A Noisy End & Other Short Stories

By Ritaban Biswas

About the book:
A Noisy End & Other Short Stories perfectly encapsulates the idea of a risible life by delving into the lives of ten different human beings. There are stories that are so dark and ironic that we're afraid to share them with the world. But they need to surface, so that people are able to see life as a dark comedy. The stories might be fictional, but they are as realistic as they could be. Have a read to know how farcical life could be.

Explore 10 gritty tales about an addict, a workaholic woman, a bereaved husband, a boy with "deadly" nightmares, a wife with a nearly-perfect husband, an irresponsible father, a stranger, a girl with a scar, two apocalypse survivors, and lastly, a man who's lost everything.
About the author:

Ritaban Biswas is an undergraduate engineer with a penchant for reading and writing poetry & short stories. He's been in the world of storytelling since he could remember. A Noisy End & Other Short Stories is his debut book. Currently, he lives in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pencil
• Release date: Oct 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9789354585913

Book preview

A Noisy End & Other Short Stories

BY

Ritaban Biswas

---

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ISBN 9789354585913

© Ritaban Biswas 2021

Published in India 2021 by Pencil

A brand of

One Point Six Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

123, Building J2, Shram Seva Premises,

Wadala Truck Terminal, Wadala (E)

Mumbai 400037, Maharashtra, INDIA

E [e-mail]

W www.thepencilapp.com

All rights reserved worldwide

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Any person who commits an unauthorized act in relation to this publication can be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. The opinions expressed in this book do not seek to reflect the views of the Publisher.

Author biography

Ritaban Biswas is an undergraduate engineer with a penchant for reading and writing poetry & short stories. He's been in the world of storytelling since he could remember. A Noisy End &   Other Short Stories is his debut book. Currently, he lives in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Contents

A Noisy End

The Photo

Lost & Found

Deathtrap

Happy New Year!

Vanity

Belonging to the Night

Scarred for Life

Against all odds

Reunion

A Noisy End

"Gotta get up, gotta get out, gotta get home before the morning comes/

What if I'm late, gotta big date, gotta get home before the sun comes up." 

Everybody despised Jay's favourite pair of headphones and wanted to hide it, somewhere undiscoverable, for his good- but in vain. No one has ever seen him without that devil, not in daylight, at least, as if his resilient ears breathed through it. The more pesky side of the story was that he played the same song on loop. Thus, Jay was addicted would be an understatement, for what was he addicted to? The tuneful Gotta Get Up? The pair of blue and baggy headphones? The singer? It could be anything.

Did you talk to Jay about his headphones? He's getting out of hand now- asked Mira, the conscious mother of Jay, to her husband, at the dinner table in their son's absence.

Okay, how about 'he doesn't listen to me'? retorted Jagdish, the noblest man anyone around him has ever come across.

C'mon Jagdish, you're his father! Moreover, he loves you more than me and listens to you too. You know that, right?

I know you're worried, Mira. But it is, kind of, normal for teenagers. Also, when I was his age, I listened to Elvis Presley as much as I could!

After a few moments of tranquillity, Mira rebuked, Why aren't you bothered at all! 

Okay-okay, calm down, woman! I'll talk-

You'd better before it's too late.

Post dinner, Jagdish went to the terrace, the only place to find Jay on sombre nights. He was standing at a corner with his headphones tucked in, probably playing the same track. 

Could we talk, Jay? 

He didn't reply.

Jay, this time a bit aggressively, " just put off that