Blooming Tales: a collection of short stories

By Monthly Anthologies

What are the 5 characteristics of a short story?

 

They are true masters at combining the five key elements that go into every great short story:

character, setting, conflict, plot and theme.

 

 

The basic steps of a plot are: conflict begins, things go right, things go WRONG, final victory (or defeat), and wrap-up. The right-wrong steps can repeat.

A novel can have several conflicts, but a short story should have only one.

 

While we selected these stories out of a huge pile of submissions, some pieces stood out and clearly deserve a seperate mention due to their excellence:

 

1. Wine and Blood

2. I hope you never know

3. Pigeon

4. The Money Order

5. Eclectic Shorts

6. Enough

7. Irene

8. The Beginning of the End

9. Love in the Line of Fire

10. The Last Blink

11. An Adopted Dream

12. Zombie Train

13. Was She?

14. Platonic Love

15. paanch patthar

 

 

Some of the stories that we compiled were simply selected on the basis of the themes chosen by their respective authors.A theme is something important the story tries to tell us—something that might help us in our own lives. Not every story has a theme, but it’s best if it does. While some others were selected due toi the authors' style of writing.

 

The strongest stories have well-developed themes, engaging plots, suitable structure, memorable characters, well-chosen settings, and attractive style. Now you might argue that good writers often break rules—but they know they’re doing it!

 

So our biggest recommendation for aspiring writers is to read more, write often but most importantly self-edit ruthlessly.

 

 Owing to the fact that we as a team aim to provide a platform for new a nd aspiring writers across borders, we named this volume -Blooming Tales. And now without further ado, we present blooming tales from our very talented writers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookRix
• Release date: Nov 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9783748720867

Book preview

Acknowledgement

I cannot express enough thanks to my team for their continued support and encouragement: Sanchari Das, my my right hand since the foundation of team monthly anthologies; Sreeja and Samridhi who helped ud with the cover designs. I offer my sincere appreciation for the expertise provided by my team.The countless times you all made an effort to curb out time especially for our team work despite your hectic schedules will not be forgotten.

My completion of this project could not have been accomplished without the support of our smart working interns Oiendrilla Chakraborty And Anjali Jha; and Rubal our designer for posters and certificates. Thanks to Shihab for curating works for us when possible.

To our guest authors and contributing writers

– thank you for writing for us and allowing us to publish your work. You deserve a trip to Hogwarts Land!

Finally, to the supportive team of bookrix: my deepest gratitude. Your support through the platform that you created and also your help when facing publication issues are much appreciated and duly noted. My heartfelt thanks.

-Sukanya Basu Mallik

Preface

What are the 5 characteristics of a short story?

They are true masters at combining the five key elements that go into every great short story:

character, setting, conflict, plot and theme.

The basic steps of a plot are: conflict begins, things go right, things go WRONG, final victory (or defeat), and wrap-up. The right-wrong steps can repeat.

A novel can have several conflicts, but a short story should have only one.

While we selected these stories out of a huge pile of submissions, some pieces stood out and clearly deserve a seperate mention due to their excellence:

1. Wine and Blood

2. I hope you never know

3. Pigeon

4. The Money Order

5. Eclectic Shorts

6. Enough

7. Irene

8. The Beginning of the End

9. Love in the Line of Fire

10. The Last Blink

11. An Adopted Dream

12. Zombie Train

13. Was She?

14. Platonic Love

15. paanch patthar

Some of the stories that we compiled were simply selected on the basis of the themes chosen by their respective authors.A theme is something important the story tries to tell us—something that might help us in our own lives. Not every story has a theme, but it’s best if it does. While some others were selected due toi the authors' style of writing.

The strongest stories have well-developed themes, engaging plots, suitable structure, memorable characters, well-chosen settings, and attractive style. Now you might argue that good writers often break rules—but they know they’re doing it!

So our biggest recommendation for aspiring writers is to read more, write often but most importantly self-edit ruthlessly.

 Owing to the fact that we as a team aim to provide a platform for new a nd aspiring writers across borders, we named this volume -Blooming Tales. And now without further ado, we present blooming tales from our very talented writers.

