Short Story: A Stranger Cat (One Frame Stories)

You write something and someone appreciates it, that's sheer happiness. Thank You OneFrameStories for featuring my story at the Top. 

COMFORT SHE CHOSE - A Short Tale

She was exhausted, her frail limbs trying to find a place to station down herself.  Her dizzy mind rehearsing those questions, she faced this morning.    

“Aren’t you aware about terms and conditions, how could you adopt a child, while you’re single”

“You mean to say, I have to adopt a man first, to enjoy motherhood” she roared.

They didn’t reply, just asked her to sign some more papers. Pain was dangling on her eyelids. In her late thirties she has no more comfort left as tea, she sipped a bit and became ready for another fight.    

- Ankita Chauhan 

CHECKMATE - A Short Story

I know his game is almost over. 
All his players have been resting 
In the transparent box, 
Which was placed under the shadow 
Of his arms—but I have to pretend, 

I have to make a wrong move mistakenly. 
I have to make an expression 
Of “Ouch” with biting nails. 
I have to make him believe that 
He is one who knew how to play chess.

It is better to losing the game over and over
Than washing glasses in his dad’s tea shop.
This checkmate wins me..
Childhood. 

- Ankita Chauhan 

EKLAVYA - A Short Story

All eyes on her, she examined the ground with her left foot, stretched her shoulder joints and glanced at the opposition player who was buried under the instructions of coach.

A rail of thoughts started playing in her head “It’s not some gilli-danda which you play across the lane. Its badminton, complicated game, needs proper footwork, balance of mind...And time. No, I can’t select an outsider...” 

She watched the whole game behind the fence that day. A petal of dream unfolded in her gleaming eyes. She had not left with any choice but becoming another Eklavya.

- Ankita Chauhan  

RUN AWAY FROM...?

I am running away..

Running from the expressions hurting me most,

Running from the noises drilling my nerves,

Running from the shadows of secure life

Running from the stillness of embellished words

On that path I picked…The scattered pieces of my thoughts,

I tried to connect the beats—of every past moment

And after making a perfect picture,

I destructed that image simultaneously.

Is it so hard to rekindle the one—I lost once?

If you could find me somewhere…somehow

Will you return me—the real me?

Meanwhile,

I am running away from myself

I am running towards myself. 

- Ankita Chauhan 

VARIATIONS

It was early morning. Smoking blue sky was running out of gloves of black night. A misty figure, wrapped in human bones and some flesh was sitting on the edge of the road. His eyes were struck to the street art that was painted by leaves with the brush of dewdrops.

For a moment, a thought arouse in his hopeless eyes, his body shivered. Echoes of words, flashes of his stoned fate began to hover around his ragged soul.

“Stay...Stay away... You leech! ” A pious man pushed him aside and entered into the temple with folded hands. 

- Ankita Chauhan 

P.s - Wrote For OneFrameStories

MIGRATORY SOULS - A Note

No bird without flight—you said, I believed.  Your warm touch, entwined fingers assured me that a migratory bird found its solace. In the shadow of your interlaced breathes, I sensed the depth of love, a whole universe of dreams.  

Two unexplored paths were going to collide and starting a nameless journey. 

I'm not aware of any word, you pronounced but my name in your voice was enough—that echo in your eyes introduced me to golden sunlit meadows that urged for belonging. 

We are meant to be one—What if we symbolized as two different planets? 

- Ankita Chauhan 

P.s - Wrote for OneFrameStories

BIRD SONG - A Poem

And that morning

She leaned towards the gentler winds

Opened her clenching fists— maybe her trimmed feathers

And put a tiny step into realm of faith. 

Though tiny hesitation dangling on her breezy hopes,

 Yet she was craving for pain— Confronting with real ‘She’.

As the sun appeared,

She engulfed that numbness —with her opening arms

With a deep breath— she felt lighter

Floating like a feather,

Somewhere —gorgeously painted skin of nature

Helped her to conquer her world again,

With a new beginning —sailing with a new song.

- Ankita Chauhan 

HUNGER IS THE NEW RELIGION - A Short Story

Amidst of the screeches and smoke, he was taking fast steps. The shiny drops of tough life would smear all over his face —Curly hairs full of dust, dusky eyes full of hope. It was hard to say what was he handling...Was that some sculpture or his dire needs?

Suddenly he caught himself in someone’s camera. He trembled and trying to conceal his face. This mad world won’t have an idea that Hunger is the new religion. If they would catch an image of Muslim with Hindu’s Idol… he knew that would lead to more slaughtering of humanity.  

- Ankita Chauhan 

P.s. - Thank You ONE FRAME STORIES for featuring my story under Top 4.

Possession : A Short Story

In that 50-storey building, he was sitting comfortably in his luxurious cabin and reading newspaper. Suddenly his eyes got stuck… his hometown has been encapsulated by nature’s exhaustion. He was flooded up with sinking voices and empty films…voices full of cloudburst, breakage of lives, drowning souls, that uncertain rainfall hadn’t left a single mark of continuity… everything had merged into nothing. When everyone was rescheduling their lives by collecting possessions, he spent his left-over money on books.

After 20 years….history has been repeating itself. He was here, signing a cheque for flood victims, No kid should have left Bookless.

- Ankita Chauhan 

MEMENTO - A Short Story

A rush of relief unfolded millions of tiny memories on her face. She was sensing, caressing that god’s sculptures carelessly. A lady in her folk dress was trying to repeat her innocence. She leaned her head upon sculpture’s base and revived those days, when she was banished from a temple just because she had some special organs to produce another life, a tear rolled down her smiling lips.  

