Fresh - Five Sentence Fiction #14

    His gaze followed her hungrily as she moved out of the cafe, swinging the bag of food in one hand and texting someone with the other.

     He followed the unsuspecting girl silently, waiting for the right moment to strike.

     'Now is the time' he thought as he noticed her turning towards a deserted street and lurched forward to snatch her bag, scaring her in the process.

      He didn't stop to see her reaction; he just ran with the bag which had fresh food that the girl had ordered from the cafe.

      He would feel guilty later, he thought; but at that moment, all he could think was the anguish of his little boy, who had been lying hungry and sick since days, thanks to their poverty.

PS: This post is written for Five Sentence Fiction - Fresh and Write Tribe Pro Blogger Challenge.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

The Two-Faced Man!!

Team 'Tandem Tensome'

This is the 3rd post in Round 2 of #CelebrateBlogging. Read the Round 1 posts here. 

Here are the links to previous posts of this round - Chapter 11, Chapter 12.

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       Mr Ahuja was hurrying around in his house making sure everything was in place. He didn’t want anything unusual to catch Shekhar’s attention. If he had one thing in his life, that was to be careful and make no mistakes. Because, in his work, mistakes were not an option; it could as well earn him a lifetime sentence. He ordered his servant to wind up the work soon and leave as he was expecting important guests. His servant didn’t speak much for he feared Mr Ahuja. He sensed there was something sinister about the man but he couldn’t pinpoint what. He just nodded and left once he was done with his chores.

       Not long after that, the doorbell rang. Before opening the door, Mr. Ahuja knew who it was. He could already hear Roohi’s excited chatter as she waited for him to open the door impatiently. His lips curved into a half smile and his eyes glinted. So far, his plan was working flawlessly. He forced a fake smile on his face as he opened the door and welcomed the duo. “Welcome Mr. Dutta” he said extending his hand. “Call me Shekhar” said Shekhar as he shook his hands. Roohi was not interested in the formal exchange. Her eyes were scanning the house, searching for her favourite pup. “Come on child. This way” said Mr Ahuja as he noticed Roohi’s impatience. He guided them through his mansion to the backyard where Roohi’s favourite pup was. Roohi ran towards and the pup leaped in joy as it recognized her familiar face. “She already is so attached to it” observed Shekhar and beamed, satisfied with his decision to gift the pup to Roohi.

       Jennifer felt totally powerless as Tara stared down upon her. Words weren’t needed; just her stare was enough to make anyone tremble. Such was the Ice Lady’s aura. Jennifer regretted to be on the receiving end of that stare. “This kind of indiscipline is not acceptable here Miss. You want a job? Then you adhere to the rules. Else I won’t think twice before finding a substitute for you. I don’t want to hear any excuses” thundered Tara as Jennifer opened her mouth to explain her story. “Your personal problem doesn’t concern me! And I advise you to leave them at home unless you want to be fired. Do I make myself clear?” she went on. Jennifer wanted to scream too. She was late just by a couple of minutes but she was wise enough to hold back her emotions. “Yes ma’am” she muttered when she noticed Tara’s rage increasing. “Good. Get to work” said Tara and left. Jennifer’s good mood had vanished. A day that had promised to be great was already turning bad. She badly wanted to smoke but she knew better. She didn’t want another lecture from the Ice Lady. She sighed and started walking towards the direction pointed by the receptionist, where she would be assigned her first project. Life was not at all easy.

       Shekhar and Mr. Ahuja sat chatting as Roohi played with the puppy. It had been an hour since Shekhar had come and Mr. Ahuja had taught them about the basics of taking care of the pup. Roohi had learnt everything with so much enthusiasm and Shekhar had no doubts that they would face any problem looking after the pup. After the session, he sat with Mr. Ahuja to talk while Roohi played with the pup. “You have a wonderful house” said Shekhar. He was pretty impressed seeing the mansion. He wondered how Mr. Ahuja passed time all alone in such a big house. He had moved in to this locality just a couple of years back and in that time he had never met anyone except Mr. Ahuja and his servant. Word had it that his wife had died years ago in an accident. That was one version of it. Some others even said that she was murdered. Shekhar looked around the house and his eyes fell upon the picture of the woman hung on the wall. A garland adorned the picture of the beautiful lady. “That must have been Mrs. Ahuja” wondered Shekhar. “Yes” replied Mr. Ahuja and Shekhar was startled. He didn’t realize he had said those words aloud.

