The Upside Down

Kyung-Soon started walking up the trail as fast her tired feet could take her. Sweat trickled down the nape of her slender neck and slid down her spine, giving her a little shiver of uneasiness. Every laboured breath she took came out as puffs of vapour that was lost in the fog around her. All she could see was the dark, muddy path a few feet ahead, before it disappeared into the waiting fog.

The shepherd

“There are those amongst us who still harbour doubts about our cause.”

“They cultivate a semblance of rationality and feel entitled to their patronising opinions.”

“But they do not have the spine to stand up for their convictions.”

“They slink about in the

And life is just a dream..

There was a moment, somewhere in between the cursing, the slapping and the buzzing of fat mosquitoes, that Marshal felt a twinge of doubt. It was just a smidgen of doubt, mind you. Everyone is entitled to doubts aren’t they? Especially if you are in the middle of a Borneo rainforest on a Thursday afternoon in your underwear and only pair of good gumboots.

Dandelions

The clear blue sky was the perfect canvas for the early morning painting. Soft white clouds lazed across this vast ocean in the heavens, their journey gently heeded by the whispers of wind, while a pair of shining brown eyes watched them.

Laxmi gazed at those gentle giants, hoping to catch a glimpse of a cat or a cow or even a familiar face. Her grandfather had taught her to look closely at the clouds and search for hidden treasures, and so

Phoenix rising

“Kill me. Stab my heart with your knife and let me be spared of this life.”

I stood rooted in shock and terror. He advanced towards me with a manic look in his blood shot eyes. His shirt was perfectly tucked and pants perfectly creased and not one strand out of place in his perfectly groomed head. Yet, his eyes chilled my heart and those words struck me in the face.

A drop in the ocean of time

Hari Badrinath took a deep breath. The candles in front of him were reflected on his glasses and as the flames swayed and danced, his eyes gleamed with forgotten youthfulness and one could almost see the years drown in those shining pools. When he blew, the candles flickered and died. For a brief moment he had felt young again.

Sepukku

The dry leaves dotted the brown earth in patches of red and gold. The sky mirrored this image on earth with vivid hues of magenta and ochre. The setting sun cast long ominous shadows of the surrounding trees and many of the fallen leaves lay in darkness. A thin wind whistled among them and carried a few beyond the ancient roots of the oak and into the failing light of the day. This breeze ruffled his robe as he walked from the edge of the forest towards the giant oak in the middle of the glade. An old beaten path

To fetch a pail of water..

Years ago when I was just a wee lad, I remember learning one of the oldest and most popular nursery rhymes taught at my school — ‘Jack and Jill’.

At that point in time, my 10 year old brain remembered it for how it sounded and never paid particular attention to what actually happened to its protagonists. But the older me revisited this rhyme recently (don’t ask me how!) and it got me thinking.