Sangeetha Kamath

  Here she was praying for a stranger. A stranger who put his life on the line for her.  **** Stella walked down to the neighborhood cafe where she always met Alan for Friday night dates or a cup of coffee and warm snacks in the late evening when she got off work. She spotted him sitting in the far end towards the wall, scrolling down his phone, eyebrows knitted and lips pursed in a thin line.  It was unusual of him to choose that spot from their usual place by the French windows where they had a view of the quay.  Sensing some unpleasant news coming her way, she walked up to him anxiously. He gave her a wry smile and fumbled with his words. Finally he handed a letter with a sheepish look.  Her worst fears had become her reality. This was certainly bad news. Alan had been distancing himself from her and try as might she couldn't get through to him. This day had finally come when they ended their 5 year old relationship over a letter. No spoken words, just a hand...

  Serene Dippityville town was in full fervour with Halloween fast approaching. Situated on the shores of Pairayte Qowe, the people of this quaint town grew up listening to old wives' tales about how pirate ships had sailed here to bury their gold coins, silver amphoras filled with sparkling gemstones and treasure chests packed with royal jewellery. The unspoken rule in the age-old days was---'Finders Keepers'.  No one had contested it, as no one had found any buried booty to date.  'Finders Keepers' law prevailed even today  to uphold the amusing tradition. *** Sarah was passing through Serene Dippityville from a neighbouring town with her eight-year old son, Luke and staying over at Jodi's--- her late brother's wife over the Halloween weekend. She was on her way after greedily claiming  an inheritance of a heavily studded  emerald necklace. Sarah showed it to Jodi. It was an antique, worth millions! Little Jimmy, the five-year old boy from next door whom ...

  The yacht, brand new, bobbed in the pale gray waters where it was moored. Freshly painted in chrome, the Contessa was going on her maiden journey today with a family of three. Alan Barlow had purchased this beauty for a few million and before holding a party aboard, wanted to take his wife Ana and seven year old daughter to the middle of the sea to show them dolphins and seals. Family getaway. Or was it his guilt for not giving them quality time in the race for raking in the moolah and to stay on top of the Forbes list? The press was all over the place and that was all that mattered to Alan. Publicity! Glamour, glitz, ambition, millions…billions! The Barlow family posed on the pier for photographs with the gleaming yacht in the background. Ana’s white, flowing summer dress billowed in the soft breeze and her chestnut hair shone with streaks of gold like a halo against the sun making a slow, shy appearance.  Rosamund had an excited look on her face and was restless to embark....

  In this dark storeroom, the staccato gives me anxiety. I realize it's the thudding of my heart! In this room where there are shapes in monochrome, the daylight could once bring brilliant fuchsia or deepest scarlet, but for now it could be a still from an old movie. The door doesn't budge. With darkness all around the silhouettes are menacing, closing in!  Four walls…ceiling…floor. How long have I been screaming? My throat... hurts...Water… I noticed how time is so much like water; that it can pass in slow motion, freeze, or zoom in the blink of an eye. The past few minutes had passed like a million frames per second. In this slow time-bubble my heart explodes in my chest, my skin is clammy as I lean against a wall.  Outside this room is rubble from the massive earthquake which hit us out of the blue. There is nothing here to even mark time. Would someone come and find me in fifteen minutes or two hours… or ten days? Or never? Will I get out alive?  The panic is m...

I can't believe it's already July. It's been a long wait…" The clock was ticking to the appointed hour. Midnight was such a fascinating time. With her hood pulled up and arms crossed, Vinca leaned against the broad trunk of a tree. The ' Buck Moon ' shone more than brightly this night. So fascinating and powerful. It was twenty past the agreed time. With an impatient glance at her watch, she kicked at a loose pebble in frustration. She was about to walk away when she heard a crunch of leaves beneath brisk footsteps. "Vinca…I'm here…Sorry, I'm late." Vinca appeared from behind the tree and took lazy strides towards him.  "Oh there you are!" He walked towards her excitedly. He would make this night memorable for her! Midway through his thought, he felt a sharp jab and a warm stickiness on his neck. Slumping on the ground, his life ebbing away, he looked up to see Vinca's bloodied mouth, fangs bared! "At this very spot, I put ...

