Short story challenge!

I love writing and I try to find every opportunity to write something. So last week when my 10-year-old neighbour told me she had a school assignment to complete over the Dusshera holidays and that it involved writing a short story, i pounced upon that opportunity and though it is not the right match, age-wise, I thought it would be fun to compete. There is no evaluation in terms of who writes a better story, but rather one with speed. I have a full time, paying job at Deloitte and a full-time non-paying job at home. And she has complete 12 hours at hand to complete it. Going by how school kids are during their vacation, i bet she will procrastinate. Well, so will I, since i know she is going to.
Now the question is, for how long will we continue this game of procrastination, yet compete in this time-bound challenge!

"It was a regular Sunday, you were getting ready for school. Suddenly a letter comes to your house..". This is the beginning as provided by her English teacher. I am pondering over keeping it a comedy vs having it as a school-thriller story. Though i wonder how my opponent is drafting her version,

Will I finish the story this week? Will I win against a 10-year-old, vacationing kid, only time will tell. If you follow this blog, stay tuned...

Comments

The loss of a friend !

My Father-in-law was not the typical FIL who was distant and would not interact with his daughter-in-law. Well, initially he was like that and then he warmed up to my presence and opened up to me. Over the last few years, as we spent a lot of time together, as we were all living in the same home, he became my close friend, mentor, guide and my biggest cheerleader. He was born in Shimoga, grew up in Amrutur with his aunt, started his family in Sagara and eventually retired into Bangalore. 80+ years, he has had the most enviable life. Don't mistake it for a rosy life or a life with no issues or problems! He was one among 11 - 6 boys and 5 girls. He was the 2nd child and as his mother had more children, she needed help raising the kids and so she reached out to her sister in law to take care of him in Amruthur - a farmland. He grew up under the care of his aunt and love from his cousins, who were all girls. He would eat fresh food from the abundance of the farm and also drink milk so...

It's been 5 years !

I still remember not being able to fall asleep on November 7th 2020. I usually crash and sleep almost the instant I decide to call it a day. But that day, I closed my eyes and was tossing and turning and I just could not sleep. It was almost 1 am the next day when I just about started to doze off when I got a call. A call that late into the night from a family member is always dreaded. I now knew why ! I was told that my Amma was not well and we needed to go to see her immediately. 5 minutes after we started, we heard the news that she was no more. The ride took 40 minutes and still felt like a terrible nightmare. Once I reached where she was, we decided to wait for a couple of more hours before informing our family and friends. At 4am, I started making the calls. Reiterating to each one that Amma was no more. It was the toughest to state it out loud like that when no one ever saw it coming. Just 12 hours back we were making plans of what sweets each of us would make for Deepavali. Sh...

A quick list of my current Top 5 favourite Taylor Swift songs

I thought I would put up my top 5 TS songs as of Dec 2025 because it will 100% keep changing. 1. All too Well - Like she mentioned on Stephen Colbert Show, yup , the 10-minute version is best to let out an emotional cry. I may not have a broken heart now, but I can imagine her hurt and I feel that hurt and I can listen to the song and feel the emotions and sometimes even cry thinking about heartbreak that is not there in reality, but an imaginary heartbreak just to let out a good cry. I dont know if you can understand that, but I would highly recommend being angry and sad at someone through this song. 2. Love Story - I think this was the first song I heard of Taylor and loved it and still do! This is the most romantic song as a young adult and makes you dream of all the sweetness in the world, waiting for someone to sweep you off your feet and be together happily ever after. She sold that dream and that fantasy. I still love the song for the time it takes me back to. 3. Anti...

Chupke Chupke...Shhhh..

Search This Blog