-Sukanya and Sanchari

Contents

Yes, I love you a lot (Soujatya Seal –Kolkata)    4

I have story to tell... (Daveen Nivedha-Bangalore, Karnataka)    6

Rain(Praveg-New Delhi, India)    8

Kids Rocked Mummy Shocked (Aparna Vishwanath-Raipur)    9

God helps us (SANGEPU NAGESWARA RAO- Telangana)    12

Sagarika (Aarthi Sampath, Chennai ,Tamilnadu)    13

Wine and Blood (Krishna Ahir- Hyderabad)    18

Return of love (CH.MAHESH BABU- New vellanur, Avadi)    22

Curse on the Pious Love (Samira Rahman- Dhaka)    33

Suicide Attempt(Shobhit Gupta- Rampur, Uttar Pradesh)    35

I Hope You Never Know (Deepu Raghuthaman- Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)    39

John(Lipsa Giri- Baripada, Odisha)    46

I Lost Her (Anjali Jha - Biharsharif, Patna, Bihar )    48

Pigeon (Eeshan Ali - Berhampore, West Bengal )    54

The Money order (Avijit Roy- Kolkata, West Bengal)    57

Eclectic Shorts by Pasithea Chan    61

Enough (Oiendrila Chakraborty- Enough)    68

IRENE (Oche Celestine Onjewu- Minna)    71

Between Two Numbers(Pradeepti Sharma –Nagpur, Maharashtra )    82

The Storm(Anjum Wasim Dar-Islamabad )    86

Standing alone doesn't mean to fall down. (Aayush Dutta-Bhubaneswar, Odisha)    88

The Beginning Of The End (Nisha Gandhi Fofaria-Bangalore)    90

Love in the line of fire (Riddhi Bhatti-Ludhiana)    95

The Bride of the Highway(Dr[Major] Nalini Janardhanan-Pune,Maharashtra)    100

Karma is almighty (Miss Kanishka-Jabalpur, MP)    103

While a Balcony wala flat is still a dream of many (Sonali Sharma-Mumbai)    106

The Last Blink(Prateeksha Suresh-Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu)    110

MY UNBORN POEMS (VITHURA.V.ASOK (ASOKA KUMAR)-TRIVANDRUM, KERALA )    113

No Bed of Roses(Rakhee Pant-Mumbai (Maharashtra))    115

An Adopted Dream (Deepti Ahuja Balani-Gurgaon)    122

Zombie Train (Ángel André Osorio-Cologne (Germany))    125

Was she?(theramblingwriter-Bom-bae, Maharashtra)    129

MY LAST BREATH FOR HER(Dr. BRAJESH KUMAR GUPTA 'MEWADEV'-BANDA)    134

Someone In My Head(Anupriya-Kolkata, West Bengal)    135

The day God order to take away the Magic Boxes from Females (Samridhi Aneja-Amritsar, Punjab)    136

The Last Letter(Khushi Lakhotiya-Aurangabad, Maharashtra)    138

The bluestone(Stallone Christian-Chicago, IL)    140

Sohini Maitra guest author    143

GUEST AUTHOR (M Upender Reddy- Hyderabad)    144

Sanchari Das  guest author    146

Devika Das Guest author    157

Author/poet Bikramjit Sen Guest author    161

Yes, I love you a lot (Soujatya Seal –Kolkata)

Yes, I love you a lot.

      Did I make a mistake?

Sometimes I feel, that I did. 

But those over-pampered conversations with you bring everything back on track. 

 Yes, I love you a lot.

Sometimes, my sixth sense tells me that I have much more feelings for you than you have for me. Yes, it feels bad. But, crying won't help, so I smile.

And, when you smile back, I blush.

Yes, I love you a lot.

But don't I get hurt?

Yes, I do.

But, then why do I keep falling for you again and again?

May be, the reason is that if I fall for someone else, then I'll be fallen all my life, regretting my fall every time. Yes, I fell for you. But, you did not let me fall.

Yes, I love you a lot.

You ask me, why I chose you among the seven billion. I say, I wanted a best friend as my life partner. You are someone whom I tell everything. I don't hesitate to share anything with you. I want somebody who understands me more than anyone else does. And as far as flashback tells, when I lost everything, I found you. When those people, who are called my own, left me alone in despair, you were the one who stood by me throughout.

Yes, I love you a lot.

May be it was a GOOD decision, but was it the RIGHT decision? 

Yes, it was. After all, you are all that matters to me. And I know very well that I would have been able to see you with someone else.

Yes, I love you a lot.

Whatever we are can’t be compared with anything or anyone.

I just want you to be with me all my life. Trust me, I will try my best to keep you happy every moment.

Yes, I love you a lot.

I wish, we always stay together like the earbuds of a headset. The best part would be when, on waking up, we would be found to be entangled. That's how I want us to be.

