March 2018
Ahiliya, the beautiful princess of Magadha, was sitting on the balcony of her palace brooding over her loneliness. She had a score of girls to keep company though. Yet, everything looked so lacklustre. The cause behind was Ajay, the prince of Ujjain. That handsome rogue had cast a smile on Ahiliya on their only meeting that lasted a few minutes. The world has turned upside down for her ever since. She refused to meet her companions and secluded herself in the balcony that morning. Even the bright sunray reflecting on the lotus-pond looked gloomy to her. Suddenly, there was chirping of a bird near her. She ignored it. Birds were commonplace here. Chirp-chirp. It was even closer this time. It added to the anguish of the princess. She looked around to find a sparrow twirling its tiny tail on the railing. "O tiny bird! Don't you think you are getting on the nerves of a princess?" Ahilya was agitated. To her surprise, Ahiliya saw the bird speaking. "What is a princess?" "Don't you know this much?" she was irritated. "A princess is the daughter of the king, the most powerful man in the state." "Oh, alright," there was a semblance of smirk in the sparrow's being. "Why are you unhappy then?" "What's that got to do with you?" "I'm only trying to help." "You? A tiny creature! How can you help me?" "Okay, let's hear your problem." The sparrow looked considerate. "I'm in love with a prince," Ahiliya said reluctantly. "I guess it is the son of another king like your father." The sparrow got even chirpier. "It's right." Ahiliya noticed that she had started liking her conversation. "Does it have to be a prince every time? Won't any other boy do?" "Well," she fussed with her embroidered dress for a while, "it might be, but this is the norm." "Carry ahead." The sparrow winked. "I can't meet him. That's why I'm unhappy." The bird flapped its wings as if bored. "Your father is a powerful man. Can't he get you married to the prince?" Ahiliya sulked. "He's got other plans for me. He won't listen to my plea." "Alright; I can still help you. Where does your prince charming live?" Ahiliya laughed aloud. "Are you going to carry him a letter from me? Even the letter is heavier than you. You really make me laugh." The sparrow sprang on its feet a couple of times. "Don't judge anyone by size. It's the heart that matters. Yet for the records, where does he live?" "Don't know why I am wasting my time with you. Well, he stays in a state called Ujjain, far off from here." "See what I can do now," said the bird. "Phew!" the rebuking smile of Ahiliya turned into a wide gape as she witnessed the marvel in her front. The sparrow kept increasing in size till it turned more than double of her own! It even had a tinge of blue over its head. "Sit on my back." The chirp of the bird changed into a commanding voice. An awestruck Ahiliya dumbly climbed over the bird's back, and it flew high on the sky. The flight was effortless amongst the blue sky interspersed with white clouds. She found herself collected and fearless. After sometime the bird took a downward dip and settled still over a huge tree. Around, there was a huge city with edifices, temples bordered by a silvery river. "Here you are, in Ujjain." The sparrow announced. The mention of Ujjain made Ahiliya's heart pound fast. It pounded faster as she saw her prince Ajay riding on a white horse on a nearby road surrounded by two of his horse-ridden mates. "Get down, O bird. I want to meet him," she shouted earnestly. "Wait a while, you girl," the sparrow said calmly. That was when she saw Ajay and his mates surrounding an old man with a pretty girl. They wanted to snatch the girl away from him; but the old man resisted. The next moment the prince plunged the man hard on chest with his knife resulting the man fall into a pool of blood. In a jiffy the grief-stricken girl was carried away on Ajay's horse back. "How cruel!" said Ahiliya. "Still want to meet him?" asked the sparrow. "I want to go back." She covered her eyes. En route, it was a halt at an out-of-the world place with mix of bright hues all around with no plantations. Ahiliya felt strange, but calm. She got down. "Do you realise, girl, size is not all that counts?" the sparrow smiled. "Who are you, O bird?" Ahiliya knelt and folded her hands. "Are you God?" "Nah! Not that great. There can be only one God. He wants us to realise our smallness; so he makes us larger than we are at times. Possibly, He wishes you to understand that we, the birds, don't have geographical boundaries, nor do we have classes or ego. That's why we are happy. We don't have longings either. We are happy with whatever we have. We try to make others happy as well. See what you humans are doing in spite of being big? You are selfish; you belittle others, and still think highly of yourselves. So, who is bigger really?" "You are." "I still can help you. I want you to get rid of your vanity and ego. Let happiness come naturally to you." "Is it possible?" asked Ahiliya shakily. "Sure. Look at the conical can at your knees. Open it and exhale deeply into it." Ahiliya did, and felt herself light, devoid of any sorrow. Chirp-chirp! Ahiliya looked to see the tiny sparrow still on the railing of her balcony, stroking its feathers innocuously with its beak. "Did it really happen?" she wondered. But her state of bliss lingered.
Debaprasad Mukherjee is a regular contributor to this web magazine. He is a doctor by profession and is from Bilaspur in India. He has penned four books thus far.
Sarba Roy
September 2018
I knew the basics of survival. My mother had already given up on trying to confine my unmanageable bouts of adventure and had resigned instead to teaching me a few life hacks in the hope of preventing my untimely death.
