Ugly

She was not ugly. It was true that she was a not a normal witch.  But that was no reason for them to call her ugly. Rather, she believed, that every witch who called her ugly was herself ugly.

She had tried her best to befriend everyone but eventually she lost hope. She chose to migrate to some far-off land.

She selected a dilapidated structure not far from a beautiful park.

She loved the park. And for her the most enjoyable part of the day was when little children came to the park to play their little games. The park resonated with their shouts of joy and cries of anger.  She often joined them in their games.

Children were too innocent to suspect her. But she too had decided to bid her time and not to do anything in a hurry.

One day a naughty boy threw a stone at a bird. The stone was big and had a sharp edge. It missed the bird and hit her on the face.

Boy looked at her and screamed in terror.

“I must be looking fearsome and……...and ugly. At least I can go back, now I won’t be an outcast …….”

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A post for A to Z April Challenge

Today’s letter U

 

 

The Train

I was stuck in heavy traffic and I was worried that I would miss the train. When I finally reached the station, the train was already moving. Luckily, I was travelling light. I ran and managed to board the train before it left the platform.

I was alone in the cabin.

I had not slept for more than thirty hours. The moment I settled in my berth I fell asleep.

I felt a sever jolt and woke up. For a couple seconds I could not comprehend where I was. Soon I realized that I was in a train, going back home. I tried to look through the glass-window.  It was completely dark outside.

I felt that I was not alone in the cabin. Someone was sleeping on the opposite berth. The person turned around. She was a young girl. She was very beautiful.

Suddenly, I again felt a severe jolt and the train started moving. But surprisingly, the jolt did not disturb the girl, she remained asleep.

When the alarm woke me up, train was about to reach my destination. I turned towards the opposite berth. It was vacant.  I came out of the cabin and looked around but the girl was not in the coach. Perhaps she had deboarded the train at the previous station.

I saw the ticket checker and, just out of curiosity, I asked him about the girl.

“Which girl? You must be mistaken. You were the only passenger in that cabin.”

“How can that be? I saw her sleeping on the opposite berth. Around 1 a.m. when the train had stopped ……...”

Ticket Checker looked at me suspiciously, “The train had stopped? Around 1 a.m.? Are you serious?”

His reaction left me confused, ‘Did I dream about her?’

As I came out of the station, I saw that girl rushing towards a taxi.

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A post for A to Z April Challenge

Today’s letter T

 

 

 

 

 

Snoring

He unlocked the door and stepped into his room. The room was unusually dark.

‘What’s the matter,’ he thought, ‘it’s still quite bright outside…. why it’s so dark in here.’

He switched on the light but surprisingly the room remained dark. He felt there was someone in the room. He heard a loud snore.

By now his eyes had adjusted to the dim light in the room. To his horror he saw a seedy looking old man lying in his bed.

He almost screamed in terror.

“Don’t scream, it doesn’t behove a young man who wants to become a soldier. Did you do well in the entrance examination?” old man asked.

He was too stupefied to respond.

“Who are you? How did you enter my room? How do you know about me?”  

“You won’t believe me……. but I am a ghost,” old man almost whispered, sheepishly. And then he moaned as if in pain, “This pain will kill me. Oh! My right knee.”

He was totally confused, ‘If he is a ghost, then how can he be in pain?’

“Do you know any home remedy? No doctor would be willing to treat me,” old man asked.

“You can try fomentation with hot water.”

“Will that work?”

“It may. My grandfather used to try it.”

“Your grandfather? I think I knew him……. we were together in the war. Yes…. yes, he helped me when I was shot…. He tried hard but couldn’t save me.”

He was feeling terrified.

“Will you please help me?”

He immediately rushed out.

He came back after a few minutes with bowl of hot water.

The old man was sleeping……and he was snoring loudly.

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A post for A to Z April Challenge

Today’s letter S,

 

 

 

 

 

Rodents

No one had ever been able to fool him. He had always been extremely cautious.  Therefore, he felt humiliated when the girl stepped into the quadrangle.

He realized that he had been fooled and he had committed a blunder. She was not an ordinary girl. She was a dangerous witch who had been trying to rescue the witches he had ensnared. The witches were in an invisible cage in the quadrangle.

The dangerous witch had been trying to help her friends for many months but she was unable to locate the place where they had been imprisoned. She suspected that they could be in some invisible cage or in a hidden dungeon. She knew that if she succeeded in finding them, she would manage to liberate them. She had acquired some mysterious powers which no one counter.

She made the cage visible. Magician tried to stop her but his magic failed.

But when she was trying to open the cage, hundreds of rodents magically appeared in the quadrangle.  The witch was mortally scared of rodents. She started screaming hysterically. The witches in the cage were equally terrified and they too screamed.

Their screaming touched the magician’s heart, for he was not an unkind person. He thought he would spare their lives. He thought he could put them to some use.

He smiled and turned the witches into little rodents.

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A post for A to Z April Challenge

Today’s letter R

You can read earlier post here.

 

  

 

Quadrangle

“You are free to go anywhere except this quadrangle.”

“Why?”

“It’s for your own good…… you are safe everywhere except this quadrangle because……. I am not sure…... it would be better if you avoid coming here. Rather, I forbid you.”

The girl was not convinced. She felt that the magician was trying to hide something from her.  It had taken her months to convince him that she was serious in her intent; she too wanted to become a great magician like him. He had eventually accepted her as his first apprentice. But, then, he too had an ulterior motive.

She looked intently but she could find nothing odd in that quadrangle. It was completely empty.

“You think there’s nothing here……you are mistaken,” magician smiled maliciously. “There is huge cage right in middle of quadrangle……. but you can’t see it. Five vicious witches that I have trapped are in that cage. They are desperate to escape from their captivity, but they can’t.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to know……” the girl said.

She looked at the magician wickedly.

She stepped into the quadrangle fearlessly.

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A post for A to Z April Challenge

Today’s letter Q

You can read my earlier post here

P

  

 

 

The Cap

“Yes, that’s the cap my grandson was wearing,”. Old woman was pointing to a man in the crowd.

 “It’s his cap. Arrest this man, right now, He…. he must have…….” She was in tears.

The police officer felt sorry for her. He knew that there was nothing unique about that cap. Hundreds of such caps were available in the market. 

“You think I’m not in my senses. Just look inside that cap…. you will see my signatures…. the poor boy insisted…….”

The man panicked and tried to get away.

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Word count 89

A post for Friday Fictioneers on a picture post.

 

 

Poisoned Arrow

I could not believe that a lodge could have such a name. Poisoned arrow. It was not a funny name. Rather, there was something eerie about it.

“Actually no one really knows why that place is called Poisoned Arrow,” said Rishad. “The family that owns it shifted to their palatial house in the city long back. Now it is used as a lodge. But it’s beautifully located, right in front of the lake. The kids will love it.”

It really was a beautiful lodge and the view from portico was enchanting. The boys were overjoyed. They had never been to such a place.

The manager was an old man. Out of curiosity I asked him, “Why is it called Poisoned Arrow?”

“I don’t know but I heard some rumours when I first came here…… about thirty years ago, one evening the person who owned this lodge was standing in the portico somewhere over there,” he stopped for a moment and pointed to one end of the portico. “Out of nowhere an arrow came and hit him in the chest. He wasn’t wounded but……. he died after a few days. They said that the doctor who examined him suspected that he had been hit by a poisoned……...”

The manager suddenly let out a terrifying scream. He stumbled and fell down like broken tree.

He had been hit in the chest by an arrow.

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A post for A to Z April Challenge

Today’s letter P

You can read my previous story here.

O