July 23-29: Yellow Submarine. Comfortably Numb. Hello, I Love You.

YELLOW SUBMARINE

From @PaviliciousK:

I wait excitedly for his Facebook timeline to appear on my screen. Oh the possibilities of love!

But alas! In a span of 4 seconds hopes are dashed; the only life event I can see is “Engaged July 1st.”

I stare at his Yellow Submarine Beatles shirt, and think how perfect he could have been.

From @Mari_deSilva:

Tumbling into the car one after the other, my sisters forcing me into the middle seat, would invariably lead to lots of shoving and complaints. Mum would try to hush us up, whilst dad switched on the radio. As we started singing along to “Yellow Submarine”, all our troubles were forgotten. Life was simple then.

From @shamsmakkiya:

After years of research, the team completed their "Yellow Submarine".

Selected men boarded the underwater vessel commencing their risky voyage through the all-time miraculous water, The Bermuda Triangle.

Far-fetched informations were transmitted successfully. On reaching their destination, multi-coloured people were spotted moving on the ultra-magnetic ground.

The men in the sub chorused triumphantly "PLASTIC ROCKS!"

From @Shi_dreams:

“What was that?” asked Jamie anxiously.

“Nothing. Just a yellow submarine surfacing,” replied Carl shrugging.

“WHAT?! THE SUBMARINE IS BACK?! ALREADY?”  yelled Jamie jumping up.

Carl looked at Jamie like he’d lost his marbles.

“Quick! If we hurry, we might be able to sneak in before it goes under again!”

Carl groaned and followed Jamie.

From @wIkIfReAkz:

The Recipe

The death toll increased to 17.

The detectives headed towards the scene of crime.

The glowing neon text read: 'Appetite Supremo'.

---

Inquiries revealed that recently the restaurant became very popular among the youth because of its all new dish: 'Yellow Submarine'.

---

Forensic reports confirmed that the mayonnnaise used in the gourmet contained arsenic.

From @seniinthebox:

I walk in on my teenage daughter going through the records my Sister had dropped off earlier during the day.

She looks at me, puzzled. "But I still don't get the beetle was doing in a submarine! And a yellow one at that! Google Images had yellow and black beetles. MAMA! Are you even listening?"

COMFORTABLY NUMB

From @shamsmakkiya:

To Whom I No Longer Concern.

The volcano erupted. Wish you were kissed by its luscious lava. The bitterness you engraved was not merely the tip of an ice-berg; the deepness is immeasurable. Lessons are often revised and reminiscences are constantly fissured so as to preserve my comfortably numb state.

From @Mari_deSilva:

Every time I watch the news, I see images of war, destruction and abject poverty. Every time I walk on the street, I’m reminded of how priviledged I am, and how deprived many others are. Every time I let myself think, I realise how much happier I’d be if I could just become comfortably numb.

From @jonnyjujubes:

You see a man without limbs, flailing on the ground and stop. No one else does and after a few seconds you realize no one else cares. Everyone walks on by, eyes averted and eventually your body starts moving and you’re far away.

You’ve lost a bit of time, and probably some of your humanity.

From @gillian.nair:

Comfortably numb. That was me for the past 3 years. Since the day you left me for her. I didn't hate you. I just became comfortably numb. It was easy. It was how I felt with all those guys after you,wanting to feel the same way but never did. Until I met him.

From @wIkIfReAkz & @shamsmakkiya:

He got fed up of the barren land to the nth level.

Once again he gazed heavenwards. Surprisingly, this time saw some cotton candy-like nimbus hugging the skies.

He lifted up the ploughshare and hooted gladly of envisaging prosperity.

*

She turned the oxygen canister off.

The virtual reality euthanasia therapy had made him comfortably numb.

HELLO, I LOVE YOU

From @seniinthebox:

“Adam, meet Eve. She just came on board as an intern.”

“Eve, this is our Project Manager, Adam. He’s been with us for nearly five years.”

“Hello, Adam.”

“Hello, I love you.”

From @bhagsy:

I standing in the hall, among the crowd at the reception that night; feeling a little lost. I felt a tap & turning I find him standing behing me. 'I love you' he says.

From @jonnyjujubes:

January.

The year was full of promise, and I thought you were too. One painful conversation a month later and I lost faith.