“Ma’am! Have you checked all the consignment, should we deliver now?”  Pensive sound came from behind and brought her back into present.

“Almost done” She replied in teary voice.

- Ankita Chauhan 

P.s. - Thank You #OFSLife for featuring my story at the Top :) 

Frame 61

Emergency : A Short Story

“No!  I usually avoid to drive in that area..You can ask from others’ autowallas” he waved hand at her.

“But why… It’s urgent.” She said with heavy breathes.

“Madam….you are looking decent…”

“I don’t need your opinions.”

Ok sit…But don’t tell me later...That I didn’t warn you.”

She preferred silence.

After an hour they both were onto their destination... a rustic place full of greenery. A sudden nostalgia hovered around his head…he couldn’t drive more and asked her to arrange another vehicle. His drooping eyes made him stop the world for a while and….compelled him into siesta-zone!   

- Ankita Chauhan 

RELIGION DIVIDES TEA UNITES - A Short Story

After giving a fair boil, he started filtering that liquid into small white plastic cups.  His eyes were keenly observing that dribble but he left his ears on the words, bouncing from radio. The news was terribly painful, about attacks, killings and religion. He glanced at the customers… waiting for their tea-cups and then he read his sign board… his heart sank.

“Khan Bhaiya, One cup…Strong one” someone said.

He sighed with great relief and started serving that divine drink with a thought “Is there any problem that tea can’t resolve." 

- Ankita Chauhan 

P.s - Thank You OneFrameStories for featuring my story under Top 4.  

Unspoken Code - Short Story

“Stay away. I’m not even sharing road with you.”

“I think we’re best friends, don’t we?”

“Best friends?  You do all the ill deeds and hide away, and teachers bestow all the due blessings on me, Best Friends…huh!”

“ill deeds?”

“Don’t pretend, you think you put bombs under Miss Marie’s chair and she would kiss you, you were the one who drilled a big whole into Tabla while music class just to check mysterious source of sounds, and aftereffects still ringing in my ears.”

“Yellow flowers, sign of friendship, take it.”

“You’re the worst friend, you know that?” 

- Ankita Chauhan 

Featured Under Top 4 

Short Story : Wife or Husband

The hesitation, profound as kaajal, smearing under her eyes, her fingertips counting the strangers, who addressing her as “New Mamma”, although she had learnt about concept of marriage through her friends, Two bodies—one soul. Her gullible friends might have forgotten to count the kids i.e. five bodies…and One soul?

With empty eyes, her shaking breath, searching for the person she tied knot with, past night.  Here she could only found the bare room suffocated with some whispering utterance, “Second-Wife”.  She was smiling at their stupidity because those experienced people couldn’t even determine who the second one is. 

- Ankita Chauhan 

INVISIBLE STAINS : A Short Story

There, vast sky rejoicing the gold luster of sunbeam but his red-blooded eyes still mourning for the ones, who lost their lives, even his squeaky warning couldn’t save his mates. He would ponder, noticed every inch of green land that engulfed by developed-primates. He would hear the ferocious sounds last night and witnessed, the entire jungle bathed with invisible stains of blood. He would sense the claws of evil on his neck, gnawing teeth of dark shadows, more dangerous than sharp teeth of tiger. And with the poignant scream, the sadness of being homeless echoed in the swollen winds. 

- Ankita Chauhan 

Featured Under Top 4 

An Uneducated Mind : A Short Story

The Sky was black. Smoke of crackers wiped all the plans executed into government buildings.  I was wandering like a hippie—far… far away from my hometown, alone. Suddenly, few street kids caught my attention, playing at the side of that road. I stared for a while, then don’t know why? I rushed towards them and offered few bucks. They hesitated but a shied girl almost snatched the money from my hands.  I was about to turn, leaving the place, but my ears got stuck on their giggles, girl declared while looking at the sky —I’ll buy some plants.

- Ankita Chauhan 

TANDAVA : A Short Story

‘You won’t dance. That’s it.’ 

He left the room after putting his stamp of word onto her fate.  

Something somewhere creaked, 

a sudden force fall off, 

as if someone hammered her heart into thousand pieces.  

Her feet started wavering, 

eyes palpitating as her existence into middle of nowhere. 

The energy she had been restricted to herself since ages, 

connected with an imaginary source. 

A quick move and 

she danced… she danced like refusing every direction, 

every measure, world prompt to her.  

The wordless expression was enough to reveal 

that beneath her flesh 

there was frolic soul of flamingo. 

- Ankita Chauhan 

I often Visit : A Poem

There is a place I often visit.

A place surrounded by empty stairs,

Filled with drops of reminiscence,

Just like that shimmering nose pin on her face. 

I felt a sharp pain

Whenever I sensed her touch,

Her glance… her curves.

The fragments of her voice

Floating on the turquoise surface of water,

Making me yearned for her,

While she is too far to return.

The comfort

I found around this oasis,

She might have instilled herself.

Perhaps she already knew conspiracy of

Our  fate, the dice game of death.

The place echoed with her glimpses, I often visit.

- Ankita Chauhan 

A SENTENCE : A Short Story

Lying on the grass

She reached at the point where

She could measure the horizon of limitless sky

With her small fingers

She smelt scented roots of earth

And heard the curling voices

She fetched the blades of grass into her fist

And felt the softness of nature

She absorbed the murmur of dawn

And wrapped the silence of winds closer to her heart

When her father ordered her to be devoid of tech world

…For a while

Something born in those moments that

Turned her alive!

- Ankita Chauhan