Story 21

"You want to pee?" Jason asked his little brother. Landon was as pale as ever. Never in his wildest of dreams had he thought about this. There have been talks about some tectonic shifts which might cause massive destruction globally. Scientists had revealed this might just be the end of the existing world and beginning of a new one. The 're-incarnated earth' where the whole civilization will move backwards. A civilization where development will be measured by our progress towards the stage of cave age - the cave men and cave women would be the epitome of modernism. Questions had flown thick and thin. "Why do you think such an event will happen?" "We had always knew destruction push people towards a new beginning, which eventually turns brighter in course of time. But why is it different now?" "Do you think God is angry with us?" As people started blaming karma for this apparent regressive structure, scientists clarified that the reasons for such a pattern cannot be fully understood. But yes, definitely earth has been angry with us for quite some time and probably she doesn't want to make the same mistake again by providing us everything we need.

As Landon nodded a no to his brother he felt a searing pain  on his left leg. All the incidents of the last few days has been a blur for him. He remembered the house collapsing as they ran out from their home. The whole neighborhood was out on the road. Everyone's house had collapsed or was on the verge of collapsing. He remembered holding Jason's hand and running after their parents in an attempt to save their lives when suddenly the roads started turning upside down. It was right out of those Hollywood movies which they rented on sunday's and watched together. As the crowd  screamed and panicked, running helter skelter Landon remembered his mother looking at them. The kind of looks which is difficult to explain but then it leaves a deep impression on your mind. Forever.

Suddenly he felt a sense of longing. He wanted to see his mother but deep within his heart he knew it was no longer possible because they themselves were not aware of their location. He felt tears trickling down his cheeks when that long purple tail slowly patted his back. He smiled at looked up at her as she looked at him with her motherly eyes. He took her tail and kissed it softly when Jordan shouted, "The egg. It's hatching!" As Landon ran down, the purple dinosaur smiled to herself. In this paleontological world, she had three children to look after. Two human kids and one baby dinosaur.

Story 20

"Hey there beautiful! What's up?" Anthony smiled at Julia as he took a chair from the side and sat beside her. "Nothing much. The same usual Thursdays. The boring sociology classes followed by gender studies. It's such a waste of time!" quipped Julia. "But then, you can't have film studies class everyday? Can you?" asked Anthony, as he opened his jacket and hung it on the side of the chair. "In a perfect utopian situation, it would" pat came Julia's reply. "Julia, it's all about breaking the...", Anthony was interrupted by the waiter. "Two black coffees and two ham sandwiches with extra cheese" Julia ordered without thinking for a second.

"You should break the monotony when it comes to food. At least, give something else a shot!" Anthony laughed, bringing out a packet of cigarettes. "Can I have a smoke?" Julia asked. Lighting one cigarette from Anthony's packet, Julia asked, "How are you liking Paris?" "Is this an after effect of Bertolucci's Dreamers?" smiled Anthony. "I would be lying if I say no. But this country, has inspired me, left me intrigued, time and again" said Julia emanating perfect smoke circles from her mouth. "Can I guess the reason behind so?" smiled Anthony sheepishly. "Really? Go ahead then" said Julia.

As the waiter left the coffee and sandwiches on the table, Anthony put two dollops of sugar, stirred it a bit, lit up another smoke and said, "Because France is where it all began. Films wouldn't have been the same, if it wasn't for the French New Wave cinemas. Things would have been different, if there wouldn't have been a Breathless or a 400 Blows. People would have never thought of breaking the art again and again. A Bicycle Thief moved people so much, that it kept on running to packed houses for more than a year. Because France is the place where you breathe, sleep, eat, drink cinema. France is where the parallel independent films burst into life." Julia stubbed her smoke and came closer to Anthony, looking straight into his eyes she said, "Do you know what Godard once said?" Anthony smiled and replied, "If your wife don't like the same films as you do, divorce is just a matter of time." "I don't think we need to bother about that" said Julia as she embraced Anthony in a passionate kiss.


