Amin was an infamous thief. People dreaded him. Such was his notoriety that parents often used his name to frighten their children. One day, Amin committed a huge theft in a rich man’s house and made off with a lot of gold jewelry and cash. After this rich haul, he set off for his hideout Read more…

Vimala was a ragpicker. She was thirteen, but she had never been to school. She got up early in the morning and went about rummaging around in trash cans and garbage heaps for something useful. Vimala would collect paper scraps, old rags, plastic items and other apparently useless objects that had been thrown away. She Read more…

It was a dark, moonless night. There were very few vehicles on the road leading from Gwalior to Bhopal through the Chambal valley. A white Contessa was speeding as its headlights pierced through the darkness of the night. Mr. Praveen Joshi, a bank manager, and his close friend, Mr. Harish Bharadwaj, were in the backseat Read more…

When it was lunchtime, Jonas got in the line of food. The prison was high-security and his eyes kept darting to the corners of the walls, trying to pick up cameras and how the guards were positioned. Most of them held tasers in their hands, so that meant they either believed that tasers were good Read more…

Jonas was blindfolded, handcuffed, and dumped into a large SUV as all the soldiers got back inside the vehicle, leaving Jonas’ mother unconscious. Half an hour after they were gone, his mother twitched and called for her son in a weak voice, “Jonas…” When she did not hear a response, she tried to open her Read more…

*Ten years later* “Jonas… Jonas!!” A woman’s voice called out and a tall boy poked his head out of the car he had been working on. “Yes, mom?” “Lunch is ready and I’m starving, so hurry up!” Jonas dusted the dirt and soot off his hands. He was dressed in unclean overalls, his heterochromatic eyes Read more…

The waiting area was eerily silent except for the labored breathing of some aged folks sitting anxiously on the uncomfortable chairs. The small space was cramped with desperate people who wanted to get done with it as soon as possible. While everyone kept glancing around, tapping their feet on the smooth, polished floor, a little Read more…

The cars and other vehicles formed a beeline along the small road as the sun above shone brightly. It was a busy day, and everybody was in a hurry to reach their respective destinations. Rehan rushed out of his apartment gate and waved at one or two cabs, but each one of them seemed to Read more…

“Riya, honey, let’s hurry. You don’t want to be late for school, do you?” Riya’s mother warned her fourteen-year-old daughter and hurried to retrieve her school bag and water bottle from the dining table. Riya gobbled the last bit of toast and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Coming, mom” She hurried Read more…

The loudspeaker rang loudly as the Commander’s voice boomed through the hall. “On the ground in 10 minutes.” The cadets, who had been in deep sleep, woke up as if they had been attacked by an angry swarm of bees. It was 4 am, and the chilly winter breeze pricked at their skin-like icicles. Amar Read more…