        Mr. Ahuja stared at the picture of his wife as he expected for Shekhar’s next question. He was sure it would follow and it did. “I am so sorry. What happened to her?” Shekhar asked as expected by him. Mr. Ahuja remembered that night clearly; the night his wife had died or rather killed. He had come home late. It was their anniversary. He had promised to take her out for a date. He had expected her to be waiting for him and waiting she was. But her expression was different. She wasn’t her usual calm self. There were anger and fear written on her beautiful face. And it hadn’t taken much time for him to understand the reason behind it. She had found out his secret; a secret that had made her detest him. She had threatened to inform the police. She promised that she would make him pay for the cries of the innocent. She was threatening to expose his dark secret. He had desperately tried to talk to her but she was not ready to listen to his filthy excuses. He knew the game was going to end if he didn't act fast. Self defence took over and it didn’t take long for Mr. Ahuja to kill her. “What a waste” he thought as he watched his beautiful wife go limp. “You could have lived like a queen if you had kept your mouth shut” he muttered. He didn’t waste time, for he had to take care of the mess.  He called the police and lodged a complaint of accident. Some suitcases were exchanged and the murder was filed as an accident and the matter was closed forever.

       “Mr. Ahuja? I am sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable” Shekhar’s voice brought him back to the present. “No no. It is fine. It is just that I loved her a lot. She died in an accident on our anniversary” he said. Shekhar felt pity for the man. For him, it was evident in Mr. Ahuja’s voice that how much he adored his wife. He just placed his hand over his, trying to comfort him. Mr. Ahuja kept up the pretence. He didn’t mind the concern; in fact it was what he needed. If this continued, there would be no hurdles in his plan. “I would like it if you could join us for dinner tonight” said Shekhar. He felt sorry for the man who seemed so lonely. “That is so kind of you” said Mr. Ahuja as he looked at Roohi. “I definitely won’t mind coming” he said an evil plot started taking shape in his mind.

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Read the next posts here: Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17

PS: "Me and my team are participating in 'Game of Blogs' at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Unfaithful Love!

     "You know I love you but this can't go on anymore" she says with tears in her eyes.

       "They are searching for you all over and once they find you, it won't be long before they discover my secrets" her voice broke.

       Without delay, she lights the match stick and throws it on the unsuspecting victim, who lay helpless on the floor and watches him burn.

       Shedding a tear or two, she walks away, without sparing a second glance to her faithful confidante.

       Minutes later, the Diary is nothing but mere ash, her secrets hidden forever in its burnt pages!

PS: Linking this post to Five Sentence Fiction - Pages, the Ultimate Blog Challenge July 2014 and NaBloPoMo.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,
Swathi :)

Mardaani!

        I was in high school at that time. It was my friend's cousin's wedding. She was excited about it, what with all the events, shopping, fun that was going on during wedding. Her excitement was contagious and soon I found myself basking in the happiness too. Little did we anticipate the real deal that was going to follow.

       Her cousin Samhitha was a doctor. Samhitha's parents belonged to a middle class family. They had suffered a lot but their ambition was that their daughter to become a doctor someday. When this dream came true and Samhitha returned home with a medical degree, their joy knew no bounds! They were on cloud nine and they went on bragging about it. Once their initial excitement waned, next was the task of getting her married. Like every parent, they wanted their daughter to get the best guy and after searching a lot, they found one. The guy was well settled and belonged to a reputed family. He was a doctor too! What more could they ask for? Without much thought, they agreed and the preparations for wedding started.

       But things didn't go as planned. As the days passed and most of the preparations were made, the groom's parents started changing colors. They started making demands. First it started with "We don't want dowry, but we wish you would gift your daughter gold ornaments on her wedding. After all it will make her happy" Once this was fulfilled, next came the demand of house and soon followed the car for the groom. Wasn't he like their son now? Samhitha's parents had no choice but to oblige; after all the invitation cards were sent and the wedding date was around the corner. It had become a matter of respect now. What would people say if the wedding broke off? So they took loans and fulfilled all the needs.

       Samhitha tried convincing her parents not to do this but they would hush her saying she doesn't understand the norms of society. "Who would marry her again if the wedding was called off now?" they shot back. She was hurt by this attitude but she kept quiet after they refused to give in. She watched it all and remained silent. She waited patiently for her chance and it did come.

