Vacant Eyes-One sentence story

Vacant Eyes

She sat at the table pecking at the food before her not wanting to waste yet unable to swallow as her eyes became moist today being their sixtieth wedding anniversary and the very day her beloved friend guru and partner had departed on his final journey leaving her at the mercy of their two greedy sons who quickly commandeered all the money and properties and left her alone in the nursing home which her beloved had thoughtfully paid for in advance, planning for the unforeseen as was his wont and her pet peeve and she was happy that he had ignored her and gone ahead and she smiled amidst sobs as her eyes welled up once more.

 

 Words 117

 

note: remembered Lady Astor- She suffered badly from a ferocious quarrel over her money, featuring her son and grandson. All of New York, for several months, agonized over the thought that this woman should suffer humiliation. Then she was wafted off to one of her estates and was looked after for the last year of her life, and, one hopes, will not be forgotten.- source internet

The Panhandler-one sentence story over 100 words

The Panhandler 

The panhandler seated at his usual perch every few minutes jiggled his paper cup to shake the few coins to attract attention of passersby who scurried past him as if he was a statue in their line of vision, best ignored except for that one old lady who without fail psyched herself to walk down that cobbled sidewalk as a daily ritual to coax her aging limbs to move as she was afraid that if she did not they too would desert her like her children and she never failed to drop a coin in his cup to receive his grateful blessing. 

 Word count: 102

 

picture from internet

Let Me In

Slight lift of eyebrow
Glimmer of thought
Semblance of smile

Dainty flick of wrist
Quick mental whisk
Salty dew drops

Shared tender love
Tendrils of affection
Kisses, make up

Aching heart heavy
Mourns memory loss
Time robbed us both honey!

picture from internet

Lethal Injection

She was feeling suffocated.  Her body was shriveling. “Oh My God, he is going to kill me! I have to fight! I was born after a great struggle.  I will fight them tooth and nail”.  

She came into her own after many a blood shed.  The quiet streets became her stomping grounds.  Anyone vunerable she found,  she overcame, cannibalized. Slowly her tentacles spread everywhere.  Her victims felt like death warmed up.   

The hush could be sliced with a knife!  Everyone watched with bated breath.  After extensive testing a lethal injection had been prepared with no side effects.  Specialists had gathered to watch.   

“My rule is over”. 

Headlines blared.  Medical breakthrough.  Aids vaccine found.

Victor’s Dream – Part One

Victor’s Dream
Shomu was a lovable child who loved his family very much.  Being eldest, he wanted to grow up hurriedly and give his Mother whom he called Amu and (dad)Baba, a hand.  Early on he became aware of their daily grind to provide for his two brothers and him. 

Baba was a cobbler and polished shoes also.  In his skilled hands even old worn out shoes got a new lease in life.    His mom sewed and repaired for the neighborhood on an ancient machine which was diligently oiled and kept fit.  The three children attended the local school as their baba wanted them to find another profession as cobblers had meager earnings.

Shomu always considered himself a winner and often wished he could change his name to Victor.  He was very fond of this word which he had learnt in his English class.  Slowly the family started calling him Vicky to please him and the old name Shomu was forgotten.

After school, Vicky would run home and help his brothers with homework and his beloved amu with household chores before joining his baba.  He relished polishing shoes and make them shine.  Baba would indulge him but only after ensuring that he had finished his school homework.  Vicky would whistle happily and shine shoes to his heart’s content.  He always got a bit more in tips than his baba.  It was mainly his happy face and cheerful manner that pleased their clientele. 

Vicky had just turned sixteen when he was forced to run his baba’s shoe repair business alone as they’d lost him tragically when a bus with failed brakes mowed him down along with others in its path.  After a lot of hue and cry the bus owners had given each victim’s family a large sum of money.  Vicky’s amu had quickly banked the money for her sons’ higher education and in case there was an emergency.  Vicky joined night school so that he could work in morning to help amu manage the house.  He also ensured that his brothers studied hard and did not get into bad company.

Sen Dada was a regular customer of his baba and now Victor’s. He was in the lottery business.  Each month he’d jested with baba that he should buy a lottery ticket as he’d surely win.  Sen Dada always told baba he was a lucky man indeed with three obedient sons and a hard working bahu (wife).  Baba had remained impassive and always refused
to buy a lottery ticket that cost Rupees twenty.  Now again, Sen Dada tried to sell the lottery ticket.  But Victor stuck to his guns and shook his head and continued shining the shoes.  The shoes literally glistened and Sen Dada could see his face in them.  He was delighted and decided to gift a lottery ticket instead of paying for his shoeshine.  Victor in a weak moment accepted the ticket, breaking his baba’s rule.  He apologized to baba in his heart.

 

On his way home, Victor stopped at the nearby Durgabaari

and placed the ticket in front of Kali Ma asking for her blessing.  He also told Kali Ma that as far back as he could recall he had always felt like a winner and maybe this ticket would get his family out of poverty and a better way of life.  Then he sped home.

 

The lottery was a bumper one and the prize money was a whopping fifty lakh rupees.  Every Calcuttan who could afford twenty bucks had bought a ticket.  The momentum had built up and the excitement was palpable and could be cut with a knife.  The madness and razor edge excitement was akin to the one when India played cricket with their arch enemies Pakistan.  Next morning was the drawing day. 

   

Sen Dada always kept ten tickets for himself.  Now he held nine as the tenth one he had gifted to Victor. 

The numbers were announced and everyone rushed to buy the evening paper as it carried the results in print.  Victor had been so busy whole day long that he had completely forgotten about the ticket.    Suddenly he heard sounds of drum beats approaching as a group of ten of so of his friends and family approached with Sen Dada leading them.

 

Dada came near and embraced him like a son.  He said, “Victor, you are indeed a Victor.  Your ticket has won the prize money.”  Victor’s mouth fell open.  Then pure joy coursed through his veins making him giddy with happiness.  He pulled the ticket out of his pocket and it matched the numbers in the evening paper.  Suddenly Victor uttered the words, “Where should I keep it, what should I do?  Where should I keep it, what should I do?”  He kept muttering these sentences over and over again.  Victor had lost his mind after his victory!

http://www.binaguptapoetry.com/vicors-dream-part-two-1106.htm

all pictures are from the internet disclaimer

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