Yes, I love you a lot.

We had made a promise - a promise that we will always stay together. Just keep that promise and I will make all your dreams come true when you wake up.

Yes, I love you a lot.

So, don't I miss you when we aren't together?

Yes, I terribly miss you when you aren't with me. Some time ago, we could not meet because of our examinations. But everyday throughout the month, I made sure that I visit the place where we used to spend time together. Not caring about the examinations, nor bothering about what my parents said, I used to walk to that place as soon as the sun bid good bye. At a distance of about five minutes of walking, from my home was that place. A concrete plank beside the railway tracks, over the nearby tunnel - that is what it was. I went there and sat down on that plank for few minutes. Although I wanted to be with you, but just thinking of you, the stressful issues in my mind were killed. The philosopher calls this act of mine a stupid one. But, I don't care. You are so precious for me that I can do many more stupid acts to make your presence felt.

So, I love you a lot.

Yes, I love you a lot.

I have a story to tell... (Daveen Nivedha-Bangalore, Karnataka)

They woke up to a strange morning—mother, I'm sure, has probably never felt this uncertain before, and Aunt Emily seemed equally desperate for a new start, especially for mother and me.  Three hours never could get any shorter than now, with such heaviness clouding on all of us.

********

When shame is the distance between a smile and a tear, I become my own worst enemy. And I must admit, being myself is the easiest war on the battlefields of the invincible; if easy is escaping the fastenings of the world's safest parachutes.

Cynthia Emima Rose, and she pauses to give me a most bittersweet smile. In those few seconds of suspended silence, I prepare my mind for anything unexpected as she continues, I have a story to tell, and it's about a girl. She wakes to a helpless confusion, lives her life within the breakable walls of her untold dreams, and sleeps vulnerably, through nights of victimising herself. This girl....is you.

Well at least someone has found the right words to describe me. Suddenly I feel warmly understood sitting on a cold chair before the psychologist. I solemnly enjoy this feeling as she speaks to me.

I know you saw an entire childhood of cruel touches from your stepfather, but you need to learn that the only person who can best help you is you. Forgiving him and forgetting those harsh memories he created for you is by far the only possibility of helping yourself. You need to move on sweetie.

I sink back in the cold chair, feeling invisible. My mother has tried a lot to help me ever since her divorce. She fixed appointments with four counsellors in the past. Even this morning she told me about today's appointment with Dr. Ruth. And I couldn't help but wonder how different it was going to be. Because they all say the same things - forgive, forget, and move on.

As time ticks, my inner voice is heard louder than Dr. Ruth's -

'Forgive?  I have done that. Move on? I've done that too. But can somebody please teach me to FORGET how naked my stepfather made me feel for seven years?!'

And for the moment, I wish more for somebody to teach me to turn a deaf ear to my inner voice, before my eyes flood, remembering the insecure.

********

My one hour session with Dr. Ruth would not be over had not a tall, blonde woman and a small boy interrupted us. There is an immediate change in the doctor's mood and tone as she cries out to the little boy with open arms to embrace him, saying, Aww.....my baby Brad! How was camp? Wow, so that's arms big lollipop Coach Kelly bought you today!

I turn to look at the big, red and green lollipop in the (probably) five years’ old's hand. Something isn't right about the way he is holding it. To win his attention, I caress his hair and he looks up at me just as I wanted him to. The depth in his eyes seems so familiar, and they match the feeble intensity of his helpless hands in the uncomfortable grip of his Coach Kelly. I catch sight of his coach and force and unwelcome glare at her. Once again I look into little Brad's eyes and recognize exactly what he is suppressing. I've known this feeling for seven years and I cannot be wrong about this.

I turn to the psychologist and address her, Dr. Stefanie Ruth, and I pause to give her the most bittersweet smile. In those few seconds of suspended silence, I watch her intently and continue,  I have a story to tell, and it's about a boy. He wakes to a helpless confusion, lives his life within the breakable walls of his untold dreams, and sleeps vulnerably, through nights of victimizing himself. And this boy, is...

I gesture within the length of an eyesight at her son, my lacrimal ducts heavy with tears, sigh and get up. I plant a sorry kiss on Brad's forehead and politely walk out the doors of the clinic.

Rain(Praveg-New Delhi, India)

I love the rain. He loved me in the rain.

I love the rain. We lived some more in rain.

I love the rain. We used to get drenched together in rain.

I love the rain. But now I stay inside and watch it rain. Yesterday I saw his muddy footprints going away from home. The day before, a couple of paper boats like the one he used to sail when it rained.

