The sequence of events matters in establishing the cause-and-effect scenario. It’s the meat of the story. Promos are just crumbs thrown around to build up an appetite. The words ring in my ears as I listen to different versions of an unusual incident. It’s a lesson in building narrative. What’s scary is the impact these … Continue reading Storytellers’ Nightmare
"I’m afraid, Your Honour, the defendant has developed brain fog. We need to re-verify all data provided including his date and place of birth and places in which he lived." "That’s an unusual request, Mr. Prosecutor…" "Yes, because the case is unusual. Mr. Xerxes claims that he has never visited London. He is unable to … Continue reading Identity Theft
The novelist is not happy with her treatise on the social system. She paints a reality she does not like. “All along when I made an effort to write the novel, the seed of a poem lay dormant in my heart. And then arose a different perspective – a juxtaposition of reality against my utopia. … Continue reading The Accidental Realist
I feel the profundity of the dream, except that it’s not a dream. I’m awake. I’m in my senses, but my eyes are shut. It is a kind of meditative state. In space in time I sit thousands of feet above the sea. Below I see floating islands tagged with names and dates of centuries, … Continue reading Surrender
You entered our lives 20 years ago, and we learnt what unconditional love means. You spent a little more than three years sharing our abode, and then left us forever. Not a single day passes when I don’t think about you. It will be a lie to say that this year’s a different thing – … Continue reading You were Love
“If matter is a dense form of energy, maybe some day we can bring back the dead to life”, wrote someone on LinkedIn. I found the thought interesting enough to pursue the logic. Unfortunately, it turned out that the said person suffered from mental health issues. Thoughts do emerge from deranged minds, but do not … Continue reading Color of Thoughts
“I always call a spade a spade, take it or leave it”, hisses my firebrand sister and leaves the room. To each her own. She has changed three jobs in the last two years and been in and out of relationships ever since her teens. I must confess she is often right on logical and … Continue reading Tact
She died yesterday. The priest chants mantras irrelevant to the essence of her life. She stood for freedom and path-breaking ideas. Rituals are about beating a trodden path with sticks shaped out of a murdered tree. Those who pray for the soul to rest in peace know not that she exists beyond their reach - … Continue reading She died yesterday
“This book is going to be explosive, because it reveals so many secrets. Skeletons will keep tumbling out of cupboards for a few years.” “Manage the situation. Find a weakness with which you can blackmail the author. The manuscript needs to change immediately.” “I don’t think she will get intimidated.” “Fear of death is the … Continue reading End View
The train stops, and it’s not a station. It’s a mechanical fault which will take time to fix. Passengers jump out for an impromptu picnic in the flower gardens near the track. Am I not lucky to have taken a train today? The boss’s secretary said flight tickets are getting expensive, and we need to … Continue reading Smell the flowers
Reena Saxena 