"Sir? Anything more?" "No. Bill please" Sushant replied, with a sigh. "Ping!" Sushant's phone vibrated. Julia has replied. As Sushant started to write, Julia again replied, "I would never want to meet you Anthony. I would never want to ruin the illusion." "Same here Julia" Sushant replied, as he stared at the blue sky outside the coffee shop.

Story 19

Age has made him wiser and patient. In the autumn of his life, he did not have any regrets as such. Life's trajectory has taught him a lot and as of now, he had nothing more to ask for.
But then Forrest Gump once said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are gonna get" and invariably,  he found himself in a situation which he least expected.
In life, there are certain things which you do not want to think about. You accept it, the way it is and then simply move on. It's easier said than done but eventually you end up living your life without it. Probably life teaches you to fight and move ahead and as he walked along the path, the floodgate of memories opened up.
It was some fifty years back when he was also aspiring to be a part of this special place. He remembered those late night WhatsApp conversations which he had with them, all those discussions, quizzes, arguments which they shared. Preparing for the exam never seemed an issue. Rather the camaraderie kept things going. He had enjoyed every moment of it  and till today it was the best five months of his life.
"Dadaji, you want a cup of tea?". He was forced back to reality. "Do they still sell tea at that place? Chota's?", he asked. "Yes. Want to go there?". " Yes!", prompt came his reply.
As he sipped on his cup of tea, he remembered the picture which he saw back then. Nothing has changed. The tyre swing, the ludo board on the floor, the MICA wall - everything is the same. As he looked at Ashish, his grandson, talking with his friends he smiled to himself. Some fifty years back, he didn't convert MICA and today he has come to attend his grandson's convocation. The school of ideas definitely had some separate ideas for him.

Story 18

It has been raining for the last few days in Kolkata and tonight was not different. As Madhubala stood beside the window, the rain soaked wind swept across her face. The wrinkled cheeks managed to smile as she closed her eyes. Rain brought back so many memories for her.

She distinctly remembered that day. The radios announced that a treaty has been signed between Union Jack and Hindustan. The treaty was based on the pact that Hindustan will be divided into two separate countries India and Pakistan and religion was the only way of proving whether you were an Indian or Pakistani. Little Madhubala was oblivious to everything. She was busy playing with Shazia and her trying to make two swans with her two hands. She remembered her father running up to her, literally snatching her away from her friends. Madhubala cried a lot. So did her father.

She remembered crossing the Kashmir border and for the first time she found herself amidst snowfall. The sheer beauty of the nature astounded her as she looked around dumstruck. She didn't realise people crossing sides frantically - a last minute attempt to get themselves recognised as a citizen of a country. All she could see was a group of young kids standing in a circle on the snowy path.

She never thought that she would get married in a country about which she had no clue. She didn't even realise that Peshwar will never come back to her again. As a 10 year old Madhubala with a mehendi clad hand got ready to be married to a 18 year old  Shashwat, her mother explained to her that this is where "jannat" lies. This is the place about which Shazia used to tell her. This consolation was enough to make Madhubala smile.

The sudden lightening stirred up Madhubala. Oh, age brings back so much of memories. She switched on the light and slowly went to the corner of the room. She opened her steel trunk and brought out the Waterman camera which was in tatters right now. She fondled it slowly as she walked towards the window. The rain filled wind again swept her face. Strangely after 89 years it felt a lot like Peshwar. Yes. It felt a lot like Hindustan.

Story 17

Subuhi was getting ready. Weekends were the best part of her life. Rather the only part of her life ! From a very small age, she had understood the basic equation of her life : her every need was a necessity and they were supposed to be fulfilled. So she never bothered about the quadratic equations both in life as well as in maths paper. She was happy with her fashion anthology and she made sure that the Gucci's, Jimmy Choo's, Blueberry's were in place. And this weekend was definitely not an exception to that.
Brijesh was the new departmental manager of Tristara, "a shop in a mall", which ensured 5-star shopping experience for the customers. Like any other Indian kid, Brijesh did his MBA from a pretty good B-school. The degree gave his B.Tech a boost, that's what his peers said,  and taught him the finer nuances of " selling a product". The basic thing which he understood during his two years MBA stint was, the sole reason why people survive or earns to survive is to be contribute and be a part of this consumer's world which depends on the major C of commercialisation. And it's all about selling it to the consumer which matters. This line of thought got him a decent job at Tristara. As he got ready for a hectic day, he saw their loyal customer Mrs. Subuhi Duggar getting out of her car. Brijesh smiled. The consumers and the providers are just two sides of the same page as Brijesh got ready to welcome his customer.
As Subuhi walked towards the shop, she smiled to herself. The Donna Karen bags were going to be added to her wardrobe and, her day dreaming suffered a momentary break as this kid approached her to buy a packet of incensed stick. Disgusted she literally stamped the little boy's foot and went inside the shop.
The boy hung his face down. He was just 5 rupees short of buying a kite for his brother as he cursed his luck. But the world was to engrossed in commercial existence than to think about a kid and his love for kite !