I love the rain. But I have not drenched since the day his school bus slipped in the rain. I wonder what he is trying to tell me

Kids Rocked Mummy Shocked (Aparna Vishwanath-Raipur)

The first day of April (i.e; 1stApril) I think everyone is well acquaintances with this day may be for fool’s day or fun day or may be for any another reason(s).

But for us (me and hubby) this day has its own importance. We both wait eagerly for April 1st every year.

Yes, on this day my daughter came home for two months holiday after a long ten months gap, since she studies in boarding school. These two months are very blissful for us.

This year my niece also came for spending some holidays with us. My daughter and my niece are in the same school.

They both were happily enjoying the days by watching their favourite serial on TV, reading books,( J K Rowling, Enid Blyton, Sudha Murthy, R K Narayana are some of their favourite writers), sometimes by going mall, sometimes getting up late in the morning etc.etc. ...

I being a mother had always been swiftly ready in their services. But mother is mother.

It works icing on the cake when a mother is a Teacher too. So out of habit it was intolerable for me to seeing the kids enjoying twenty-four hours, the whole day without learning or studying anything. Using my so called great knowledge I frequently asked some questions or lecturing them in any topic in between their entertainment schedule thinking will work like Tempering.

In our Indian cuisine Tempering has its own importancy since it is not only a taste enhancer but it has health benefits also.

It’s always been running in my mind how to get them engaged in studying and learning something, not thinking this whether they would be feel happy or unhappy with this practice. At time my daughter use to tell: Mumma, do you know anything else other than two things (eating and studying). Everytime you only ask read read read study study study that's it.

Awww.....hh I took a long breath...

In this link out of my habit one day I had asked them about the earth and its surface.

At one, I heard that my daughter is murmuring something like Tala,Tala,Tala,Tala,Tala...... My so called intelligence and hearing sense arose out of curiosity and trying to listen what she has been murmuring.

I asked her Oh my baby what you are chanting share with me.

She told Mumma there are seven kind of down lokas down to our earth and their names are:

1.Atal

2.Vital

3.Sutal

4.Talatal

5.Mahatal

6.Rasatal &

7.Patal .

In one breath she spoke all seven lokas in a rythemic way.

Oh I see, I asked then in which loka we are living? My niece was also there and listening all the conversations very interestingly. She interfered and told, Pinni (aunty) it's Bhu loka. Appreciating them I said, Very good.

It is the impression of their school that they are having a sound knowledge of mythology and the reason of their curiosity for the mythology. She asked me Pinni, then where is Swarg Loka?

Hmmmm...... I took a long breath. A big question which I too didn't know very neatly. Then seeing her curiosity now it was my duty to quench thirst by giving answer to their question.

I started hunting for the answer and recalled up my philosophical, my mythological, my epic, and last, but definitely not the least, Google knowledge.

Due to my mother and my Appa (grandmother) I too have a little sound knowledge of mythology. As my Appa always used to tell us some stories or some chantings to make us sleep.

Any how altogether found out the answer. I explained them...see according to our Hindu mythology there are fourteen lokas in total. Among which seven are above our realm and seven are beneath the realm.

The below you already know The above seven are as follows:

Satya loka

2.Tap loka

Jana loka

Mahar loka

5.Swarg loka

6.Bhuvar loka &

7.Bhu loka........where we live. And I explained them one by one who exists in all other lokas.

I said but in general we talk only about three lokas viz; Swarg Loka, Bhu loka and Patal loka.

Oh, very nice, Pinni she nodded her head with a pleasent smile. I was feeling proud of myself thinking.....Oh! I explained well. Yes, today my kids got some knowledge and tapped own back.

I turned into my household chores.

At once my niece came to me and asked Pinni......one thing is not cleared to me... I said, what? She told,  Pinni, as per your knowledge if a person did wrong deeds in his life then he would have been sent to the Hell..mean Patal loka and for good deeds in Swarg Loka. Isn't it ?

I said, Yes!

Why so? This is not right, she exclaimed.

What's wrong with this? These rules are made by almighty. I again explain them about Chitragupta and other deities.

She said, Pinni...all these okay but one dilemma !!! What? I asked.

After the death with good deeds a man goes to Swarg loka which exist only one layer after Bhuvar loka and if he commits anything wrong goes to Patal loka (Narkam) which is seven layer below our realm. Do you not think this is not right? A huge difference between punishment and reward, she said.

I