Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Fleeting Tales.

I've been doing a series of Fleeting Tales when time wouldn't permit long luxurious hours of fiction and my creative drives would have to suffice with quick short stories of different places, people and times, drifting in and out of my Blogger drafts. They're supposed to be Reader Treats, for these are open ended, thus you can let your imagination go wild irrespective of what the author had in mind.
Here are a few... I promise longer tales once these wretched exams get over. Love!

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  Coquettish melody.

She smoked some more just so that husk would would stay in her voice, for that perfect break when she hit the highest pitch followed by a loud thump and strum on her acoustic. Her brown braid always danced somewhere around her right shoulder, with strands of careless stray hair fluttering around her ears, her eyes.. A perpetual hint of pout on her oval face flirted with the perfect arches her brows made. Her uncared for skin radiated some warmth I say, it was uncanny. A constant (almost stubborn) reminder of beatitude, her songs.
I cannot fathom what was so perfect in her, when everything about her was wrong and raw. So wrong and so raw.

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Castles in the air.

Our sky was overcast with the sun, and around me your face brought in shifts of colors; wild colors which made me roll over the grass, laugh and pant at the same time, while squeezing my eyes shut to the warm tears that would leave my eyes a non virgin to happiness. 
There was a lot of green, quiet and peace even among the concrete jungle around us, there was a lot of life. A whole lot brewing coffee, red wine every fortnight, toothsome romance and artless tomfoolery. 
Dry spells of hostility would anneal us for hasty limbering down of temper and sorry faces, for resistance in vain, for a slow broad smile that would follow. 
It was simple. It was kind. It was honorable. And perhaps, it was love. 

.......and then what do I expect of a Goodbye, when all the castles in the air still remind me of your animated reality, and my sweet denial.
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Cooing touches.


The downpour seems to be intoxicated with bold hints of a question you haven't quite realized yet. The throbbing pulse fails to escape exhilaration when that familiar song competes with your senses and it gets harder and harder to keep up with your rationality, which was a pride to you. That pride however, seems to have extinguished in a matter of a single night; when facts turned into irony, when practicality seems laughable at the vivid fantasies your overwhelmed mind materializes, you can almost touch it.

You're in control of yourself, you're standing straight. But what would you not give, to let that guard off, and just act like the irresponsible voice that coos into you ear, quietly- the one you're turning a deaf ear to, the one that resonates in the void within you, winks at you, to give in.

The downpour seems to be intoxicated with bold hints of a question, you'd realized a long time ago. 
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Fishes in his pocket.

I remember that one last day of summer, when Mother stood on the porch waiting for father's Chevy to skid into the drive way. Little Harry ran around the house with dead fishes from the pond in his shorts, I was waiting for mother to find out..
It was a hot day, but the evening seemed to set in an hour early.. Mother still stood on the porch, her pickle stained dress blowing harder with each circle of the windmill, back in the farm.

Harry slept with the fishes in his pocket, that night. And my mother wrote in her diary that night;
"The heart has the power to overrule any storm, but it also has the power to brew and blend stillness into a storm it conceives with no rhyme but too many reasons."

Little Harry didn't remember his father coming back, that night. He doesn't remember him at all, now.
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Rickie don't lose that number. 

For a Tuesday, it was a rather busy night for the bar. For a Tuesday, there were too many drunk Johns and Janes around. Not that anybody was complaining, the band would mostly play to empty chairs during the week days. The bands with slots during the weekends considered themselves the Rolling Stones, to say the least.
So it was a welcome change when good ole Tony went to serve three punches and a Long Island at table number 6, and was quietly vouchsafed with a piece of paper by one of the robust Italian ladies. Poor Tony was too shot to pieces to open the folds, so he went and stood behind the bar with cold sweat breaking all over him. The manager hit him on the head, and he dived for the next table to order, he was waiting for the night to end, for table number 6 to vacate- and so it did, when the ladies (somehow) made their way out of the bar, delicious perfume and hiccups lingering behind them. 

For a Tuesday, it was too many coincidences for the little bar- when Tony finally did open the folds and read the untidy numbers scribbled, the band played on encore the perfect number for the night ; 

"Rickie don't lose that number, it's the only one you want... you might use it if you feel better, when you get home... Rickie don't lose that number..."
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Awaiting feedback, as always!
-Nil.

70 comments:

  1. OOOH What awesomely lovely bytes those were! Im going to lift your idea of writing Fleeting Tales. I have long forgotten the ways of fiction and am only reluctantly letting myself have a go at it with my bursts of 55fiction these days. But sometimes 55 words is stifling. Fleeting Tales would help me then!

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    1. Revaaa, thank you thank you! And yes, I've seen the awesome 55 fiction roll you've been on :) But yes, it does kinda get restricting after a point of time. Yes please do lift the idea of Fleeting Tales, waiting to read 'em already!

