The Silk Road

It was another beautiful evening. Actually, every evening had been beautiful since I’d met Dora. I am still afraid to say her Chinese name, but she doesn’t mind being called Dora. I sometimes call her “Dear” but she doesn’t seem to notice. Never mind. A rose is as beautiful, called by any other name. I met her 2 months ago, and the dull streets of Wuxi came alive. She was everything I wanted. Docile, elegant, beautiful. Could a man want more?

Until that fateful evening, when a stranger suddenly took out his knife and spoke very fast Chinese. Before my hand reached for the wallet, her hand reached for his. In the flash of the moment, I was gaping at the bleeding neck of the mugger.

‘A woman must be able to do everything from tying a diaper to hacking a head,’ she quoted another Chinese proverb for me.

More Cars than Roads

Alien noises beeped all around him and yet he was unfazed. It was a daily ordeal now. He knew he should never have left the comforts of home in this city without air to breathe. He remembered the clean roads and speedy people around him, the days of the yore.

But the new life was good too. It was a sort of peace in an exploding bubble of madness. He never understood the ways of these new men. They cursed everyone without realizing that they were a part of everyone.

I will do my duty and die, he thought. After all, that was what he was made for. It wasn’t home where he’d be cared for. Here, life was rough and he had to scramble for the little space he got, often in the Sun.

Reservation

The morning rays penetrated through him. Ironic, he thought, carrying 50 rupees worth of labor on his shoulders. The cool water ticked his back, as he wiped a bead of sweat from his filtrum. The train was already at the station, he wondered why the mustached uniformed man wouldn’t let him board the train. His load kept getting heavier with each passing moment. What he would not give to curl himself up in a corner and goto sleep.

He looked at the blue seats. He’d walked almost the entire night with water on his back, just to catch this train. He was remembering his journey when the doors opened.

He pushed and rushed in, feeling bliss and finally reaching the blessed seat he’d eyed for so long. All he discovered was a stained handkerchief. A mark of reservation in an unreserved compartment. He closed his eyes.

Sindbad

My 2nd post for the Short Story Series.

He dreamt of sailing the seas. His only desire was to be guided by the stars. But his peers did not understand freedom as he did, and tried to shove him beneath the fear of failing. But he dreamt, for no works could break his spirit to sail. Fear could not win, when he chose to write his own tale. He’d rather die gleefully in the ocean, than be bounded on land forever. His life was meant to be lived in his own way. He built his ship and bid farewell. He heard curses to go to hell. But he paid no heed to the people who feared. He had the blessings of those who cared. On a blessed clear morn, he lowered his sails.

Little did he knew, that storms dwelled beneath the horizon.

When Women Controlled the World

With this I embark my series of short stories originally intended for publication in 2014. But a backlog of articles, poems and stories have caused the delay, and I’m now able to finally start with them. So without further adieu, I present to you – When Women Controlled the World.

The world is at peace now, she thought. If only the idea had occurred to her race generations ago, millions of needless lives would have been avoided. She smiled as she looked down to a rainbow-colored car stopping below the white building.

Minor aberrations still occur, but they will be eliminated soon, she reflected, putting on the blue gloves. Just last night she’d delivered one, beautiful thing it was. She decided to let that one grow so his seed could be extracted.

By the time they realize it was us, it would be too late.

The plan was simple. Male infanticide. Elegant and treacherous. Just like her race. That was how humanity should have progressed. It’s a pity it took so long. She smiled and breathed fresh air.

They never suspected the nurses.