Storieo

Category: Life

  • One step forward 

    Leaving something behind is never easy for anyone, and Neha is no different. She never leaves her house for vacation; in fact, she is scared to leave her comfort zone. That’s why she chose the nearest college. However, life can be unpredictable, and it always has a plan. After her father’s death, she needs to find the best job because she now has to take care of her mother and her younger brother, who is in the 10th grade. A new city, a new house, a new job, and new people—how could she keep going? But after staying here for a month, she is starting to make her house a home. She has found two or three people she connects with and the best place to eat. This evening, as she reflects on all of this, she remembers a quote her dad used to say, “Life can be hard but not impossible.” Her dad was the coolest person she ever knew—fearless and always ready for new challenges—but she is completely different. She loves her comfort zone and prefers to stay at home as if she lives in a different world, a world full of books. One thing she loves is reading new books, but these days she barely has time for it. It’s not that she doesn’t want to read; she is trying to discover a new side of herself, a side her dad always wanted to see. She wants to become a new person who opens up to friends and is unafraid of new challenges. Every day, she strives to be a good person, someone who lives in the real world and can accept that life can be unfair, but she will make it fair. She promises her dad every day that she will make him proud, and by some miracle, she feels a gentle breeze, as if her dad is blessing her. She won’t give up, she won’t go back; she will keep moving forward.

  • The Mute Mayhem

    The Mute Mayhem

    Mom and Dad didn’t understand. Moving to a new city was the last thing I wanted to do with my holidays back then. But not everything works out like you plan them or want them to. Hence, Puri. Noisy streets and noisier people were all I used to think the place was about. I still do. I have just begun to crave the noise more than I did half a decade ago. But among all the din and commotion, there was a girl. A sweet, sweet girl who was louder than the roaring waves and busy streets, than the evening prayers and temple bells. For the one month that I had to stick around with my parents at my grandparents’, I didn’t bother staying indoors and crippling myself more than I had to. Even if it didn’t exactly give you the Aegean Sea vibes, a beach is still beach. So, I’d spend all my afternoon lounging on the beach, reading practically anything that I could lay my hands on. In the evening, I would wave watch with her. We never acknowledged each other, never greeted each other. All we did was sit back together in a blissful silence and watch the angry waves rise and fall as the light breeze ruffled our hair. She didn’t talk. she never did. Until one day, when she grabbed my notebook, scribbled something in it and handed it back to me, urging me to read. It was her name. 

    Zoya. 

    Zoya was mute. As days passed, we began spending all our mornings, noons and evenings together. Basking in the sun, sprinting along the shore, sweating on the sand and reading to her as the sky turned purple. My time there was an unending loop of this and just this. I didn’t know who she was, where she hailed from or where she was headed to. Never bothered to ask. Zo was the person who would live, run, smile and soar and never look back again. All was good. Until my last evening at the beach. I waited and waited and waited. Zo never came. I left the next morning and never looked back again. 

    Until now. 

    Five years since then, I have graduated from one of the premier law schools in the country.  And as I lay sprawled and stranded on the same deserted beach, seeking what or whom I do not know, I can’t help but wonder If I had imagined her.

  • BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

    In the street in the city, there lived two boys Harsh and Anshuman the fathers of both were friends so these two boys were together like close friends from the moment they were born The two boys always played together and had a very great bonding as family background of both boys was a bit different. Harsh’s Father had a Job and Anshuman’s Father was a businessman and had a background of well respected family in the city so the Grandmother of Harsh did not like Anshuman when they both played in Harsh’s house the grandmother used to taunt Anshuman. But the friendship between those two remain the same they went to the same school but after a while, Anshuman had to move to a different city for some reasons but still he used to visit a lot to meet his best friend. After a while Harsh was diagnosed fo blood cancer and as they were both young they did not know that it’s a deadly disease. Harsh’s treatment was started and he used to come to his hometown and Anshuman used to visit him. Anshuman had a younger brother and Harsh was a single Child of their parents so during the treatment the doctor needed bone marrow and the doctor advised Harsh’s parents to have another so they can use his/her bone marrow to cure Harsh’s cancer. during all this time the two friends had not met in months and they both used to say to their father I want to meet Anshuman, I want to meet Harsh one night harsh was playing game on his psp in the hospital and said to his father that he is having a headache so he wants to sleep and thats when he slept to eterniy and Anshuman got the news that Harsh is no more he was numb, Harsh’s father told things to Anshuman that harsh used to say to him Harsh used to say that papa now I also have a brother I will tell anshuman this and e used to say to me that he wants to meet you wrote your name on paper and Anshuman still cry whenever he remebers his best friend.