Debaprasad Mukherjee
March 2018
Ahiliya, the beautiful princess of Magadha, was sitting on the balcony of her palace brooding over her loneliness. She had a score of girls to keep company though. Yet, everything looked so lacklustre.
Michael "Fynn" Lange
June 2017
"There are two lives that can be lived," said Mother Cat to her kittens, "the one you have with me safe at home, nestled in comfort... or ..."
Debaprasad Mukherjee
June 2017
Sam does not smoke; at least no more at present. In his boyhood days, he used to inhale an occasional puff or two from a friend maybe, but not now.
Aishwarya Chandrasekhar
June 2017
It was a regular Friday morning, the last working day of the week. As much as my little princess Ziva, I was also pretty excited about the weekend.
Aanchal Bharara
June 2017
There was a 12-year-old boy who had a lot of money to spend and enjoy his life. He lived in a mansion like house and studied in one of the best schools in the country.
(Voinks) Val Portelli
April 2017
Let me see dear. Oh yes, I should do. I've lived there for nearly fifty years. Was there anyone in particular you were looking for? I might know them.
Debaprasad Mukherjee
April 2017
'Handle with care' used to be written on the bottles into which my father poured his finest blends. My brewer father and simpleton mother handled me with utmost care.
Amina Bezzazi
April 2017
First shot for the late Hero... Second shot for the noble mission he died for... Third shot for the honorable corpse he so bravely served... Fourth shot for the departed Martyr.
Michael "Fynn" Lange
March 2017
Word had come through the mountains, along the long winding trails of our jungle and finally along the river, Yenzi was coming.
Hákon Gunnarsson
March 2017
It's evening, and we are walking on the beach. The sun is going down, and the sky is so beautiful. She is beautiful too, and laughs like a pixie.Of course, I've never seen or heard a pixie, but I love her.
Debaprasad Mukherjee
March 2017
Molly: Hey Tommy! You, goody-goody! Why on earth you're peeping through the window?
Cheryl Russell
March 2017
Lou looked up from her school exercise book and looked across at her gorgeous teddy she called Eddie bear.
Cheryl Russell
February 2017
She looked around uncertainly. The station was crowded, how was she supposed to find her daughter amongst the crowds.
Debaprasad Mukherjee
February 2017
Look at this snap, I say. Isn't it so telltale? Doesn't it speak volumes on our closeness? Our relationship could be the subject of a great novel of romances.
Voinks (Val Portelli)
February 2017
Although it was dangerous, I had no choice. We needed to eat and there was nothing left in our old habitat.
Joshua Hedges
January 2017
Life is complex, putting most answers on a spectrum, which I suppose places me between ordinary and special, smack dab in the middle of average.
Sheenah Middle
January 2017
God! He had been lucky, what if he had not walked back into that place today? Tomorrow would have been a disaster; his life would have changed completely.
Cheryl Russell
January 2017
The two girls Grace and Charlotte stood watching, fascinated by what they were seeing. Grace put her hand over her mouth to stop herself crying out.
Debaprasad Mukherjee
January 2017
The plan chalked out in the morning had nothing to do with birthday plans. They wanted to visit the Forbidden Fortress. It is a place they are told to stay off.
Joshua Roberts
December 2016
Janette was a head and half taller than her sister Susan who stood just in front of her under an arching entrance to an alleyway off the side of a cobbled street.
C. M. Turner
December 2016
Scarlet and Ashley had been told not to leave the castle. They stood in the doorway watching something flying overhead. It wasn't all that large as dragons go.
Sheenah Middle
December 2016
"Fred! How are you?" Jim said to the man that had stopped in the street before him. He had been cycling down the road trying to keep warm...
Val Portelli (Voinks)
December 2016
I can imagine you in a pinny. I've just been up to the cemetery; it would have been Ethel's birthday today so I took her a few flowers.
Cheryl Russell
November 2016
The enormous looking egg sat there with a look of abject horror on its face. A human was trying to take the layer of shell off.
Hákon Gunnarsson
November 2016
Charlie came running out of the woods in the morning mist. When he saw the lake pier, he slowed down to a walking pace.
Aishwarya Chandrasekhar
November 2016
We trees are pretty awesome. Don't you think so? Just look at me! How blessed I am to have these orange beauties all over me.
Michael "Fynn" Lange
November 2016
His niece turned to her teddy bear. A notebook opened upon her lap. She had been scribbling along pretending she knew how to write.
Cheryl Russell
November 2016
He walked along the road, arm out hoping to catch the eye of a passing motorist. It was a lonely stretch of road with trees lining it.
Drew Hill
November 2016
Two young girls, one looked to be ten while the other looked no older than six, were running around the tavern with trays over their heads.
Margaret Jennings
October 2016
Darkness in the trees that reflect his mood. A match that will not light. Thoughts that take him far from serenity.
Kelley Mether
October 2016
He tried to judge her accent. Possibly Spanish. Definitely another backpacker, like himself. If she wondered about him, she didn't show it.
Janice Joseph
October 2016
He pressed his face on the fence very hard. He looked far into the empty street to see if there were any signs of life.