In an icy hamlet with a wintry fairy tale, lived a snow-bird who sang sweeter than a Nightingale.  She warbled at daybreak to a girl who always had a song on her lips and wore rainbow tiaras for hair clips.  "Weren't you the one, once so happy and bright? Did the dark side of the moon steal your sunlight?" "I'm May, Neptune's beloved child Who naively glided through a wonderland mild With a flawed cast-iron heart shield, merrily wild." Snow-bird cooed, "What did transpire, dear? Are you in some icky quagmire?" "My life's a cryptic screenplay I'm a dilapidated puzzle, jigsaw pieces all in disarray. 'Twas supposed to be my wedding day. He never did show up on time, When the bells at 8.30 did chime." To the snow-bird, it was easy to discern, That a chirpy girl had become forlorn. Someone had ruthlessly impaled May's chambray heart, with an arrow of iron. "With stardust in my eyes, clutching at moonbeams, 'twas my...

After the last guest had left the birthday party, Timothy, all of ten, dashed inside the house to unwrap all his gifts and presents. He squealed in delight as each package unraveled the objects of his heart’s desire. Just as he thought he was done with it, a slim rectangular box dropped onto the floor as a pile of scrap was being cleared.  It was shoddily wrapped in brown paper.  Gingerly, he picked it, turning it over but there was no name or gift tag. Upon unwrapping, the contents revealed a wristwatch with a tacky, plastic strap but the timepiece shone with a polished glow. A single sprig of an aromatic herb was tucked into the cloth it was swaddled in.  A handwritten note said, “From your well-wisher. Wear it.” Timothy's parents were quite wary of gifts from anonymous sources but Timothy was quite adamant about discarding it. As soon as he wore it, a random number flashed on the display and…started counting down! Aghast at this witchcraft, Timothy's parents swiftly ya...

The street was flanked on both sides by rows of houses and the lawns were decorated with scarecrows, jack-o'-lanterns and stacks of gourds.  Giggling children scurried past me in ghoulish costumes and scary masks.  I took confident strides towards a house on my left. In my Dracula getup, I was unrecognizable.  The family inside was holding a party and from the squeals, it seemed like some games were well underway.  The rooms were dimly lit. Tables were set for apple bobbing in the next room.  'She' was in a Halloween costume too but it was easy to spot her—a 'witch' playing host.   I tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to lead me to the washroom. Taking me to be one of her guests, we passed the apple bobbing table.  Her screams were muffled with other playful shrieks and gory noises amidst the Halloween effects as I dunked her head in the tub of water and held her there until her wild thrashing stopped.  Wasn't this exactly how she had b...

On the edge of a thicket were wild roses of the rarest blue Shining like a sapphire when drenched in crystal clear dew No beauty is without its flaws Blue rose had sprouted vicious, prickly thorns Birds and butterflies shunned it with all their might The village folk wanted it out of their sight! Cursed they said and left it alone It's beauty was evil and petals surely venom Turning skywards, Blue Rose whimpered Why did you create me so, to be isolated? The heavens smiled and showered it with rain You don't know your power yet, you're an elixir, not a bane Blue rose didn't know but it held a sacred secret It was no sorcerer but held the ambrosial nectar sweetest Turning indigo by night this was a magical bloom Exuding a prized aroma and holding a mythical perfume Only the brave and true of heart deserves you, Blue Rose You're my dear child and I hold you close Sometimes we are the Blue Rose, we must embrace our flaws We are divinely protected, our thorns maybe our b...

  In a quaint countryside fringed with trees willows and alder Stood a wishing well study prim and proper Filled halfway with crystal clear water At the bottom lay sparkling coins of silver and copper Peering over the rim she spotted her reflection Bright blue eyes and a dazzling smile put together The belle threw in a penny with a lot of hope and a tiny prayer  Rippling as it hit the bottom one too many all a-glitter Bouncing away on the path her heart did whisper Why didn't you ask riches for yourself, may I muster? Diamonds and rubies I've no use for neither sapphire  The world needs peace, joy and compassion and that is my desire The wishing well heard her song pure and merry If it could, it would have granted her fame and glory The well stood solemnly, stunned and amazed And hoped that one fine day God would grant us all this grace. ©️ Sangeetha Kamath  Pic Courtesy: Image mage by Bianca Van Dijk from Pixabay

