brooding over chai

# 100wordstory # pictureprompt I am going home after eight years. The phone had rung early morning.'Ma very sick,come home,' informed me the voice. I had to go despite all that had happened.Despite the fact that she had always favored my brother, I had to go.I had to go back one more time to bid her adieu, despite the fact that she protected him even when he slept with my fiancee. I get down from the train.My sibling rushes to hold me in a tight embrace,sobbing, 'ma is no more. She told me to tell you that she is sorry'. After a long pause, 'forgive me brother.'

# 100wordstory # pictureprompt They walked up the field towards the base of the hill,where he lay,frozen in time Memories of a time,when they were not just a couple,but a family of three,flooded them.Memories of their little boy,as he played amongst these very grasslands,replayed in front of their eyes. She was about to pass out when he caught hold of her.Hand in hand,they walked up,watching the sun play peek-a-boo with the clouds. It was their child's first death anniversary.The estranged couple had decided to be together on this day.They had chosen to be in their child's favorite place.That was the little boy's last wish.

#100wordstory #pictureprompt I was in deep sleep when he woke me up. It was our long-awaited midnight adventure.The excitement was overwhelming. We walked through the woods and the mist. As always he led the path and I followed. He explained the sights and sounds, while I noted them as I ran after him.Yes, I forgot to tell you that he walked as if he flew. It was hard tracking him. And then we reached the cliff. He signalled me to jump after him. I was about to when an owl hooted. I remembered he was no more. He had taken his life here,last week. I can't follow him anymore. I have to live my life!

It was twelve. The wails of the baby woke her up. “Aww…., she must be hungry. I think the two-hour gap is not working,” muttered Nima as she rushed to the cot where the baby lay. “My little one. Don’t cry, please. Here, hold on to it...yes! That’s like my good girl.” As the baby latched on, she breathed a sigh of relief. Reclining against the backrest, she thought about the ordeal she had endured. *** Married for eight years, they had tried every procedure to ensure they have a child. She had prayed. She had tried every pill and potion. When they had almost given up, she missed her periods. “Rakesh, Rakesh,” she had yelled from the bathroom. The groggy man had rushed in fearing an accident. He found her crying and laughing at the same time. In her hands was the pregnancy kit and on it were the pink lines they have been waiting for so long. What followed was a long kiss under the shower celebrating their triumph. Months passed. An uncomplicated pregnancy is what the doct

Rudraani sat looking outside. It had been raining continuously for the last three days. The driver hadn’t turned up. The inaugural ceremony was supposed to start at 6 pm. “Good riddance. I can always tell them that the rains made it impossible to venture out. Let my secretary handle it.” Relieved, she made herself a strong cup of the aromatic tea that she had bought from Nathmulls, the famous tea boutique in Darjeeling and switched off her phone. “Now I can be in peace.”  But peace eluded her that evening. She felt depressed and she knew not why. She sat in her “green” balcony watching the rain lash at the cottage opposite hers. She watched the drops trickle down the pane tracing a pattern. She took in the wet dog shivering in the cold. Fetching a blanket from her almirah, she decided to make a meal for the wretched fellow. “He deserves it. There have been many times he has warned me of the intruder. He guards my house when I am away. And I have never been kind to him. Never