Now you're back and the feelings remain the same. But now I'll wait. I've never waited for someone before, but I guess I just never had anyone worth waiting for.

From @gillian.nair:

I noticed him from across the room. He looked up and smiled his dazzling smile with his piercing hazelnut eyes. I walked over. Confident to not make a fool of myself. With my hand outstretched to introduce myself,I  blurted out 'Hello I love you'.

From @Mari_deSilva:

“Hello, I love you.”

That was the beginning and the end of the love story.

She just knew he was “the one” the moment they met.

Seven years down the long and winding road, as she looked over at him stepping onto the Poruwa, it couldn’t have felt more right.

He had her at “Hello.”

From @shamsmakkiya:

Male dog: "Hello, I love you baby! Why don't you try to understand me?

Female dog: "Nonsense! I don't really trust in love."

Male dog: "No, dear, don't say like that! I'm ready to sacrifice anything for you."

Female dog: "If so, first and foremost, I want you to leave and forget your master, Mr. Casanova!"

From @wIkIfReAkz:

THE CODE

New Wikileaks cable revealed that NASA's radars had received odd signals from space.

*

'They wanna tell us something!'

Plenty of UFO hoax were spread out, as usual.

*

Prof. Langdon deciphered it.

.... . .-.. .-.. --- /.. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-

It read: 'Hello, I love you!'

*

Actually it was a telegram sent from my neighboring post office several years ago..

From @dishilicious:

you gave me strength

from miles away

during toughest times

didn't let me fade away

kept me sane

wiped my tears

your hugs and kisses

all i desire

But

you never said

the words,

i wanted to hear

Hello! I Love You!

once would've been nicer

But

those lovely stupid words

do they really matter?

July 23-28: Phrases of the Week

Hello storytellers!

Here are all the phrases for this week:

• "yellow submarine"
• "comfortably numb"
• "hello, I love you"

Use these to inspire your 55-word stories. Send all phrase-related stories to us by midnight TODAY.

Please include your twitter handle/real name/pen name in the email.

July 16-17: Patriot

Original photograph by @Mari_deSilva

From @Mari_deSilva:
“Do you love your country?” 
“Yes Sir!” 
“Would you do anything to protect it?” 
“Yes Sir!”
“Would you put it before everything else?”
“Yes Sir!”
“Would you sacrifice your life for it?”
“Yes Sir!”
“Would you sacrifice others’ lives for it?”
“.......Yes Sir?”

From Saumya Fernando:
“Haiyooo now of course the patriot will only be the ones licking their boots noh men”, Mrs. Bernard paused her sweeping to wipe sweat from her forehead. Mrs. Silva’s head bobbed over the wall. “Hmmm”, she coyly agreed. Mrs. Bernard continued, “This country’s going to the dogs and not a cat gives a rat’s arse”

From @shamsmakkiya:
"What if I write about myself? Am I eligible? No! What have I done?"

Linen-like curtains blurred my vision.

The more my brain looked for, the less I understood its significance.

All and sundry as an entity owes patriotism to the mother earth.

"Who is a patriot?"

My conscience never acknowledged its meaning.

From @wIkIfReAkz:
"I have always regarded myself, in the first place, as an African patriot."
--Nelson Mandela
(Today's his 95th birthday. This limerick is dedicated to dear Madiba)

Leader of South African Nation
Patriot, gives us inspiration
In Long Walk to Freedom
Mandela breathed seldom
For Freedom is his respiration!

From @PennyKinned:
Out there, he couldn’t remember the cause of his fervent patriotism. Had it been a belief that his country was somehow historically exceptional? Unique?

How delusional.

Gazing at blurry earth amidst countless stars, he made up his mind.

Thus it came to be that it was no national emblem but a plain white flag that claimed Jupiter.

From @wIkIfReAkz:
Thousands of patriots sacrificed lives, in the war of bringing back the Crown to the Nation.

A grand carnival was organized to celebrate the victory.

A duke was busy in reconstructing the infra-structure of an ancient city.


The point was: the chosen area was located in a treasure map -the very reason for the reconstruction.

July 15: Footsteps

From Priyanthie de Silva:
Footsteps in the sand, led me to the cave. Got a shock when I saw the contents. Dried bones & rags. What could have occurred here? Seems as though somebody lived in this deserted isle. I would like to know how he survived. Was he shipwrecked or was he abandoned here?