The warm grainy expanse was all there was after being hit by a massive sandstorm. It must have been a tsunami of crusty winds blowing into their eyes and lungs. Half the city is buried underneath this sandy grave. What we call ground level now used to be the 10th floor of a high rise! Seems like an apocalypse had struck them. There's only one big orange sky, hot summers and an endless stretch of nothingness as far as the eyes can see. Inside this derelict, abandoned structure are hulking sand dunes around which I have to maneuver. What a wreck! The doors are almost dangling out of their hinges and the windows are totally non-existent. Where was everyone? There was no escape from this desert baked town. We've been sent on a rescue mission but I think we all have to return with a heavy heart. There's unlikely to be any survivors here…what a terrible way to go! The draperies on what used to be a window, flutter in the desert breeze… I look out to see a shimmering sky pond in t...

Some princesses are locked up high in the castle towers and I'm in a lockdown in my towering building. If the princes were led to Disney princesses for the dulcet songs they sang, I only had a hoarse voice hearing which, even the frog prince would make a hurried exit. A dreadful disease had overtaken the world and people stayed away from each other. Who would come to rescue me, and why would he? My heart did a double take as I saw a smiling tall, dark, handsome man in an unusual attire outside my window. I was on the 22nd floor! Was he a ghost? I was about to black out when he quickly said, "Sangeetha, fear not! Don't you know me? I'm Aladdin. Come, hop on! We have no time to lose!" Hop on?? Where??  I gingerly opened my window and there he was on his flying carpet. He took my hand and before I knew it, we were flying through the night sky, high above the skyscrapers and twinkling lights below. I gasped. "Aladdin, where are we going in a hurry?"  "S...

  Screaming and struggling, she was dragged to the pyre. The manic crowd hauled her over a stake and shackled her to it. As the men piled more bracken around her, the women hollered, "Burn! Heathen!" There was a roar of victory as the lit torch was flung into the kindling. The flames danced with a celebration of its own along with the barbaric mob.  Her eyes were terror stricken and her mouth was frozen in a wordless gasp as the flames started lacing the tips of her boots and kept rising to her feet.  She strained against the metal, even as her wails and shrieks were drowned in a flood of clangor and ruckus.  The uproar and sacrificial drumbeats reached a blood-curdling crescendo to match the intensity of the raging fire. Her lips formed unheard words—" I'm not a vampire. You're all mistaken. I don't deserve to die like this …please… MERCY!…" She was about to drift into oblivion when the black shapes shrouded the moon. Cascades of water from above douse...

Browsing through a quaint market on the streets of Aramza , Veron stopped at stall which sold souvenirs at discounted prices. An oval shaped mirror with a gem studded edging caught her eye. The vendor told her those were only imitation stones and not real gems. He sold it to her at a throwaway price. With a glint in his eyes, he counted the money and flashed her a wide toothed smile.  Back home after a weary journey by air, she unpacked her belongings and hung the exotic mirror in the hallway. The next evening, as she went to switch on the lights in the foyer, she noticed something strange. The glass had clouded over! Unable to understand what was going on, she rubbed it with her sleeve. Nothing! The fogging seemed to get denser. The weather was clear and there was no way a mirror in the hallway could get steamed over. Panic rose inside her when she realized that a mist was swirling inside the mirror! She clamped her palms to her mouth when a faint writing appeared on the glass. “D...

                                           This story was my first Historical Fiction for the Short Story Contest 2021 held by Wordweavers . This submission had won me a Second Place on an international platform. THE LAST DROP OF POISON Prologue After what seemed like a dozen nightmares, the train chugged to a grinding halt on the tracks. The passengers swarmed out in a heap and staggered to gain a foothold on the platform. They were suffocating and gasping for fresh air. Ragged, filthy, starving and...very very thirsty!  Winter was upon them. Frosty! The kind of frost that penetrated their coats, boots and gloves. They huddled together, holding their children close and looked around at the sinister surroundings. The thick black smoke belching out of the chimneys...