Category Archives: Stories

The Door – A short story of a holiday that went wrong

Reshma's Blog, Stories

 

The door final

Surabhi was ecstatic of her holiday at this beautiful destination. It was a long over due holiday after her baby was born. She had been coaxing her husband Veer to plan out a holiday to a hill station. She loved going to the hills and she wanted to spend some time just looking at the sunlight kissing the mountains or the misty weather and so it was when Veer planned out a 4 day holiday to one of the quietest hills stations in the country.

As soon as they got out of the car, Surabhi gave the baby to Veer that she was holding all along the journey. Veer along with Surabhi entered the room. Their baby all of seven months old was sleeping blissfully and wouldn’t even realize perhaps where she would be for the next few days.

But this holiday was going to be cherished by her mama, and that’s what she anticipated.

As the porter took the luggage to the room Surabhi suddenly felt an uneasiness to enter the room they were allotted. Yet diminishing any unnecessary thoughts she stepped inside the room when she felt someone was standing in front of her. There was no one there and the porter left the room shutting the door behind her.

Veer said, “What happened? Why do you look so dull? It was me driving all the way for 6 hours” laughingly.

“ I am not feeling too good. It was as though some one was here right in front of me a little too close but I could see nobody”, she replied.

Veer didn’t pay much attention and asked her to take some rest. Anyhow the next day they had a schedule of going to a couple of view points.

Late in the evening post dinner that they had ordered in the room, Surabhi went to the bathroom to take a long shower. Veer meanwhile was busy playing with the baby for sometime and he said, “Me and Dhaani are going to be in the garden for sometime. Come over there. We will enjoy the open sky for sometime.” She smiled and said she will be joining them soon.

She took a long time to be in the shower. She enjoyed her leisure bath. It was as though all the stress that she had accumulated as a young mother was getting washed away. Then she remembered of having to join Veer. She tried opening the door but it was locked from outside.

Veer wasn’t there in the room, so she wondered how would she reach out to him. This seemed funny and scary that she had got herself locked in the bathroom. She tried several times to open the door but wasn’t able to do so.

Now she started sweating in panic and began banging the door calling for Veer, she started screaming ‘help’ but no one came.

Veer was with his baby at the garden for a long time. He kept saying to the baby “ Your mama takes a long time to get ready. Then he turned around and was surprised to see from the garden bench that the lights of the room were off. He assumed she would be joining in soon from the first floor room.

But time passed and even after 20 minutes, Surabhi was not there to join him. He went towards the door of the room and saw it was locked from inside. He called out to Surabhi many times but there was no response. He kept telling himself that there was no need to panic yet he went to the reception desk and told them he needs help to get inside the room.

“My wife has got herself locked inside the room I think”. he said in a worried tone. The reception manager gave a stare at him strangely and said, “Where is your wife?”

“In the room.. she had gone to take a shower”. “Can we hurry up please?” said Veer who now had little Dhaani getting restless in his arms.

“Mr. Arora, I am here all evening since the time you came. I have seen only you and the baby said the manager.

“ I want to go to my room. I had left the keys inside as my wife was there. Now the door is not getting opened. Please give me the spare key of the room” said Veer. The manager removed the spare key releuctantly thinking this guest has left the keys inside the room. Nevertheless he walked towards the first floor room and and got Veer lead him the way. When they opened the room, the  room was dark and Veer was calling out for Surabhi frantically. Adding to the chaos was Dhaani crying consistently. Veer went to the bathroom and saw the lights were switched on but there was no one there.

The manager said, “Sir, I didn’t see anyone else the whole evening. I just checked with the porter and the waiter too who had dropped the luggage and for the dinner to be handed over here. There was just you and this baby they said on the phone.”

Veer couldn’t understand what was happening. Where was Surabhi? Was he dreaming?

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

 

 

 

 

A Trip to the Zoo

Kiddo stories, Stories

Apoorva was quite excited of the note sent by her teacher to her parents in the class diary. Apoorva was in Class I and just around 6 years of age and could read the note slowly herself, to her mother. The note read, if interested to send your child for this year’s class trip. Do sign the form for ‘A VISIT TO THE ZOO’.

Date and other details are mentioned in the form.

The young girl’s mother while asking about the day in school told her that they would decide after discussing with her father. Apoorva waited every moment soon after her evening snack and milk to talk to her father.

Apoorva’s dad when he came back home late evening after work, reading the note surprisingly said “Yes”. He generally didn’t like Apoorva going on class trips for some reason, not very clear to Apoorva. But a trip to the Zoo got him to agree. Apoorva was ecstatic and hugged her father and mum for agreeing to this trip.

So came ‘the day’ of having to go the Zoo with classmates and teachers in the school bus. This was her first class trip and she was most excited to be in the school bus to see the animals. The teachers too seemed to be in that ‘extra fun’ mood. All were singing and playing antakshari and Apoorva and her best friends Ruchika and Shlok were too with her; happy and excited.

After some time they finally reached the zoo that was in the outskirts of the city. As the children were making a beeline to be guided by their teachers and school attendants Apoorva and her friends went inside and saw the very first cage that had peacocks including a white peacock who had spread her beautiful white feathers and was dancing.

All the kids were happy to see peacocks, peahens and then rabbits and birds. Soon after Apoorva went to her teacher and asked, “Madam, are the animals and birds happy to be in these cages or they are trapped here?”