From theshadowseeker:
I fumble with the keys. The porch light is dim. My alcohol laced breath forms wisps of white as I breathe out deeply to steady my hands. The door creaks shut behind me.  As I make my way up the stairs, I hear them. One soft footfall after the next. I am not alone.

From @seniinthebox:
I waited.  
I listened,  
They came from behind but I did not turn, 
for they were not familiar. 
You had gone. 
But I was still waiting.  

From Saumya Fernando:
Without exaggeration Gold FM plays “Footsteps” at least twice a day, EVERYDAY. Without exaggeration, any time my mother decides to dedicate a song to a loved one on Gold FM she always picks “Footsteps”. Even though I laugh at her for her taste in music, I know I will miss it when I leave.

From @shamsmakkiya:
The motorbike revved at full speed.
Sirens went off from all four corners.
Yon stood an anorexic bod.
The cops pulled over and neared.
Followed the trails of footsteps.
Reached the farthest thicket.
To their bewilderment, his very marrow dripped out of his physique.

From @Mari_deSilva:
Daily he would watch his father abuse his mother...until one day he was able to back his father up against the wall, hands clasped around his neck, and threaten him never to touch her again. His father died alone and remorseful.

Always up for a ‘good drink’ - he said “I’m not like my father.”

From Mythify:
Her soles had been scraped raw by the pitiless desert sand. She struggled on, breath raggedy and uneven. Have to keep moving. Have to.

A few miles away, the tracker bent to examine the windswept footprints in the fading light. “This way,” he called to the others. Sheathing their knives, they set off in pursuit.

From @wIkIfReAkz:
Curious

Billy saw some strange traces on the sulphur surface. 'Footsteps?'

Far ahead he saw an undefined object.

It seemed nearer now.

"Shit! It might have spotted me," the very thought made his limbs icy.

He tried to run away, but felt crippled.

*


The last being remained on Mars was killed by Curiosity, the rover.

July 3-4: Wreckage

Original photograph by @Mari_deSilva

From @Mari_deSilva:It had to be here somewhere, she kept muttering to herself. Covered in dirt and soot, her clothes tattered, she relentlessly searched through the rubble of what once was her home. Finally she found it, eerily untouched by the destruction around it. There they stood smiling together – a happy family, as they should be.

From @rami_desh:The voices inside her head had been silent for a while. The taste of destruction had infected her tongue, cursed her very soul.

It was time to pick up the broken wreckage of her existence and awaken the voices once again.'

From @shamsmakkiya:No sooner the calamity took place, sorrow spreaded like the wild-fire.
The village at whole grieved over the bloodless lass.
The vicious lady, Mrs. Hagar, neither regretted nor admitted.
Patience tied the family with untiring prayers.
Years went by.....
Mrs. Hagar got afflicted by a life-threatening disease.
Divine punishment swept away the wreckage of flesh and bones.

From @wIkIfReAkz:Asylum
The well-packed trawler was heading towards Oceania..

The human luggages were dreaming of the fortunes that were only some 117 nautical miles away..

The monsoon sky seemed awfully gloomy just like their future..

*

TWO DAYS LATER:

The Oz navy spotted a suspicious object far off shore and found 68 migrants on the wreckage, dead.

From shanz@1971:Dreams come crashing down, marriages broken, families torn apart, all hope is gone,..all that is left is a wreckage...

From Capt Nihal de Silva:

In 1912 the world's most famous luxury liner "TITANIC" was launched and left on its' maiden voyage.and on the first night the invincible liner sank with over 1000 on board it took nearly 100 years to locate the "wreckage" ,but mysteriously no one  wanted to bring up the bodies and have a ceremonial proper burial.

June 30: Alone

From @cernoblog:

Are you the only one who feels that tyranny is the primal force tugging at the trajectory of politics? Does everyone around you think casting one's allegiance to a king every few years is democracy? Do your friends still pretend they live in one? Don't worry, with Chivas Regal, you are never alone.

From @Priyanthie de Silva:

I stood alone on the deserted beach,watching the sea gulls screeching overhead. What an ugly sound they made, for creatures so footloose & fancy free. Take the caged bird for example, they sang their hearts out, with such gay abandon! Nobody would know theirs was a cry of desperation.