Story 16

"Woof ! What's wrong Bling ? I have never heard you barking so much. You sounded so tense bro" Mickey, the labrador, looked genuinely worried. Bling, the alsatian,  and he were the best of pals. Their master's house were just opposite to each other, which made things even better for them. Bling was elder to Mickey by a dog year but his seniority didn't affect their friendship. They discussed everything right from the food which they were served at home to the family issues within the family to Picasso, the white cat, who has befriended them just a month back. It was a dog's world and they were a textbook example of best friend. Getting no response from Bling, Mickey gave him a shove. "Hey there man ! What are you thinking about ? Will you tell me the cause of your concern ?".  Bling looked at him quietly and quivered, "Bro, things don't seem right." It was Mickey's turn to be angry and he shot back,"Yes. I didn't even realise that, you know. I just thought that you were high on beef steak, sardines and the Fast &Furious film !" His voice reeked of sarcasm as Bling replied apologetically, "Calm down Mickey. I will tell you everything, bro. Just tag along and don't make any sound."
Mickey bluntly replied, "Woof !" and Bling led the way.

This was not the first time that Mickey has come to Bling's home.He loved the decor of the house, the large LED television at the side of the wall and often requested Bling to allow him to watch one episode of Garfield. He loved that cat ! As Bling led him to his master's room Mickey asked him softly, "Woof ! Isn't your master home ?" Bling shook his head and opened the door. And Mickey was left awe struck. He had never seen so much of cash in his entire life. The floor was stacked with money and on a more careful observation he found gold bars hidden in between them. Mickey was just going to ask the reason behind all this when he saw Bling sitting by the window and crying. Mickey went near him and asked him softly, "What's the issue Bling ? Why is everything scattered like this ? Where is your master ?" But Bling wouldn't reply. He just kept looking outside his window. Mickey had never seen him crying so much. He asked him again, louder and firmer, "Woof ! Tell me man. What's wrong ?"

" Last night he was very distressed. He just kept on telling me, Bling politics is as dirty as hell. How could they do something like this ? When suddenly the local news channel flashed this picture of a kid, left alone, dead at the sea shore, my master cried out in disgust. He told me, he would be doing everything he can to help this refugees. Crying, he told me that humanity is losing everything and we, the canines, were much better than our masters. In the morning he left early, went to the bank and came back with all this. This was his life savings but he wouldn't care. He told me to stay safe as he stashed a bag full of money and left. As I kept waiting for him, Picasso came and told me, that they had started firing near the border and close to 1000 people were feared dead. Picasso told me, my master's name was at the top of the list."

Story 15

Like any other girl, Sweta had her honeymoon extensively planned. Months before the wedding she had made all the bookings and ensured that everything was arranged according to the way she wanted it to be. After 8 years of courtship, Himanshu and Sweta finally tied the knot. And within 6 hours of their wedding reception, they found themselves waiting at the Mumbai International Airport for their flight to Zenith Island. Himanshu had no idea about the existence of such a place and on repeated enquiry, got nothing but a wink from Sweta.

As they boarded the flight, Himanshu was a bit skeptical to see that there were hardly any co-passengers. But then, who would have heard of such a place in the first place. As the flight took off, Sweta wrapped her arms around Himanshu's and whispered, "The journey begins honey." Himanshu blushed.