  • Where the Happiness lies!

    Where the Happiness lies!

    Life has forever been a turbulent voyage, yet its tempests do not extinguish the flame of hope. With this unwavering belief, Mahi continued her sojourn. She traversed the uncharted paths, a solitary traveler in search of happiness. Her hopes, indomitable, refused to shatter. Although life’s misfortunes compounded, she clung to the conviction that brighter days awaited, even as darkness deepened. Ultimately, she discovered the elusive abode of genuine bliss. Let us accompany her on this odyssey, to unearth where true happiness truly resides.

    As the clock struck seven in the morning, the sun’s radiant beams caressed Mahi’s visage. She shifted her position, veiling herself momentarily from its luminous gaze. Shortly after, her alarm chimed, and she pressed the snooze button, realizing that sleep would evade her after such commotion. She recited religious verses, drawing a tranquil breath to release the accumulated frustration triggered by the alarm. Opening her eyes, she beheld her humble abode, with a small but beautiful garden adorning the outside. Illuminated by the morning light, the plants within her room appeared pristine. This sight brought immense joy to Mahi’s heart. Before she could rise from her bed, her mother’s voice echoed from outside, “Will our queen rise on this day?” Her mother had a habit of forcefully knocking on the door, a sound that Mahi detested. With haste, she sprinted to open the door, unwilling to endure the noise. Her mother scolded her upon seeing her disheveled hair, pondering how the day could possibly be good with such untamed locks. Could a pleasant day unfold under such circumstances? But what can one do? Life’s essence lies in living it. Mahi sought tranquility and found solace in the quietest place of her dwelling—the “toilet.” Spending a few moments there, she flushed away the negativity that had burdened her mood.

    Mahi ventured into the kitchen, performing her morning rituals before settling down to savor a cup of tea. As she indulged in her tea, memories of last night’s argument with her brother resurfaced. Anxious that her brother’s day might be ruined, she swiftly penned him sweet messages, wishing to mend their bond. Once ready, she set off for the office, a cherished place where she accomplished the workload of four individuals, compensated by meager remuneration. Nonetheless, she relished the slightest token of appreciation, contented in the knowledge that her skills were recognized. It wasn’t that Mahi was unaware of being exploited; she simply found contentment in witnessing her own growth, and appreciation was the elixir for which she thrived. It did drain her energy, though, especially when burdened with excessive tasks, causing her to yearn for her best friend’s comforting presence. But whenever Mahi called, her friend always seemed preoccupied, a different story altogether. Nevertheless, her best friend would reach out to Mahi during work hours, requesting her assistance, and Mahi, forsaking her own tasks, would diligently fulfill her friend’s needs.

    Upon returning home in the evening, Mahi pursued her passions, be it writing, drawing, or engaging in culinary endeavors within the kitchen. Her entire day revolved around the bustling chores, ensuring everyone’s tasks were accomplished to perfection, and that they, in turn, would acknowledge her efforts with heartfelt appreciation. Mahi lived for these expressions of gratitude. Before retiring for the night, she stood before the mirror, tearfully observing her reflection. In that vulnerable moment, Mahi would offer solace to herself, appreciating her own strength. It is in this act of self-compassion that true

    happiness lies. Friends, irrespective of the number of companions and loved ones we have in our lives, we must always remember that we ought to be our own foremost and unwavering advocates. If we cannot support ourselves, then who shall?

  • Ri

    Ri

    The hot loo from outside kept the curtain alive. The world is going to end soon. Maybe in a month or two or ten, fifteen or fifty years. Every day the temperature has been increasing, and the monsoon clouds are nowhere to be seen. Just long breaths of tropical humidity keep the sweat flowing like waves of tsunamis. Time seemed constant in this weather. A minute feels like a century, and a second equals a zillion frustrating heaves of leap years. Her silhouette figure continued to count these fragments as the wall clock fell silent with each of her faint movements.

    “Its too hot today”

    I looked at the patches of grey on the moon and exclaimed, “its not going to rain tonight too.”

    “Do you want to go over some lessons? We can always distract ourselves.”

    “Pretty sure that studying in the dark won’t be a fruitful distraction”. She let out a small gush of air between her teeth. A pretension of attempting to laugh.

    “True that. Maybe lets discuss about something?”

    “Watch a movie? Or read a book?”

    “There’s not much charge in my laptop.”

    “What book were you reading that day? I saw you in the hall.”

    “Oh. I haven’t finished it yet. Its ‘The Bell Jar’ by Sylvia Plath”

    “Lets read that then. You do have a study lamp?”

