Shielded

135th Challenge

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

                                                 

This week's photo prompt is provided by Elaine Farrington Johnson. Thank yoiu Elaine!

The recent carnage had left many wounded in mind and body. Some breathed their last 

even before they could remember their loved ones. The silent march of protest against 

the violence unleashed, started from a nondescript lane. All silent hands held candles 

that crackled with the wind. Their feet moved slowly with the weight of their grief of 

having lost their kith and kin.  A pall of gloom descended as the celestial beings numbed 

their shine in the darkness. Only a little innocent hand carried a placard which had the 

magic four letters hurriedly scribbled on it with hearts drawn around. The little orange 

hood manged to hide a part of his face and perhaps veiled his loss. The little boy was 

unhurt in the bloodbath as his mother pushed the child on the ground and lay over him 

shielding him, while she became the target of the insane bullets.

                         Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers.Thank you Priceless Joy.

                                               

 Word Count : 150

The Night.

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

133rd Challenge

This week's photo prompt is provided by Pamela S. Canepa. Thank you Pamela!

25^th March, 2017

20^th floor apartment, Mumbai

8.30 pm

The tenebrosity of the night seems to hug her like a warm blanket. The Earth Hour has 

just begun.

As her gaze wanders up, the celestial twinkles seem to cast their glow a tad brighter.

The vehicular traffic appears to crawl, holding lanterns in the trajectory of darkness.

Anita turns inside to step into her cosy home. The aromatic candles are lit, mingling its 

scent into the urn of red floating rose petals. The gastronomical wafts beckons her to the 

table. He serves her the simple yet tasty food for soul and both eat with love in their 

eyes as the two decades of their flowering partnership melt in their hearts.

The next day the maid steps in with newspaper and milk while Anita is still in the 

embrace of slumber.

The maid notices the two plates in the sink and sighs, “Poor madam is missing her 

husband. So she eats from two plates”.

                           written for  : Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

                                                  

word count  : 161

Notes : Earth Hour is a 60 minute period when all the lights are switched off voluntarily.

Read more about Earth Hour.

Teacher, Guru

131st Challenge

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

175 words

This week's photo prompt is provided by artycaptures.wordpress.com. Thank you artycaptures!

Her fingers lay stiff as if rigor mortis has set in. Her eyes stare blankly into nothingness as 

if devoid of life and meaning. Decades ago she spread the fragrance with her smile and 

jasmine in her coiffure. The white chalk and wooden duster in her hand, she made our 

fingers move effortlessly to produce curves lines and dots on the blackboard. Patience 

was her adornment which rubbed subtly on us. The alphabets and the numbers were 

perfected under her tutelage and no mistake escaped from her sharp glasses. She cajoled 

us to chew our greens gently reminding us to leave biscuits and cookies in the picture 

books. Her nimble fingers moulded the children’s clay into fascinating figures and 

sculpted our tender minds too.

Today as she lay in the hospice, my fingers tend to her daily needs.

The keyboard has taken over but my neat handwriting garners praise. I thank her for my 

sound physical health.

My crisp nurse’s uniform is proud of her teachings and values imparted.

My first teacher, my guru. Dhanyawad.

Written for : Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. Thanks Priceless Joy.

word count : 175

Notes : 

This is a piece of fiction.

Guru - means teacher in Indian language.

Dhanyawad- means thanks.

In India, 5th September is celebrated as Teachers' Day as a mark of tribute to the contribution made by teachers to the society.

5th September is the birth anniversary of a great teacher Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was a staunch believer of education, and was a well-known diplomat, scholar, the President of India and above all, a teacher.

Know more about Teacher's Day. 

courtesy Google

Community kitchen

FFfAW Challenge-Week of August 22, 2017

129th Challenge

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

This is a flash fiction challenge (stories in 100-175 words or less) and each story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end.


                     

This week's photo prompt is provided by Yarnspinnerr. Thank you for our photo prompt!

             The slow flames cooked the contents of the pots spreading aroma.

Chenamma’s kitchen aptly called ‘Amma’s kitchen’ satiated not only hunger pangs of the 

homeless but also nourished the souls in their darkest moments. It all started with one 

pot of rice and sambhar, serving them free of charge. Hunger knows no boundaries 

and people started queuing up for their daily fill. Being an ingenious labourer, she 

requested her humble patrons to donate some money as a payment for the next person’s 

meal. Thus a chain of charity began and the number of pots swelled. The word of mouth 

publicity brought generous donors. A local vernacular newspaper covered her 

philanthropic act and corporate houses loosed their purse strings. Female labourers 

offered their services as cooks and handy-helps as the kitchen fires grew. The make-shift 

kitchen transformed into ‘Amma’s Canteen’, a brick-mortar structure with housing 

quarters for full-time staff.