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  2. ^Agreed.
    They're all SO good :O
    Had you published this earlier, we could have all have started spin a yarn with these! they're so good!

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    1. Jeez, thanks! I thought the Spin A Yarn exercise needed longer pieces :( I've been writing these all month and saving them on ze drafts. Never mind, for the next round I'm in ;)

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  3. Really, there wretched exams. I too would die to join in for the Fleeting Tales. I like Coquettish melody. Very profound.

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    1. Thank you, Akansha! :)
      I'm guessing there's going to be a blogsville revolution after the boards :P

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    2. Nilly Billy! it's AkanKsha.
      Haha. There's definitely going to be one hell of it.
      P.S. Sorry but I don't like people using incorrect spelling of my name.

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    3. Akanksha, my sincere apologies! :)

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  4. This is really a fantastic idea, the perfect place to give to my drafts :)

    and tell me amid all the graphs and maps and formulas how do you manage to write so well little baby ?

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    1. I've been waiting for you to update your blog, PinkPatiyalaSis! Please do us a favor and hit Publish, real soon :)

      Haha believe me, the creative juices flow right when all mighty education should be the only thing in ones head :P Thus, blame the boards!

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  5. Good piece of work! :D

    The entire idea and your writing style! Woahhh, man. Perfect combo. Don't ever stop writing, you're awesome at it.

    Much love.

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    1. Maryam, thank you so much! You're much too kind :)

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  6. I disagree with your last sentence.

    No namby pamby "awaiting feedback", it's gotta be "awaiting compliments" for such brilliance!

    I loved the first and last piece, they really speak to me. For some reason the coquettish melody reminds me of Adele- the singer. It's almost magic and in an instant!

    Quite inspiring, you awesome little being :)

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    1. Zeeeebs! You're sucha darling. Thank you :)

      And sigh. Adele. Now that you mention it, I can't quite imagine any other girl other than her in the story.

      And just beeteedubbbs, I can never do without feedback (yes, feedback!) from you awesome readers. You're just too kind :')

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    2. EXACTLY! Adele somehow just fits! Pity about the vocal hammorages though- I can't spell that h-word right for nuts.

      Nawww. Pfft. You? Feedback? Girl work your awesomeness!

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    3. Haha, believe it or not, you're not the first one with h-word issue :P

      Zeeeebs. Thank you. What blushes you bring on :*)

      P.s- you gotta update sunny,I be waitingggg =)

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  7. Nice. Its' like 55-Fiction, or lets say 77-fiction, whatever is appropriate.

    These small tales still does convey the total meaning.
    Awesomely written!

    And what fascinates me more is that you make up time to write in between Boards. Totally, Awesome.

    All the Best for the Board Exams
    &
    Take Care. :)

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    1. That's about 150Fiction ;)
      Haha thank you so much, Ajay!

      And oh trust me, there are a bunch of fabulous bloggers who are actually carrying on with Blog Marathons in the middle of their boards. This on my blog is nothing!

      Thanks for the luck man, take care :)

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  8. This is a very good post. I really like reading your writing.

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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  9. OHMYGOD.

    You are so awesome for a girl of eighteen.

    I loved the "fishes in his pocket". *copies it in her notebook*

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    1. Hahhaha jeez, thank you! You're very kind :)

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    2. You're 18?! How? When? What? :O

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    3. No-pe, I'm 17. Going to be 18 soon enough :P

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  10. Shob kota daroon likhechish! Ajay says his favorite is Fishes in his pocket. amaaye jigesh korle kintu aami bolbo Rickie ;-)

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    1. Hahahah aami jantaam. I was pretty sure about Mesho, but woohhoo our choices are the same for sure! ;)

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    2. Ofcourse tui amaar opore gechish, Ajay toh buro ;-)
      porikha ta shesh koro aar ekhane esho

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    3. Oooh, sexy maashi with sexy picture! Ki daroon lagcho! I remember this photo! Studio te jeta nie chile na? :P

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    4. ei pagla jaa taa bole, dont make me feel old !
      yes this is the same one :-) ebar aami kaaj kori
      we'll call you before the next exam. mail me your date sheet chutku

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    5. No, neverrrr. You're the young and thriving hottness of us (almost) sisters maaasiiiiiiiiii :*
      Yep, shall do. Phone koro pakka se, onek din kotha hoye ni :)

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  11. Love the short story idea (fits in just perfectly with the time I can usually concentrate for at the end of the day...). Have read the first and just amazing, you pack so much into those few short sentences, gives such a picture of what you are describing. Still no sound from kids so read second too, evokes the feeling (for me) of being young again (which is no small thing given my age...)