Voinks (Val Portelli)
October 2016
I was beginning to go stir-crazy being cooped up indoors. All the things you take for granted suddenly became insurmountable mountains.
Keith Dwyer
October 2016
It had started in college. In the summers Jake had worked for a catering company in the resort area south of his hometown.
Michael "Fynn" Lange
September 2016
I was a mathlete, my teachers always called me the Bell Curve Breaker.
Cheryl Russell
September 2016
They were camping. It was supposed to be a relaxing break from the hectic pace of the last few weeks.
Joanna Hunter
September 2016
They say there is no such thing as the Bogeyman. But I know different. And right now we are playing hide and seek.
Janice Joseph
September 2016
"Why are you staring at the water? We pass by this stream daily and I can't see anything new. Are you ok?"
Lisa Wood
September 2016
He'd been waiting for hours for God only knows what. Frank wasn't an information guy. They told him to wait here, so here he waited.
Ajay Gregory Antony
September 2016
"Why did I leave home? Why am I here? Does any of this make sense?" I kept questioning myself over and again.
Michael "Fynn" Lange
September 2016
"You came all this way just for college?" Cody said to his little brother. Cody looked around himself.
Cheryl Russell
September 2016
Father and son were enjoying some quality time together. It was late September but still the weather was nice.
Aishwarya Chandrasekhar
August 2016
"Sometimes it is not the person we miss; it is the feeling you had when you were with them."
Voinks (Val Portelli)
August 2016
My romantic nature pondered whether the 'special something' he wanted to buy me would be an engagement ring.
Janice Joseph
August 2016
For me, the bridge was a gateway to a new life and for Ryan; the bridge was something he never wanted to cross.
Debaprasad Mukherjee
August 2016
I kept flapping around my house with similar haplessness until the quake subsided. I empathise with the bird.
Tiffany C. Lockhart
August 2016
A blonde-haired woman wearing a bright green trench coat walked down the streets of a bustling city, her nose buried in her phone.
Aishwarya Chandrasekhar
August 2016
Rambo came into Maggie's life a couple of weeks ago. The moment she saw him, she fell in love with him.
Janice Joseph
August 2016
I lay in the bathtub with my eyes closed. I pressed the straight razor against my wrist.
Janice Joseph
July 2016
"No, not again", I sighed. It has been a routine now to search for my pen in the morning before leaving for work.
Joshua Hedges
July 2016
Yumi couldn't feel her hands. She pushed her fingers through her hair. Nothing. Her heart didn't beat.
Michael "Fynn" Lange
July 2016
My fingers caressing its strings like they once caressed the only woman's skin that I have ever loved.
Janice Joseph
July 2016
No one would give a job to a homeless young man. Prejudices never gave an opportunity for survival for the homeless.
Debaprasad Mukherjee
July 2016
If I tell you, 'I've made this bridge', you will laugh at me; because you know me. I have never done anything constructive.
Aishwarya Chandrasekhar
July 2016
I am here at the park; taking a stroll with the person I love the most, My Dad!
Janine W. Cox
July 2016
This love started many years ago when they lived in the same neighborhood, a couple of houses away from each other.
Debaprasad Mukherjee
June 2016
Croaka was pensive as he sat down on the slimy stone near a puddle formed by a steady stream at a corner of Mughal Gardens.
Steve Brown
June 2016
It was just past midnight when she arrived at the cordoned off station. There was a yellow Ka parked by the front.
Gerry Hounchell
June 2016
Not sure who took that picture, but it's me hitching a ride, my backside anyway, age 17, running away from home.
Janice Joseph
June 2016
I am Wahid. I came here nearly 40 years ago. I live in the next street. Are you here with your family?", the old man asked.
Sarah GC David
June 2016
It is a typical evening; a cool breeze surrounds the insides of the subway. Never do they notice the intentions of each other.
Joshua Roberts
June 2016
The cold winter air stung his nostrils as Stephan walked along the brick covered sidewalk next to the tracks.
Voinks (Val Portelli)
June 2016
It had started innocently enough; the place had been packed, he had asked if he could share my table. The hour flew by as we started talking.
Janine W. Cox
June 2016
Sam was on that lonely stretch of road and he had his thumb leading the way. He was out there all morning.
Jacqueline Driggers
June 2016
What if all the books were worlds, and when she opened one, she opened a door to that world that she could go through? Wouldn't that be awesome?
Joshua Hedges
June 2016
John's wheezed as he ran through the forest. He was a runner, why was he wheezing? Couldn't he outrun his six-year-old?
Janine W. Cox
June 2016
Pete was at a cross roads and he had to make a decision fast or else he was going to lose everything.
Ajay Gregory Antony
June 2016
The narrow road at the corner is the way to the blissful nature, where one will find true bliss.
Janice Joseph
June 2016
The fight is over forever. It is all numb now. There is no more pain. Life is setting me free. Let me fly...float in the clouds and forget my wounds.
Janine W. Cox
June 2016
Marty's number was called and he had to report to Parris Island, South Carolina for 12 weeks of basic training.
Steve Brown
May 2016
Bruno knew something was wrong long before I did. He was a dog amongst dogs and saw things before anyone else.