To Himanshu's surprise, Zenith Island turned out to be a place as beautiful as those mentioned in children's fairy tale. Some thousand kilometers to the north of Guyana Island, this island has not yet been exposed to the world tourism.Hence on their way to the hotel they hardly came across any foreign tourists. The beach looked beautiful in the moonlit night and Himanshu's desire to see Sweta walking down the beach, wearing her beautiful white dress rekindled his passion.He firmly held Sweta's hand and whispered, "Thank you baby." And Sweta couldn't be happier.

On entering the hotel, they were greeted by woofs as four lovely puppies came running to them. Sweta's eyes glowed as she saw Himanshu on his knees fondling those puppies. She was ecstatic as her wish to surprise Himanshu was turning out to be true.  As they entered the room they saw a candle light dinner waiting for them, a complimentary setup from the hotel. Words failed Himanshu. He never dreamt of having such a grand honeymoon and most importantly never expected Sweta to plan out something so meticulously. They placed the order and decided to get freshened up.

The delicacies were served in the traditional fashion. Everything was going on smoothly till they found the shape of Pupapoo, the Zenith Island special dish, to be weird. It looked like a small roasted heart. Himanshu was curious and he asked the waiter what it was. The waiter replied, "Pupapoo is roasted puppy, Sir. In fact, you just played with one of them before you entered. This is a traditional Zenith Island food. Puppies are our chickens."

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Story 14

He was completely taken by surprise. It never occurred to him that Sharmeen would draw such a conclusion. He looked at her with disbelief. The miscommunication has reached a new high and now things were going completely out of hand. Sharmeen sat there at the corner of the room. Her tear soaked eyes made her look more adorable. Iqbal wanted to hug her and sort things out. But Sharmeen had already started having doubts.
" Sharmeen believe me, it's not what you think", pleaded Iqbal. "You are making a mountain out of a molehill. This is just too much." "Yes. I am at fault right ?", Sharmeen responded rhetorically. "You showed it to me and now you are denying it completely. Even after that it's my fault isn't it Iqbal ?".

Iqbal shook his head. This was the worst fight they had in their 8 year old relationship and he had never felt so helpless. He searched his pockets for a smoke but found nothing but an empty match box. Sharmeen suddenly got up. "I am leaving Iqbal". The sense of finality in her voice made Iqbal shiver. He had never imagined his life without Sharmeen and this time he felt his voice quivering. Standing up, he wiped the tears off Sharmeen's face." Sharmeen, why are you doing like this ? Don't you trust me ? Why will I cheat on you ? On us ?". Iqbal couldn't hold back his tears. "Yes Iqbal. I have always trusted you. I still do provided you show me the ring". " Believe me Sharmeen, I bought it for...". "Stop it Iqbal. Please stop it !" the anger was slowly building within her. "If you had really bought it for Ammi why didn't you tell me that day ? You saw how happy I was ? Didn't you ?". "Sharmeen," Iqbal found his voice rising, " I told you that day. It's just that the connection was very poor. I told you...". "Why didn't you tell me after that ? We have been together for 5 days now, why didn't you tell me ? All this while I have been thinking that you will go down on your knees and propose. But..." Sharmeen broke down. " How would I know Sharmeen that you didn't hear me properly ? You could have asked me ? Why didn't you ? And why will I buy it for any girl other than you....".
Iqbal was interrupted by his ringtone. Though he was reluctant to take the call the unknown number made him pick it up. " Hello ? Iqbal Mohammed ? Good Afternoon Sir. I am calling from Airtel. Will you be interested in our new 4G plan ?. We guarantee you the best connectivity anywhere and everywhere". Iqbal sighed.

Story 13

The tension was building up and Romit couldn't bear it any longer. The evening was not going the way he expected. The sole purpose of this re-union was to get together, have a glass of beer and enjoy the Manchester-Liverpool derby, just like old times sake. Matches like this was an intense affair for any football fanatic and Romit would agree that his group of friends was right at the top of the list. He still vividly remembers how they ended up fighting over an own goal. Smiling to himself, Romit turned on the shower.

