on it. But for Sandra it was a blot on pricey interior decoration. He sighed and prepared for another exhausting discussion with his wife.

Written for the photo prompt for this week's Friday Fictioneers

Idea of Heaven - 55 words

'Cuddled up on an enormous chair with a soft cushion, a cup of hot chocolate and a soft blanket to warm up the insides, favourite book in hand and reading to my heart's content without any interruptions, falling in love with the characters of the book' I replied when asked about my idea of heaven.   

Written for Picture It & Write 

Maze of Life - 100 words

She saw her three year old daughter Meera's twinkling eyes when she told about visiting a new garden. Meera's happiness knew no bounds on seeing colourful rides all around. 'Let's play and see who reaches the end first' she told her daughter pointing towards the garden maze. She sent her daughter from one end while she took another one. Later, she saw her child giggling and enjoying in the maze while she tiptoed her way out of the garden with tears streaming down her face. She knew that if she looked back, she wouldn’t have the courage to do it.

Written for the photo prompt for this week's Friday Fictioneers

Alone

Sometimes it gets lonely. So lonely that it feels as if I’m the only person on this planet. Alone. Totally alone. And on such nights, it is only the loneliness that talks to me. Talks to me in a language that just the two of us can understand! Because it has been my companion. Since long! It talks. And while it talks, it transports me. It transports me to a bygone era. An era where a part of me, or wait; the whole me lives. Still. The funny thing being that this loneliness wasn’t in sight then. Today, it enwraps me like air and the irony is that it feels exactly like lack of it. A complete blackout; not of light, but of my emotions. Or maybe not. Because at such times, the only emotion I can feel is ‘YOU’.  

Written for Magpie Tales # 246

Friday Fictioneers - Clouds

Beautiful dark clouds cover the sky. Such a welcome change after summers! What a wonderful romantic evening it is! When Pranay comes home, we would go on a long drive just like old days. It’s been so.. And suddenly the words ‘old days’ echo in my mind and twinge of sadness rises inside me.

I don’t even remember the last time we did something romantic. I never thought that those amazing courtship days would vanish in thin air after getting married. I feel tears rolling down thinking about the beautiful past and a bland present I share with the same man.      

Written for Friday Fictioneers Photo prompt. 

Truth - 100 words

Since an hour, her mother grumbled something.

‘Why are you grumbling without reasons?’ asked dad.

‘It wasn’t me. You are mistaken. You don’t trust me?’ said dad after hearing mom. 

‘You are lying. Don’t fool me. I know it was you’ she heard her mom say.  

‘I wasn’t even at home. How could I have done this? Ask Neha, she was at home whole day’. dad said

And she realized that she could no longer hide the truth. She had to tell her mother that it was she and not her diabetic dad who had finished entire packet of rasgullas.

This post is written for 100 Words on Saturday by Write Tribe. The prompt was - ‘She realized that she could no longer hide the truth’

Five Sentence Fiction - Doors

Scorching May sun was still shining harshly and she was drenched inspite of having the window seat in her everyday bus she took after work.

Ah, she breathed some relief finally seeing her stop arrive after waiting endlessly for the bus to wade at snail’s pace through congested city traffic.

She let others get down before her and was the last one to alight the bus for that particular stop. She closed the bus door quickly as the vehicles behind the bus honked hard.  

Just as she turned around, the bus moved, and the last thing she felt was a huge bang of the bus door on the back of her head !!

P.S. - This is my first attempt at Five Sentence Fiction. The prompt was Doors