From @Mari_deSilva:

It’s really not as bad as everyone perceives it to be, you know? Sometimes it’s all your heart craves for. The solace no other state of being can ever provide. I’m often warned that if I continue this way, I’d probably wind up alone one day. Sometimes I think that day can’t come soon enough.

From @shamsmakkiya:

Sisters' poisoned sister

Mrs. Hagar, a lady of fortune, desired the young man of characters for her daughter alone.

He declined her proposal.

Aggravated her anger.

She camouflaged it under her plotful grin.

Days later,

He bonded his dream-girl.

Mrs. Hagar threw them a grand feast.

His sister-in-law turned blue.

The poison consumed the budding soul.

From @wIkIfReAkz:

The echoing sound of ‘left-right-left’ is now over...

I'm sighing deeply, gazing at the empty parade-ground..

How paradoxical it's been:

feeling lonely, among routine bugles and a mass of worn-out berets and boots...

My first task will be fighting against anonymity..

*

Then I didn't know I would never identify the camouflaged soul of mine..

From @raisalw:

She sleeps in doorways.

Once she was a mother, but when she was done cooking, cleaning and raising them, they didn’t need her anymore.

So now she sleeps in shop fronts, alone. Except even those aren’t her friends- she has a scar from when one roller door shut on her face- a zip-line, measuring pain.

From Yasmin:

Growing up in a broken household had hardened her. She allowed no one inside her heart, because being alone was safest, she thought. But deep inside, she was lonely.

He loved her deeply; that much she knew, but it was unfair to expect him to understand her completely. He was, after all, only a boy.

June 26-27: Psychedelic

From @raisalw:
The moon pulsates in psychedelic hues. I am lying on a beach stranded in the middle of everywhere. The music amplifies. Cool air on my skin. How glorious to be alive, thanks to a spoonful of sugar.

One hit is enough.  

But what’s happening now? Strange hands, a wolf-smile and a single, whispered word.

“Lassanai”

From @shamsmakkiya:
Red, purple, white and pink corruscated the vine-covered trellis.

"Wow! Morning Glory," Tritos smiled psychedelically.

Tritos's parents sensed something odd in their innocent-looking son.

Tritos went on a field trip to the woods.

In search of the lawn-mower, mom went up to the attic.

"OH NO! My son can never be a doper." *Wept*

From @Mari_deSilva: 
He was the epitome of colour. His Code of Ethics enshrined it. His every breath, his every moment was wrapped in flamboyance. Everything he touched transformed into an instant work of art. No shade nor hue ever escaped him. Madiba truly lived every colour of the rainbow. I wonder who knew he was colour blind?

From @paviliciousk:
I stepped outside; into a crowd of people. Everyone was looking in the same direction. I peeped. It’s a Double rainbow. It had a psychedelic effect on all who saw it. Cars slowed down, people stood in the middle of the street snapping pictures; trying to ingrain this magic into their brain...

 ...or their phone.

From @wIkIfReAkz:
The Spa

Cathy gulped the crimson liquid. Gradually dozed off. Got her sanity jettisoned.

*BLANK*
*
EcstoSpa ensured the ecstatic feeling of OBE (Out-of-body experience) - detachment of the supracelestial body from the mass.
*
She opened her eyes.

Amidst the erroneous views of random psychedelic swirls, a blurry scene was slightly visible: a guy holding a handicam..

From @PennyKinned:
He was sulking in the attic when he found it: a string-tied packet of old photographs. Psychedelic clothes and carefree smiles. He thought of them now, his father’s shoulders bowed and his mother’s saris carefully reused till they fell apart. All for him, he knew. A single tear rolled down his still-downy cheek.

June 24: Resurrection

From @sharasekaram:
She turned around at him and smiled, her lips as red as blood against startlingly white teeth. He suppressed a shudder, unable to tear his gaze away from the perfectly sculpted face. It was inhumane in its perfection, it was unnatural. Guess that’s what happens when plastic surgeons resurrect what was left of you. 

From @raisalw:
She stepped up on the ledge, untwisting the knots in her hair. The ground seemed so far away. She hesitated, then remembered that sheet of paper. The one which told her she had failed- again. “It’s just one step,” she thought, “and then, perhaps, resurrection.”
At first, she was just a fleck of paper, falling. 

From @paviliciousk:
res-ur-rec-tion
1. the act of rising from the dead.
2. the rising of Christ after His death and burial.