    “Yes. Its here somewhere. But I already read twelve chapters. Do you want to start from the beginning?”

    “That’s okay. We’ll start from where you left. Its not some mystery novel.”

    The idea of starting over a book irritates me. I know she began with the hope of going somewhere but she knows that it’s not going to take her where she wants. A familiar escape was enough to blanket her thoughts before she put the book away. Hence it has been a week since I saw her holding Plath through silent corridors. She couldn’t move on through this one too. That’s why she avoids the ending of every story or forgets it.

    As her shadow juggled through the organized messiness of trampled feelings, looking for the book under faint light, I went up to get a torch for her. I’m not her light bearer but I know that now she needs it more than ever before it’s going to break down into glass fragments.

    “Look under the bed. You always leave things there.”

    “Found it. How’d you know?”

    “Instinct.” I must not tell her that I know her too well. She’ll be trapped.

    “It’s surprising how your instinct manages to save me at times.”

    This needs no reply and a moment of silence before reality takes over since we both know we’re there but still not there yet.

    “You go first. We’ll read alternate chapters.”

    “Okay”

    Words don’t need to have feelings at times. It just needs to exist as a reminder of our living souls. Just like how he’s reading right now. Ri is an amazing storyteller but even in the dark, I could say that he’s pretending to read. Like he’s been pretending for the last two weeks. Even though we know what happened I’m sure that he regards it as not belonging to his knowledge, and so do I. It’s not hard to forget when you imagine that it didn’t happen but it keeps knocking. This is not avoiding but simply moving on. What I hate is that he’s not being himself. Even though I’m not myself too but I can’t stand him being like that. I may not know how it feels but I know how it doesn’t feel. Yet I’m an optimist so I try to make him relive every moment. It’s pathetic how this space binds us but it doesn’t. Even when I ran my fingers through his hair we knew that we were just trying to make ourselves live a little better. There were not enough options and we both needed to acknowledge who we are irrespective of what we thought we’ll be or what we have become. He knows that life is a big rotten lie and that growing up is not as it seems. Nobody told us how it’d be and we both used to sleep like we’ll be living our dream. But the lie grew bigger and it became more pathetic to accept it. We imitated the people who would post reels on Instagram posing what success smells like. But we know that success is just a marketing term and its meaning has faded somewhere between our childhood dreams and irrevocable attempts to make things right.

    As the shadows align themselves in the dark over two exhausted bodies, the wall clock knows that again she’ll be hiding him under her bed. It knows, no matter how many times she relives those moments of togetherness she’s never going to give up for his sake. It has been too long for her to fathom whether his existence is a lie or truth because she’s living like he used to.

  • OBSESSED 

    OBSESSED 

    PRESENT DAY

    I never knew this day would come.

    I could hear his footsteps approaching near the cupboard I was hid in. Tears would not stop falling from my face. My heart was screaming and that’s when it hit me that the saying had been true ‘it is always the quiet ones’.

    ‘Aditi’ he said in a maniacally absurd voice.

    I just wished I could go back in time and make all of this right. That was all I could think of in what I think were the last moments of my life. I just wished I never met Ryan ever in my life. I just couldn’t stop myself from thinking what had happened over the past two months and what a mistake I’ve made in my life.

    2 MONTHS AGO

    ‘Ryan’ was the most beautiful word I had ever known in my life. He had a delicate face with soft features and piercing eyes. He changed my entire life in just a few minutes.

    We met through a mutual friend of ours for brunch and that’s when we started casually chatting up. I being an extrovert just wanted to adopt the introvert him and love him for the rest of his life. I kinda liked him and…

    Yeah. I just could not find words to describe him. That was how badly he had affected me.

    ‘Aditi you’re pretty’ he said. And nothing more.

    I could feel the blush creeping up in my cheeks.

    Ever since that day we chatted, video called and met up at weekends.

    The days went on and on. On one pleasant Saturday morning, we were at the beach looking at the sunrise and talking. I just bared my whole soul to him trusting him with my life.

    ‘Ryan I know you like me’. I said

    ‘Aditi I know you like me’. He said

    We looked into each other’s eyes and shared our first kiss drenching into the warm rays of the sun and in the depth of each other’s love.

    Ryan wanted us to move in together.

    ‘Too soon’ I said to Ryan.

    ‘I love you’ he said.

    The honeymoon phase of us living together was the most beautiful until he started placing restrictions on me. He stopped me from going outside with my friends.

    ‘I’m jealous’ he said.

    ‘That is so cute’ I said.

    But his demands started growing and I started to disobey him, feeling why the hell should I obey him in the first place.

