ECHOES

Waffles with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of maple syrup is the signature dish of this cafe even today. The outdoor seating has canary yellow chairs now, it was of a different colour back then. Pastel blue.

You take a seat and order two servings. One for you and one for him. You have a wistful look in your eyes as you look around. It's September. An anniversary…

Teenage sweethearts you both were once upon a time and this was the place you always frequented for Saturday date nights or birthday celebrations.

He had a twinkle in his eyes every time he saw you. You had first met those across a room full of people in Math class…or was it Science? It hardly matters. Your heart pounded like a million hammers.

Did you know his did too? It did and he had told you. And then, a million butterflies fluttered in your heart…

A crisp breeze ruffles your hair across your face, cutting into your reverie.

They were chestnut brown once. You had dyed them red after a fit of tantrums with your mother. Wasn't she dumbfounded to see you with coloured hair!

You had smirked inwardly. It was a juvenile victory.

She had raved and ranted and didn't talk to you for days.

But not him. He said you looked like Christina Aguilera. His genie in a bottle. Because you danced like her too.

You run into his arms every time there's a tiff at home. He understands you like no other. The day he popped the question, you readily agreed. You worked as an accountant and he worked his way up to become a banker.

****

Twenty years back on this day, you were waiting for him at this same cafe which was in the vicinity of his workplace. You were getting married after a week. After a quick bite, you both were going for the gown fitting.

With a lost look on your face you smiled at nothing in particular, daydreaming away. The honeymoon was going to be in Paris, the City Of Love. Both of you excitedly saved money for this trip and begin your 'Happily Ever After'.

You could actually hear the planes revving up, a mighty roar.

Wait a minute! I'm not hallucinating! …The planes. One…two…

A sudden roaring in the skies made everyone look up to see two planes flying too low and crash into both the towers of a skyscraper one after another!

Hysterical screams ripped everywhere, but you were shell-shocked. He was in one of the towers!

Even as you watched helplessly screaming in a pitch you didn't know you had, both the towers crumbled in a heap of rubble, raging fires and dust! You are numb. Not a whisper escapes your lips…

***

Partings without goodbyes leave gaping chasms.

The skyline of Manhattan was never the same!

Anniversaries! To be celebrated?

Sometimes to be mourned in private and to give grief its own space to heal.

Pic Courtesy: Pixabay

Comments

ABERCROMBIE LOCKE MANSION

This post is part of the Blogchatter A2Z Challenge 2026. CHAPTER 1 ABERCROMBIE LOCKE MANSION The sky bled bruises of plum and cherry over the rolling hills. A full moon hung low against the mauve casting silver shards through the trees. The mansion made of cold greystone loomed large beyond the rusted iron gates. It grated on the gravel, rasping on the hinges and yawned open like a predator's jaw as Goldwynn booted it open with her foot. Her sneakers squished heavily on the mulch of dead leaves. Clutching her backpack, she looked up at the towering, grim structure forebodingly. "Are you sure you want to do this?" her friend Lexi whispered, hesitating by the gate. "This mansion's totally cursed, they say." Lexi's voice was a thin thread. A chill crept up her back and she tight...

THEME REVEAL A~Z BLOGGING CHALLENGE THEME REVEAL 2026

Still indecisive 🤔 The commitment is intimidating, yet this will be my third year of participation that makes me want it to come full circle. Third time's a charm it's said. In 2024, I posted 26 blogs from A~Z--micro fiction, long stories, short stories, poems ( oh yes!) in a motley of genres Magic Realism, Surrealism, also a Creature Horror, a Sci Fi thriller *( in dedication to David Duchovny from X-files who was a crushing heartthrob back in my ancient days haha 😆)* all which can be concised into a broader group --FANTASY ! That was my debut year in the Bloggers world and I completed the event with a flourish. **** 2025 was a year. I had to suspend the event midway through it and fly urgently back home for the major part of April. The theme then was a Mixed Bag. Reflections, Lifestyle, Wellness and Self Care principles were the topics I touched upon with A~Z titles all in foreign languages. That was the USP of my blogging challenge last year. A mini fantas...

ANAM CARA

The waves are soft and frothy. Laced with gossamer frills tenderly kissing the tips of my toes covered with the grainy sand of the rugged seashore where I'm sitting, wistful. A gust of briny breeze tousles my hair as I gaze as far as my eyes can see. A flock of terns wheel overhead, their sharp, shrill cries punctuating the air as they dive and swoop over the surfs. A lone frigate bird , its crimson belly dazzling like a jewel skims majestically above, its long, slender wings outstretched as it rides the thermals high above the ocean. I absorb the sights and sounds of the late afternoon while absentmindedly scooping seashells beside me. As the afternoon phases, the furthest rim of the ocean is fringed in a gilded hem and the sleepy sun yawns, its dipping glow streaking the sky in a mellow tangerine and warm cherry. As I continue sitting there, the ships and yachts appear --specks of light from the portholes glimmering in the distance, reminding me of the phrase “That ship has sai...

Moxie N' Mettle

MOXIE N' METTLE In slivers and fragments as my sleep tiptoes, did I do right or wrong my heart needles… Some skies are born of black holes and tempest wreck, There glitters not a ray of light, nor a speck When curtains turbid hold all light hostage, Sandstorms, hailstorms, dust storms, snowstorms, windstorms assail and ravage Spanning my wings as a raging fire Or as a mellow glow of a fairy light in the distant darkness, quite debonaire I'll ignite my spark from within like a star born into itself spurting lava Or explode leaving trails of cosmic dust like a Supernova I will be the Sun creating galaxies and many a constellation. Or burn like a single flame of the candle to keep my hopes and dreams alive with determination! I will be at my own pace I will be whoever and whatever I want to be—in my own race Collapse, crash and crumble! But I'll...

HILANG

Chapter 2 Muay, the Maddening Scamp Seasons had gone by with vibrant autumns and chilling winters. Muay Thai had now become very outgoing and social. On a full moon night, this newly transformed scamp had bounded away on some nocturnal adventure. I waited for her return for almost a week. As I searched high and low for Muay Thai, my heart raced with panic with every passing moment. On one of my search treks, I spotted something that made my blood run cold. Lying on the ground, partially hidden by the underbrush on the curbside, was Muay Thai's collar. The vibrant fuchsia leather was faded and dirty, but the delicate zircon pendant still sparkled in the sunlight and that had caught my attention. Holding it gently in my hands, I examined it for any sign of what might have happened to Muay Thai. But there was nothing - no blood, dried or otherwise. Maybe, just maybe, Muay Thai was still out there, wait...

Sangeetha Kamath

Search This Blog