The evening started with the story of Suresh's honeymoon trip to the Alps. Suresh being a professional photographer was able to capture the beauty of the Alps magnificiently. Each and every frame of his album met with huge round of approval from his friends. Romit also joined in sometimes but deep inside he was itching for the match to start. As referee's whistle started the match, Rajesh announced his plan to buy a new car within a 15 lakh budget. What followed was an intense analysis of the various alternatives he had, the mileage each of them provided, the features which made each one of them stand out in the crowd and many more. No one was remotely interested in the game and Romit was hating every minute of it. What made matters worse was the early own goal which Manchester conceded and ironically none of his friends noticed it ! Romit tried to divert their attention towards the game but to no effect. Rajat was talking about the Ajmal Kasab hanging which caught Suresh and Rajesh in a verbal duel. The cacophony was reaching it's crescendo and Romit couldn't bear it anymore. Excusing himself he got up from the sofa and taking the staircase entered his room.

Cursing his luck and his friends, he closed the shower. He didn't want to go down and listen to their incessant banter about Alps, cars or death penalty. What he wanted was some peace of mind to watch the match. And suddenly the moment of eureka occurred. He rushed back to his room, grabbed the cell phone and locked himself inside the loo. Sitting on the pot, he cursed himself. He should have thought about this earlier. He opened the Star Sports mobile app HotStar and well Manchester was leading the game, two goals to one.

Story 12

The ultimatum from Chinese government was plain and simple. Indians had to evacuate the Chinese occupied land by midnight. The growing stature of India have made the Chinese government insecure and they were not willing to cede their land to the growing power.
Already the Islamic National Union has attacked America and Russia. With the support of a number of South Asian countries, the Islamic National Union has grown stronger. Once popular as ISIS, they have declared war against humanity and no one was to be spared this time. The historians predicted that this could well be the start of the end. The final battle of human existence because everyone was as powerful as they wanted to be.
The Chinese government was reading the situation very carefully. The recent camaraderie between Iran and India has made them think that India might end up being diplomatic, which they have so often been, and give in all the necessary informations which China has trusted India with. As the protests among the Chinese started to grow India was also quick to retaliate. In a press conference the Indian government made it clear that they won't be responsible for any any Chinese citizens residing in the southern region of India, which was considered to be a stronghold of Chinese immigrants. They justified their action by stating the need to prioritize in this hour of need and right now it was more important to save their countrymen. Even the Marxists, who were strongly influenced by the Chinese communist ideologies, supported the government's decision terming it to be "more of a national issue which stood above petty party politics".
The deadline was drawing near. The Indians residing in Chinese were slowly moving out. Those who were willing to defy were served with government notice of deportation. There was no way out but to start the journey back. The airlines were becoming unreliable. Most of them ended up being hijacked and for these immigrants, there was no surety whether they would ever be able to see the light of the day. Similar scenes ensued in India as thousands of Chinese prepared to leave. Tears were becoming uncontrollable, the kids were shouting, humanity was questioned, Islamic National Union had bombed France.
The Chinese septuagenarian was standing quietly  in the departmental store, oblivious to what was happening outside. He was already past his prime and couldn't care less for his life. He had to find the tin food for his 8 months old grand daughter because she wouldn't stop crying.

Story 11

India :
Who would have thought that the remains of the Harappan Civilization would have been found by a cock. For all those who have been thinking otherwise, five hens and twenty cocks has been credited for discovering the last traces of Harappan Civilization. Historians have been in search of some final clues which will complete the remaining puzzle of the ancient civilization. It has been reported, during their journey they had come across a pillar of boulders which attracted the historians attention. The structural uniqueness made them halt their journey and study the boulders. On enquiring, the localites stated the existence of these boulders since the time of their birth. Amused by this the historians started collecting some boulder samples when the cock came into picture. The historians noticed that the cock squeezed in within a small space between the boulders. Curious historians called upon local poultry owners who with their expertise managed to bring out a number of hens and cocks, literally out of thin air. Intrigued by the existence of these living beings the historians remained on site for a couple of days. With the help of the government they managed to remove the boulders and found a magnificent underground chamber filled with traces of Harappan existence.