    He started being abusive verbally. I forgave him. He became more commanding towards me; I still forgave until it reached to a point where I couldn’t take it anymore.

    ‘I’m leaving’ I said.

    ‘You are not going anywhere’ he screamed.

    He hit me in the head. I felt the world spinning and heard him screaming ‘I’m doing this for you’.

    My head felt heavy when I woke up and Ryan was nowhere to be found. I tried the door and windows but they were locked. I felt myself panicking not knowing what to do I ran into the kitchen picked the sharpest knife and hid in the cupboard.

    FLASHBACK ENDS

    RYAN RYAN RYAN RYAN was all my head could process. I never felt such a terror in my life. He stopped in front of the cupboard and inhaled a deep breath.

    He opened the door with a creepy smile. I smiled back apologized for my behavior. He lifted his arms for me.

    I stabbed him. I ran away after making his death seem like a suicide. No police enquiry happened and the case closed pretty quickly.

    A YEAR LATER

    Now standing in the same beach with another guy holding my hand where I shared my shared  first kiss with Ryan. I did not feel any regret. I protected myself from someone who wanted to hurt me. I accept it was wrong but I don’t know.

    I’m human. I have my emotions and my own feelings to process. Sometimes the wrong can feel right. Initially I had problems in dealing what I had done but with the right person by my side I just want to start afresh.  I’m happy. 

    I DO NOT FEEL ANY REGRET.

  • The Five Fingers

    The Five Fingers

    Days was going like nothing. Every day I woke up and thought, how to make my self happy. There was nothing happening good nor bad . Just life was going meaning less.  I always thought why I am surviving in my life. Is there anything meaningful in my life. Lots of family problems and issues, I just broking and doing my activities . Time was running and my little kid was growing. 

    One day there was the time when my little child started to going play school.  On the first day I was waiting for my child. There was so many ladies standing like me for there babies. The play school was only for 2 hours and home was not near. So I decided that everyday I will wait till the last bell. Suddenly I show a lady coming near me. As I am not so talkative that’s why I could not started the conversation first.  I was thinking about, is there any ladies like me who can wait for 2 hours like me . When the lady came near me and as common we were talking started. And I came to know that her home is near and there is no sense for waiting 2 hours in outside the school. But there was something happening like friendship in our first meeting. Days after we become a friend and after we meet another lady, she was different from us but something was common, like both there is happening like friendship. As soon as we become a friends, there was another ladies come near us but there was missing that ‘friendship wali feelings’. Some days after I found that there was lots of ladies who was waiting like me.  We three were not enough. Around dozens of friend we made and there was lots of fun and memories we have. Some day after just 5 to 7  friends were remaining with same zeal. But on of theme only 5 left, whose vibes got similar but there was differences also. Many Friends come to near us and gonna busy with there schedule but we few left like the schedule made for us. 

    The five finger are different but together. Like We are different but similar.  Life got meaning and learn a lot from them. I was not only suffering only. Here is many more difficult situations around us. There is lots of stories in us.,. 

    To be continued…. 

  • INSEPARABLE FRIENDS: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

    Once there lived a boy who was very much conservative. It was high time then, for him to leave his comfort zone and move out for his graduation. Having a humble and kind nature he was never used to say no to people for any work. Living in a dilemma of that is it good to say ‘NO’ to people but always end up saying ‘YES’ at the cost of his time and peace. He will always be concerned about other’s happiness. Even his friends always tell him to do something which he never want to do but just because nobody feels bad he always does all the things as and when said even if he didn’t wanted to do. 

    One fine evening he met a girl who was in the same college and was resident of that place only. They became very good friends and they both cared for each other so much that when one of them was in a bad mood the other one gets to know just by looking at them and feeling their emotion. The boy was very much shy and introvert in his initial days but after meeting her she made him learn many things. She is complete extrovert but an overthinker and he is an introvert . She wished that he could see himself through her eyes to see how much he mean to her , how much respect she have for him. YES ! This feeling is mutual. Not only they shared memories and laughter together they also shared tears of sadness and joy. Both of them being so much transparent to each other. They both made each other understand the perspective of the opposite gender. As the time passed, the bond got much more stronger. 

    When one of them was very much sad the other one also felt the same and would stay with each other till everything becomes alright. The boy felt very lucky to have a friend like her who was not only his friend but his teacher , motivator and she used to support him in every good and bad situation. She used to take care of him like a mother. He never told her to stop thinking but always told and proved that he’ll not let her think alone. She also never told him to easily just say no to people instead made him understand it is okay not to be okay with certain things at certain times  and  not everything was worth his time and peace . As promised, they both stayed for each other through all the thick and thin. When there can be friendship in love  why not love in friendship.

