Month: November 2020

A new friend – a short, short story

/ Manoj Nair

Hari waved as the bus disappeared in the distance. On the bus was the only friend he had made in the village. The friends had been inseparable.
There were a lot of children in his class at school, but Hari did not have a friend.
A friend was someone you could trust, someone with whom you could share your dreams.

As he walked back home, he saw a basket moving on its own. He was intrigued and went to check. The basket would move a bit and then stop. Then it would move again. Hari lifted the basket and found a puppy inside.

“Who put you here?” It did not answer but wagged its tail furiously.

The puppy tumbled a couple of times as it ran after Hari.
“Come with me, we are friends now !” said Hari with a smile.
The boy and the puppy went home.

A White Lie – a short, short story

/ Manoj Nair

The Post-man tried to walk up the stairs without making a sound. Somehow the old-man heard him and opened the door.
“Any letters from my son?”
Every day the old-man had asked this question for the last year.
Every time the answer had been the same, “No, if there was a letter, I will deliver it to you.”
Then the old-man would sigh, shake his head and go back, closing the door behind him.
The man’s son had died. No one had the heart to tell him. Some thought he knew but did not want to accept it.
“Any letters from my son?”
The Post-man had come prepared, “Yes, ” he said.
“Please can you read it?”
The post-man knew that the Old-man could not read.
Pulling out a scrap of paper from his pocket, he started, “Dear father, I hope this letter finds you in good health…..”

Crime and Reward – a short, short story

/ Manoj Nair

Prakash wiped the sweat off his forehead. The auto-rickshaw was hot, but he could not rest. His son was running a fever. Prakash had to make some money to consult a doctor.
“Sion station,” said the customer, climbing into the passenger seat. The customer was in his fifties, grey-haired.
“Fifty rupees,” said Prakash, half an hour later. The man paid and hurried away.
As Prakash turned to get his water bottle, he spotted a wallet. It was heavy and stuffed with currency notes. He jumped out to find the passenger but could not find him.
He looked at the wad of currency notes, thought for a minute and hurried home.
“Token fifteen,” said the nurse. Prakash recognized the Doctor. It was the passenger whose wallet was paying for the visit. He jumped up to leave, but the Doctor said, “I understand, don’t worry, I will treat your son.”