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    1. CATHY!!!!!!!! I can't BELIEVE this! HII!! Good lord, what a treat to see you here after SO long! How've you been? And aww thank you! Haha I can totally get what you mean by "no sound from the kids, so reads the second one too" :P
      Thank you for the compliments, and thank you for BEING here! Sheesh I still can't believe this! This feels like good ole 2008 blogger again :')
      PLEASE STAY <3

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  12. Haha, now that was a gratifying response :D I've been good (but tired lol, us old dears don't have so much energy). And yes lol it is all about those precious little windows of opportunity :D Hardly compliments when considering how wonderful your writing is. Will stay, because now you are practically a grown up I am going to obey you :P :D

    Love the photo too btw, just beautiful!

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    1. Aww Cathy! Grown up or not, you must must stay! :)
      And haha thank you. It's been ages since I revamped the look of the blog :P
      And kindly start updating your blog, yes? We've been patient a year, now we'll just spam you with complaint comments ;P
      But YAY you're back :D

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  13. Im definitely going to write something based on these. Hopefully I'll be able to do justice to them! :)

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  14. Replies
    1. Anytime :) totally loved the yellow/black and white concept!

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  15. hello thank you for stopping by at my blog.
    nice writes anyway :)

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  16. helloo
    a good piece of works... really great and hatsoff to ur ideas :)

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    1. Why, thank you Anjali! You're so very kind :)

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    2. HA HA HA itz not about my kindness yaar its about your talent :) & yaa here is my blog
      http://timetoseedreamzz.blogspot.in
      hav a look yaar :)
      keep in touch tc :)

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  17. This was neat.

    Loved the "...perfumes and hiccups lingering behind them..."

    Keep rocking! :)

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  18. Matlab, Bhai sahab.

    Coquettish melody. My phabourite.

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  19. Replies
    1. My little babe of Bengal, only you'll end up coming for the workshop ;)

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  20. I have been doing a lot of 55 fictions off late ( though I don't blog it :P) and was proud of it and then I read you :D
    You made me skip beats in many a writes :)

    Girl you are one genuis :)
    And the ending were just sooo perfect :)

    I can't choose a single one too...so profound, lovely and beautiful :)

    And ending of last one was :)

    Keep up the great work sweetheart :)

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    1. ^YOU, need to update with all the 55Fiction you've been upto, alright? Cause all this on my blog would be a load of bull then :P

      Thank you, so much! As long as my readers like it :)
      lovelovelove.

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  21. these are all great. my fave is probably Rickie, don't lose that number!

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  22. Oh Nil. Loved the little heartfelt snippets. Specially the last peace. You were born to write...let me put it that way. :) Loved it to KFCs and Baskin Robbins and all things amazing!! *Now killing myself for being a lazy butt and not coming here before :(*

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    1. Howdy, Sam :) Haha woah thank you, lady! Too much niceness, I say. And maaaaaaaaan. Y U SAY KFC AND BnR :O stomach protests.
      Ahaha oh I know the lazy gene love, welcome to the clan :P

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    2. Not too much niceness yaa; STATING THE FACTS :P I am bored; hence will keep the comment string going :P

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    3. I'd be lying if I said I didn't do that same xP
      Reply option FTW. Coming back to square one, I'm bored too. Hi sam :P

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    4. Hey Nil! So how many days left for that BIG day?! And wot plans? GONNA PARTY HARD EH?

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    5. 'Big Day' is almost a month away, m'love :/ Exams end on 16th of April. (yeeap, that's me you hear gagging.)

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    6. At least you;ll be done school exams. Lucky you! So wot are you planning to study?

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    7. Good lord, that's a question I pretty much dodge these days cause that's ALL I hear about at home. So forgive me for not elaborating too much, but long story short- I want to pursue Literature :)
      And booooo. Getting over with school ain't that big of a Yaba Daba Doo, love. I thought so too, but now that I'm out, it really doesn't feel right :(

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  23. i is late!

    read the first one. so wrong and so raw. whatta line!

    will be bavk for more later :)

    btw if i may dare ask, what made u think of this?

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    1. Ey ey ey, a reader is never late, the author is simply early!

      Haha thank you :)

      And yeah well, like I've mentioned.. these tales drifted in and out of my Blogger Drafts when I didn't have time to write long pieces, so yeah, I just let them be fleeting tales within 150 words-ish. I realized they're actually pretty catchy, quick open ended tales :)

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  24. lovely little mini stories .. made me sad the fish in the pocket ..


    Bikram's

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  25. My personal Favorite would be "Fishes in his Pocket"

    Over the past two years, you've become so good that I can't offer any criticism at all! :)

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    1. Shiiiiiiiiiv! You gorgeous gorgeous thing, thank you so much!

      But believe you me, I'm not even close to that perfection, just yet :)

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Pour out your thoughts on mine.... :)