    FRIENDSHIP: The love that never expects anything from each other also everything is done before expecting .

  • Enlightening Darkness

    The grey and hazy sky swirled, clearly reflecting Jane’s state of mind. The wind blew furiously, its strength pushing her off the pathway and into the muddy trail. “Great…this day couldn’t get any worse” ,thought Jane as she dusted off her soiled bag and skirt and got herself back up. Little did she know that it would only get worse from there.

    As she began walking again, her brain, like a scratched record repeatedly played that one moment she wished she could forget. Earlier that day, she had met with a famous publisher in the city to whom she wanted to talk about the publication of her book. ‘ Birdsong’ the work that consumed four long years of her life had been rejected by the publishing house. For Jane, it meant stagnation and the potential ruin of her livelihood.

    The thoughts swarming her head were briefly interrupted when the rain began to thrash against her body and forced her to seek shelter in a nearby shop. Soon, the rain had begun to wreak havoc in this otherwise uneventful countryside. There was news of injuries in every corner and the heavy outpour made the day very difficult indeed.

    As she fudgeled about, sitting in a corner, Jane heard a guttural scream. The shopkeeper’s wife was arranging the groceries when she slipped on the water that had been dripping from the roof, and fell. It was no surprise that something, in the shop as old as earth itself would cause some serious damage, but this injury couldn’t come at a more inconvenient time. The rain poured like it never had for ages and amidst all that, Jane and the shopkeeper moved as fast as the knee- deep water would let them, with the latter’s wife on their shoulders. The hospital seemed eons away but they made it without any incidents.

    Days had passed since then.

    Jane hurriedly put on her best clothes and rushed out of her house that stood at the corner of Lilith Street. The golden rays of sunlight seeped through the clouds and fell almost magically on the blooming pansies. The children were out playing in their house gardens, while their parents sat sipping tea on the veranda. The rainbow looked like a gateway to heaven itself and the fields were lush with all that would put food on people’s tables. The drabness the storm had brought into their lives, had now turned into beauty and bounty. This gave Jane a sense of purpose. The change in the weather and the fact that she almost died, ironically gave her hope.

    That day, after the shopkeeper’s wife had been safely admitted into the hospital, Jane had returned to the shop to get her belongings, but found only the ruins of the building that once stood there. The shop had collapsed and had the woman not been injured, they would all have been long dead.

    Today, Jane felt refreshed as she walked into a new publishing house with an extra bounce in her steps.

    ‘Birdsong’ now graced the shelves in libraries all across the world and she knew that at the end of tempest and darkness, she had found light……

  • a big fat desi wedding

    The decorations were breathtakingly done. The work done by the decorators was impeccable. Everything was colour-coordinated and most of it was pink and white. Those are the favourite colours of the bride, after all! It was the typical Indian wedding, with teenagers having vanilla ice creams, kids running around and their parents trying to stop them, and old ladies showing off their new jewels; basically, it was a big fat desi wedding.

    The atmosphere was filled with the smell of happiness and food! The groom was a handsome guy and his to-be wife, Inaya, was easily the most beautiful woman in the room. Her face was glowing with excitement and her eyes showed a tinge of nervousness. The single dimple on her left cheek was enough to make the groom fall. The rituals began and the smoke from the holy fire loomed over near the ceiling, much similar to the clouds of gloom looming over me.

    I slowly made my way to Inaya and the minute she saw me, her eyes twinkled and she pinched my cheeks. “Awww, thank you so much for coming! Did you meet Vihaan yet? You didn’t? Come, I will get you guys introduced.” She was rambling on as she always does and all I could think of was how lucky Vihaan was. I was snapped out of my reverie when I heard her say “I love you too Vihaan.” They were so cute together and she seemed to be on cloud nine! I stood there grinning at them when they turned to me. I pretended to ward off the evil eye off them and we laughed at that.

    There are some things that cannot be compared to anything else because if compared, it loses its beauty and divinity. Happiness is one such. She was so happy and after the seven rounds round the holy fire, when they were married, I realized that along with happiness, sorrow is also one such. No metaphor can measure the depth of sorrow and no writer can capture the essence of it. For the sorrow that I was feeling now…it constricted my heart and I felt a stabbing pain.

    Teenagers were having ice creams, but the flavour was now chocolate. Kids were still running around, though exhausted. Parents were trying to stop them but not with as much energy as before. Ladies were still gossiping, though not about their jewels. It was still the same: a perfect desi wedding and yet, something had changed. Things have changed and yet are the same. Inaya is now someone’s wife and yet my love for her is the same. Yes, I am in love with Inaya.