 Spain :
Hundreds of men, young and old, thronged the streets of Sevilla to protest the ban on fishing. In a recent order passed by the Spanish government, fishing has been considered illegal in the state of Sevilla. The order is mainly on the basis of a scientific experiment conducted by a group of Indian scientists who have infused philosophy with meta physics and has concluded that the fishes procured from Sevilla will prevent Spain from lifting the football world cup this year. The Spanish government have felicitated them and may infer honorary doctorate for their contribution to Spanish football. While the men protested on street to preserve their right, many confessed that their wives thought they were in West Wales pleading to the media not to disclose their name, the Spanish football team were in high spirits as they felt assured of at least a second round entry, contrary to what happened last year.

And to keep yourselves further updated don't forget to subscribe to Faking News.

Story 10

The only train which crosses this station is a cargo carrier which whistles pass at 5:30 in the evening. Apart from it, this platform is desolate. Few would want a posting here but then Mr. Koogan specifically requested the senior officers to post him here, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the administration. Koogan loved the peace which this platform brought. Set far away from the humdrum of the city he enjoyed every bit of it. He was always like this - a peace loving, boring soul.

There was nothing special about today. He waved the green flag as the train whistled passed him. The silence haunted the platform but Koogan lovingly referred to it as the "Sound of Silence" his favorite soundtrack from his favorite film, The Graduate. As he sat down on the chair, lighting a pipe, he was mesmerized by the beauty of the sky. Overjoyed, he spoke out loud,"Aah ! You beauty !" "Are you talking to me ?" Koogan literally jumped out of his skin. He never knew that sky could speak. Flabbergasted, he asked aloud, "Who and where the hell are you ?" 'Right behind your back" came the reply. Turning back, he saw a guy with a cloak and helmet like structure around his face. He had never seen someone as obnoxious as this guy. "Halloween came early. Eh ?" he asked the stranger. The flat voice replied, "I think you got me wrong. I am Darth Vadar." "Your parents didn't find a better name? Eh Sonny ? I am in no mood for a joke. What the hell do you want ?", the irritation was predominant in Koogan's voice. "I am Darth Vadar. And you don't know me ? Half of the world knows my dialogues, I am a continuous reference in most of the films, sitcoms. Probably I am the best thing which happened to literature. And still you don't know me ?" "Why do I need to know you?" Koogan asked exasperatedly. Darth Vadar sighed. "They were right. The story is untold to many." And with one deep, long breath Darth Vadar started the story of  his journey. The story of Star Wars.

And this is what Netflix does the best. Brings the movie home.

Story 9

Kishukey Marasami was running down the road. He had no clue where he was but he knew the only way to survive now was to run.

The enemies have attacked the world and they have spared not a single square meter of space from their planned massacre. The scientists had predicted that the Kryptos will attack the world but no one believed that the prophecy will come true so early. The world was eager to know about the Kryptos back then. Many had questioned the sanity of the scientists as they believed that the prolonged scientific research (successful) on curability of cancer has resulted in the lack of job opportunities for most of the scientist. Because there was nothing left to be invented. Everything and anything was available now. Whatever has been the needs of homo sapiens have been provided by the scientists. The last wish was eradication of cancer and with the achievement of that the average life expectancy of human was considered to be 1000 years now. But the scientists had warned that earth will meet it's death. This utopian scenario of existence was just the trigger for the culmination of civilization. The satellites predicted an attack from Kryptonite a smaller 'pseudo earth' structure which was inhabited by these greazy, smelly, one eyed Kryptos. They were just waiting for a chance to conquer the world.

As Kishukey ran towards a godown one of the Kryptos attacked him. The martial arts expert in him tried to counter the attack. But whatever he threw at them, these greasy fellows would not give up. Kishukey heard women screaming, kids running past him. Fear got the better of him as he turned back and decided to run. Pushing the gates inside, he entered the godown. A crane was putting a huge box inside a jizomo, the advanced version of once popular aeroplane. Kishukey leaped inside the box and fell on a bohemian old man who smiled and told him that he was on his way to the Kumbh Mela in India when Kryptos attacked. He managed to get inside this huge box and since then he has never felt so much safe. As it went inside the jizomo Kishukey saw a huge number of people inside jostling for a bit of space. The jizomo closed and an announcement was made, "Welcome to DHL Express. We try harder."