VVS: The school of forgotten memories
“Papa, what was the name of your school?” ten-year-old Lucy asked Joseph, holding a school form. Her school had instructed the children...
5 min read
Closed
Inntales-8
Held in August 2026 · 600 to 900 words · 15 entries
Write a story where an apparently insignificant background character is revealed as the true protagonist only in the final two paragraphs.
Prompt by Ranjit Narayanan
Entries
Mysterious Daughter
Robin Blue School was an international school in Love Valley. Marilyn was in her mid-fifties, and one of the most loved teachers...
5 min read
The Last Signature
As always, Sheela walked into Hotel Malabar Crest without hesitation, as though her footsteps had memorized the path long before her mind...
5 min read
The Woman Behind The Back Bench
The Woman Behind the Back Bench Every day before the hustle of the school began with the buzzing of voices, laughter, and...
4 min read
"A love that never was"
Kartik reached 'Woodlands cafe', his favourite cafe, at the same time 6pm, just like every other week. But these days he visited...
4 min read
Kadalda Arase
The sleepy village of Malpe sprang to life during the Kadalda Arase* race that would decide the leader of the fishing community....
6 min read
Doing good comes back
Doing good comes back to you Mrs Leela was a retired teacher now. Was she happy now or not? It was difficult...
4 min read
The Full Stop
His eyes darted across the audience, his hands gesturing toward the slide projected on the screen. “AI in regulatory science simplifies data,...
5 min read
The third stride
The relentless Chennai monsoon hammered against the reinforced glass of the twelfth-floor office in Sholinganallur. The usual symphony of honking was muffled...
5 min read
Fractured Faith
The faces in the waiting room unnerved Rupa. Grey clouds drifted over the building mirroring the daze that dulled her mind. She...
5 min read
Brown
It was an overcast morning as I dragged my bike outside. I looked at my plain white shirt in the rear-view mirror....
6 min read
The Final Reminiscence
The Final Reminiscence Shanti awoke with a sudden void in her chest, she looked out of the window and saw the sparrows...
6 min read
Tethered
A thick misty blanket over the hills of Mokokchung. A lush pasture turned into a playground. A little agile swarm of kids...
5 min read
Duma
DUMA The rising sun cast it's warm glow over rolling green pastures. A young boy was playing with a juvenile elephant. ‘Enzo,...
5 min read
The Keepsake
The maid hadn't come that evening as promised. Nithya got to know this at six through a phone call she took standing...
5 min read