Her madam answered that she will give the right information on this at the end of the visit and for now Apoorva could enjoy the zoo visit. She asked her not to worry about the animals as they were being taken care of by the Zoo keepers.

Once the class kids had seen various animals including Leopards, Elephants, tigers, snakes and hippopotamus, the kids were asked to have their lunch from the tiffin boxes they had got from home.

As biscuits and chocolates were distributed from the teachers to the students, Apoorva saw an uncle coming and standing next to the class teacher. He said turning to the kids, “Children, I hope you are happy being here as much as I am happy to have you all visit our zoo. I am the General Manager who supervises the Zoo’s daily activities. I think one of you have asked your teacher a very important question on whether these animals should be left in the wild woods and how we take care of them.

We are happy to say that the animals are kept here in the most hygiene conditions and surroundings that is similar to what they are used to in forests. Sometimes we get animals and birds who are injured and we need to take care of them.

So while I do agree living in the forests is much better for any animal, here too we are ensuring that their diet, skills in hunting and their surroundings are taken care of.”

All the kids were thrilled hearing this and Apoorva and her friends were clapping their hands in joy.

Now Apoorva was in much better state of mind to visit more animals who were in different enclosures and the day finally ended with a tiger safari which was the best part of visiting the zoo.

As it was getting late afternoon, the school teachers guided the children to the school bus and everyone came back home with lots of good memories.

Apoorva later in the evening in her home made a drawing of her visit to the zoo and stuck it to the bedroom door. Soon she went to sleep with good memories of the day; her trip to the zoo was going to be cherished by her.

Holding on to the treasure of creating a new life.

Stories

This is the second short story I am writing for people other than my general audience of children.

You might find a few stories that are abrupt in ending but I would like to keep it that way to let it flow on the reader’s imagination. Hope you enjoy reading this story.

*****

Apoorva was ecstatic about the news she had received from the nurse. Standing outside the obstetrician’s room she was holding on the report that indicate she was pregnant. A flood of emotions ran through her mind as she was holding on to the report, emotionally. It had been seven long years since she was hoping to get into the pregnancy state but every month she would be disappointed.

During her cycle of menstrual phase, she would vent her frustration on being deliberately being moody, irritable and binge on food. From being an efficient professional as a HR professional she had turned into an obsessive woman who wanted to be a mother at the earliest.

It didn’t help when her friends, colleagues and even family told her to take it easy. Saurabh, her husband too wanted to have a new member in the family. He tried every month explaining to her that a baby will definitely come in their lives but yet he couldn’t pacify Apoorva. Somehow her state of helplessness and constant crying and cribbing fits had strained their relationship. She did not want to go to restaurants, movies or outings. She wanted to have a baby as though it is a prized toy that she was unable to have due to unknown reasons. The doctors always told the couple to keep trying and there was no reason why they didn’t have a baby.

Just then the nurse asked Apoorva to wait at the waiting lounge while she will be attended by the doctor. Apoorva immediately called Saurabh over phone and pleaded with him to come from office to the doctor’s clinic. She had not yet told him the joyous news.

After a while when Apoorva saw Saurabh she rushed to him and hugged him. She showed him the report that confirmed that she was pregnant. Strangely Saurabh didn’t seem happy to say the least. Apoorva couldn’t understand what had happened. Why was he unhappy over the information?

Saurabh just sat down on the chair keeping his head low. As the nurse called out for Apoorva’s name to go and see the doctor with the report, Saurabh looked at her and said, “I cannot have this baby. I do not want it”

Apoorva was stunned and disbelieved what she heard. She ignored Saurabh and went inside the obstetrician’s room and saw Saurabh walking out of the clinic. Strangely in a matter of moments her joyous phase was not turning out as she had expected.

BY RESHMA KRISHNAMURTHY SHARMA

 

 

Waiting for the train at 9pm

Stories

Apart from writing for children, particularly the age group of 4 to 7 years, I am trying my hand in writing short stories for adults too. Some may have traces of biographical tinge; others may be completely fictional. More importantly, I hope you find them interesting and would want to read them more.

Waiting for the train at 9pm

It took Anita over half hour for a distance of 2 km to reach the station. She was feeling miserable when she got down from the auto. It was raining heavily and she had four bags in her hands. Soaked, drenched, dirty, these were the words that came to her mind when she was giving the change to the auto driver.

She hoped Karan would have reached the station. Whoever imagined hindi film songs with rains and cheerfulness. Anita just wanted to get over all this and hop on to the train. She hoped the train too would be on schedule. One of the porters came running to Anita as she was climbing the stairs of Savanpur station near Meerut.

She refused the porter and went to platform 3. She knew where the train would stop at 9pm. It was already 8.40pm. Karan should have been here by now. But he was no where to be seen. She hoped he would not break his promise. She had left her family and come to this decision of pursuing a new life in Mumbai.

It was time for the train to arrive. She was walking up and down the station out of nervousness. What if Karan didn’t turn up? Would she still go from here. As the train screeched to a halt, she picked the bags from the chair and got into the train.

It was a gut feeling that kept telling her that she will have to pursue this journey alone. Karan probably got scared and didn’t want to take the risk. After all what would she expect from a 14 year old teenager. It was the first time perhaps for Karan to say lies to his family, steal his family jewellery and run with a woman who promised him a dream.

It wasn’t the first time for Anita.