Istanbul, 1970 Every night they sat huddled under the exquisite lamppost erected by the Turkish noble. They were a bunch of homeless vagabonds. The lamppost was a witness to imaginary tales, true adventures and some silly, inane anecdotes. On lucky days, they shared piping hot tea and leftover bread, handed over by some generous passerby.
“I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” Vivian hummed, as the barren tree outside the living room window stared back at her. The icicles lent it a certain character, though.
My Thoughts on Seeing This Prompt: Yikes! I’m not going to write this one. It looks dark, gloomy and will not elude a great story. But then I haven’t written for my favourite Friday Fictioneers for the past two weeks. I was away traveling, and when I returned I got swamped by life’s little follies. I’m back this week armed with lots of cheer and sunshine on my shoulder. So let me give this a shot. Let’s see how it…
It’s a rare, sunny morning in Chicago. That special kind of morning when the sun streams right on to your shoulders, and your spirits are simply soaring. “What a memorable work trip,” thinks Sonia smugly. “I’ll grab a bite and then binge shop at Bloomingdales.” She turns around to eye the building. A gorgeous hunk stumbles into her, knocking some coffee on her brand new dress. Sonia gapes at his steel, blue eyes; mesmerised, not one bit upset….
The Holiday season was around the corner. The decked up stores were buzzing with shoppers galore. As “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” played in the background, cheery people gallivanted around with a spring in their feet. Some with two left feet even did a happy jig, with not a care in the world. Children in their pretty attires preened and pranced around their mommies, while they shopped. The shoppers were busy checking out almost every store; each offering hefty…
“Woooah! What are those multi-coloured beauties we have on the mantle piece, Mommy?” asked Sam. “New additions to my artifact collection, Hun. Urns and vases, specially imported from Istanbul,” Eva replied proudly.
“I love opal sunsets. Especially the ones that come, right after a heavy downpour,” smiled Samantha gazing across the horizon. The sky embellished with dark-amber clouds, looked gorgeous. Vihaan and she were out on their second date. A perfect setting to get some romance started.
The ancient tree towers among the tropical vegetation of the Sands resort. It canopies the wooden benches, giving the guests a respite from the sunny days. A pair of woodpeckers nest here every spring. But each time the fledglings die, leaving a trail of blood. Also, what remains a mystery are the myriad stones that line the bottom of the tree. Legend says they were brought from the rocky beaches, by couples; wanting to seal their love…
“We found him on the porch. It’s broken a wing,” said the DH, almost thrusting a Mynah on my face. The nine-year-old piped in, “Mamma, isn’t he handsome as hell? Can we keep him, pleaseeeee.” “I’d love to darling, but you know Gran is Orinthophobic, don’t you!” “Orintho…what?” “She has a fear of birds.” “But Mamma, he can stay upstairs in my room” “First things first my girl; let’s help restore this little guy,” said the DH. “Oh so you…
Saturday, 5:46 A.M.: I haven’t slept a wink. The receding moon is gaping at me blankly. Well, it was a decadent night of drinking and dancing, on the River Mandovi. A night that also brought back memories from the yesteryears: of Rahul and I. When we had chatted on the same deck; till the wee hours of the morning, trying to drown our attraction in pints of beer. But, with no success. Last night Rahul arrived with…