       Finally it was the day of wedding and celebrations were going on. Cousins, relatives, friends and colleagues of both bride and groom started flowing in. Soon it was time for the auspicious ceremony. The groom was about to tie the knot when Samhitha stood up. She looked at him with hate filled eyes and said "Wasn't it the car and house that you loved the most? I suggest you tie the knot to them only" Saying so, she left; without even sparing a second glance to the groom who sat their shell shocked, his mouth hanging open! He was disgraced in front of everyone, including his own people for the crime he had committed.

       I don't know what happened later. But this incident is still etched in my mind clearly, for it left a deep impact on me and changed my perspective towards society. She didn't care what people would think of her nor did she worry about her future. She just knew that supporting a crime is crime in itself and she didn't want to be a part of it. So she stood up for herself and that is the identity of a true Mardaani!

PS: This post is written as a part of I am Mardaani activity exclusively at BlogAdda.com for Indian Bloggers.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Crimson Love - Guest Post

       Happiness is doing something you love and finding someone who shares the same love and is travelling on the same boat is like getting that extra cherry on top of the cake. It was a similar story, finding a best friend in this blogging world. When I was struggling, trying to find my foot, I met her, through A-Z challenge and ever since we have been best of friends. Right from discussing blog posts to college life, it's always fun chatting with Nibha. We are always on the same length and sometimes we wonder if the term 'Soul Sisters' is really true! She blogs at Expressions (hop over to her blog and show her some love) She loves to rhyme and one of her stories has been selected for Crumpled Voices an anthology of short stories. 

       Today happens to be a special day for her as she completes 100 posts (Finally after thinking about it for days! :D) and I am hosting her on my blog, to make it more special. Please welcome Nibha as she writes a fiction post today. Thank you Nibha for writing this one :)

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       It was last Saturday when I saw her for the first time. She wore red shirt paired with old blue jeans. She was busy chirping with her girl-friends when she entered through the glass door. She saw me. Her eyes said it was love at first sight. Her friend picked up her shopping bag from the counter and they left. But I saw her turn around to look at me once more. Her eyes had determination that she will make me hers.

       She couldn't resist me for long and was back the very next day when she confessed her love for me and from that moment I was all hers. I accompanied her everywhere. She wouldn't let me out of her sight for a single second. I loved her company. Her bubbly voice was like music that spread happiness wherever she went.

       Today, she was happy beyond words. It was the most awaited day of her life; prom night. She looked gorgeous in her red knee-length dress. Red was definitely her color. Red complimented her innocence. She danced so gracefully to the rhythm that anyone who saw her would fall in love with her. Amidst the music I heard someone confessing his love for her. She too was enchanted by his persona. She took no thought to say yes. It was as if her lifelong wish has come true. It broke my heart but I knew I will always have a special place in her heart.

“May I drop you home?” asked the charming boy.

“Yes, sure” she smiled at his gesture.

       A few minutes later, we were not home. I don’t know where we were but she left me alone outside when he took her in. I was perplexed. But few minutes later I heard the door lock. I was worried. It was followed by her muffled cries. I could only panic hearing her shout for help. No one came to her rescue. I could feel her pain but was helpless. I cursed myself. Sometime later, which felt like hours to me, she escaped with me leaving behind the crimson trail. Nobody knew what had happened and who he was!

       When she reached home, she shut herself in her room and cried day and night. I was there in the corner of the room, but did nothing to pacify her wailing heart. I was hurt too. I had seen her dreams being crushed. She was devastated. She felt deceived. What was her fault, I thought. Just that she believed in fairy tales and prince charming and knew nothing about what trap Love was? How naïve of her to get her heart and soul broken, anyone would say. But I knew whatever she was, she didn't deserve this. She was nothing less than a princess. I was lost in thoughts while she drowned herself in tears when I heard the police siren.  There was a knock at the door few minutes later.  Someone opened the door.

“I’m Inspector Shekhawat and I’m here to arrest Ms. Tia Sen under the charge of attempt to murder”

“What??”

      I was as shocked as her father was, but I wasn't clueless like him. What a cruel world it was!

“Yes it is. Mr. Garg, the politician has filed a complaint again her for attempting to kill his son, stabbing him with pointed red stilettos.

       Ah! My mention! But all I had done was to help her to escape from the monster! I was still thinking about what I did was good or not when the sub-inspector picked me up and suffocated me in transparent polythene. 

“Found those red stilettos, Sir”

image source: google images

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love, 

Swathi and Nibha :)