By: Justin Arnold The Legend was old, and the Legend was a Man; the Man was wise, and the Man was gifted with the sight of that which had yet to pass. Isolated within his small stone hut at the top of a remote mountain peak the Man lived his days. From time to time a day would dawn which would see weary travellers from distant lands clamber their way up the crumbling, rocky slopes. A long and wearisome journey […]
By: Gwyndolyn Beckley-Wilhelm Nervously, she fumbled with the matches. She did not like the dark one bit, especially when there was a strong storm raging outside. The flashing of the lightning did not help much in her predicament, nor did the wind. It seemed to be playing games with her, as it blew out her attempts to light the candle. The roaring began to sound like laughter, as she struck each match, only to have the flame snuffed by the […]
By: Sneha Susan Shibu The temple under the peepal tree housing the Elephant God Ganesha was rather small. There was just enough room for the priest to do his rituals. Time and again he pulled at the thread that ran across his naked torso while chanting the mantras of devotion. Devotees crowded at the small door waiting for the aarti, the purifying fire followed by the prasad of beaten rice and rock candy. Annalisa watched all these in fascination and […]
By: Susanna Arizona The sky is black; no clouds, no stars, nothing at all creates a mark or flaw in its vastness. This black sky’s horizon is bordered by the sharp rectangular figures of brick buildings, with light coral colored brick streets in between them. Four characters are placed on the main brick street. Their shadowy figures are still from a distance. There is no one else around – not a single breath, not a single breeze of wind, not […]
By Jennie Marima I was minding my own business reading the day’s newspaper. I had sat in the middle of the bus next to a window. My seat-mate and I shared only polite nods and the occasional comment about a pot-hole here or a persistent hawker there. Aside from that we paid little attention to each other. Across the aisle, one of the passengers was on an eating spree. If he wasn’t unwrapping fried potatoes whose smell engulfed the bus, […]
By: Jim McInturff My fingers were slippery, but I didn’t have anywhere to wipe them. My pants were already coated in the sludge and I had to climb or else I was going to get sucked underneath. I couldn’t even see the next rung but reached as far as I could until I felt the cold metal press against my fingers. I pulled as hard as I could as my muscles strained, begging for a break. My grip shook as […]