Universities hailed ‘Amma’s Canteen’ as a unique start-up with negligible capital and a 

heart full of compassion. Humanity continues to thrive in her flames.

                                      Written for  : FFfAW. Thanks Priceless Joy.   



                                                     



notes : Amma means mother.

           Sambhar - Indian curry.

Word count : 173

Parenting

   

FFfAW Challenge-Week of August 15, 2017

         
                                                       128th Challenge


                



This week's photo prompt is provided by artycaptures.wordpress.com. Thank you artycaptures!

“Fill the mug to half its capacity”, read little Nikhil from the bake-book.

“The other mug has to be washed and dried, pour all the batter into this” argued Nilesh

“Follow the instructions for best results”, cautioned Nikhil.

But the contents of the mug was already full and Nilesh’s gloved hands had pushed the 

mug into the oven.

Minutes later as the oven beeped, the result was far from satisfactory.

Nilesh tried to skulk the mess into the bin when a pair of elderly feminine legs stood 

between him and the bin.

Silence prevailed instead of a logomachy.

                                         *********************

Nikhil presided over the meeting as the CEO of the conglomerate. The applause 

resonated the entire corporate corridors.

The framed picture of the ‘batter’ed mug that their mom hung in the boys’ study 

prodded him to push his limits and succeed. Every rung of ladder climbed was attributed 

to him mother’s upbringing.

Nilesh did odd jobs to eke out a living without completing his formal education.

The identical twins were as different as chalk and cheese.

                 Written for : Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. Thank you Pricess Joy.

                                 


Click HERE  to read all the wonderful FFfAW entries.

word count : 175

life-boats.

FFfAW Challenge-Week of 8-01-2017

126th Challenge

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

                        

                        This week's photo prompt is provided by TJ Paris. Thank you TJ!

Sagarika ensconced in the white walls gaped at the wide expanse in front of her eyes. 

Nay, she wasn’t admiring the azure waters but was staring at the ocean of problems 

that would sink her being. How would she tackle them single-handedly?

Her deep passion for ocean photography took her to all the depths of the world.

They had a whirlwind romance that swept her off her feet. 

He had abandoned her in mid-seas when she landed on the hard ground of reality. 

Jettisoning a part of herself was never an option.

With beads of perspiration sprouting on her forehead, she took deep controlled breaths 

and spread her legs  and lo…… she felt free.

The magnanimity of the blue waters did not intimidate her. A pair of lifeboats lay on the 

shore. She would sail in the waters with a part of herself. Loneliness and helplessness 

deserted her reinforcing her with a pair of strong oars. The innocent new-born  slept in 

her embrace blissfully unaware of her inner strength.

                 Written for : Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. Thank you Priceless Joy.

                                                 
 (word count : 169)

the dual life

FFfAW Challenge-Week of July 25, 2017

                                                     125th Challenge


                            

This week's photo prompt is provided by Louise with The Storyteller's Abode. Thank you Louise!

 She wore her smile and solitaries with élan and poise.  Her body language oozed 

confidence. She was the bulwark of a successful writer who readily shared the laurels 

with her. The flashlights went ga-ga over them. When the fourth estate questioned him 

about his realistic writing he credited it to the wife and Zamora.

Zamora was an idyllic island privately owned by him totally uninhabited save for a 

caretaker.

The working weekdays saw him sign deals with top corporate houses. His power lunches 

packed a punch.

She was a social butterfly and his literary agent handling his book promotions and 

releases. The proceeds from the book sales and royalty were under her scrutiny. Nothing 

missed her eye. She kept their domestic machinery well-oiled to run without a hitch. 

They were a perfect couple awed and envied by the hoi-polloi and media alike.

Every weekend he took the speedboat to the Zamora to release his literary passion to 

coalesce on paper. His grey cells worked overtime and so did his body.

                           The caretaker doubled as his mistress. 



                Written for : Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. Thank you Priceless Joy.


                                                 

word count - 176

Click HERE  to read all the other wonderful stories.