I heard that Jesus was the first Zombie. 
The Son of God: ground zero of the Zombie apocalypse?
Religion as Science Fiction?
Or just Fiction?
Side note: World War Z should be renamed “Piles of Zombies.”

From @shamsmakkiya & @wIkIfReAkz:
Abel Vs Cain

Abel was gagged and abducted to the abandoned junkyard.
The blood was made to imbibe air emboli.
"Aaaarrrrghhh"
Pulse rate came to a sudden halt.
*
'Tick-tick.. Tick-tick'
The gem-studded Rolex alienated time from its owner.
Desires resurrected the centuries-old curse.
*
The DNA tests confirmed that the assassin was none but his confidant.

From Mythify:
She was confident enough in her new self, her new life, her new marriage to accept when he called and asked her to dinner. “It’s harmless,” she thought confidently. “I’ve moved past that, past him.” But a single caress resurrected her old self: eventually, she snorted the proffered coke and went back to his place.

From @Mari_deSilva:
A Christian, each year, I would gleefully await our family tradition of lighting Vesak lanterns outside. Impatiently, I’d count down the days to the neighbourhood Sinhala & Tamil New Year celebrations. The Independence Day Parade was a never-to-be-missed family date around the TV. Now, distorted and exploited, doubt it can ever be the same again...

June 17-21: Storm/Poison (Collaborative Stories)

Here are the amazing stories from our first collaborative story-writing project! It was a tough task -- and the participating storytellers did a great job :) Group authors are listed in order of submission.


From @Shi_dreams, @gillian.nair, @rebelinpurple & @gehan99:
Little Ashok lay under the bed in the dark terrified.

A car sounded in the driveway and he heard the voices of his nana and someone else in the hallway. She was screaming “YOU POISONED MY DAUGHTER!”

Ashok’s world started spinning.

“Nooo! Mommy isn’t dead!” he thought, crying. 

Suddenly there was silence. 

“Nana??” he whispered.

He tiptoed in to the hall. He could see the bracelet he made for his mom broken all over the floor. He heard a familiar voice that he followed in to the kitchen. His dad was standing above his mother’s lifeless body, with a shining gleam in his eye. He started to move towards Ashok.

“Really, Lehan? That’s how you want to start your first novel? I’m certain your father wouldn’t approve,” quipped, Sid. This wasn’t the reaction Lehan was looking forward to, but made no attempt to defend himself. It could have been worse; his father would have just walked off and carried on drinking without saying a word.

And suddenly, Lehan had an idea. 

Soon he was at his father’s house, watching him read his manuscript. His father didn’t speak, but his eyes showed contempt at his son’s “so-called profession”. 

“Rubbish.”, he slurred, reaching for his drink.

Lehan watched him take the poisoned glass, picked up his pen, and prepared to start writing.


From The Eccentric Vagabond, @sharasekaram, Michael Mendis & Jonathan Vittachi:
He watched as he twirled the liquid in his glass, or what was left in it rather. There was a storm brewing at work, and it wouldn’t be long till it shattered his life into ruins. What of Molly?..and Samuel? No; it had to be done, had to. Not like he’d been given another option. 

In one movement he downed the contents of the glass and winced. Taking a deep breath he dialed. Dialed the number that would change everything. Dialed the number that would ruin a relationship that had been carefully built up. That would pit friend against friend. Nothing would ever – COULD ever be the same again.  

Rohan answered the call. 'Hello. I know who leaked the proposals. Merc Private offered 3 mil for the copies, and I delivered. I am willing to talk. Tell me what to do.' He hung up. He would much rather Molly and Samuel know their father did the right thing later, than never at all.

His phone rang less than a second after he had replaced the receiver; it was Rohan. ‘Mark we already knew that, the cops are already on their way, my suggestion is to run. Take the kids and go’ and with that the line went dead.


From Ritesh Agarwal, @yazblu, @dishilicious & Raisa:
The sky roared. A storm was in progress. But it was not half as fierce as the one brewing within him. 

His thoughts were split. Half of them strayed towards Monica and the other half wandered over towards Jennifer. 

He sipped his cold coffee, willing it to warm up his heart. Then the doorbell rang. 
He stared at the door, rooted in place. His memories pulled him to another place, another time, when a ring of the doorbell had brought him Monica; who had captured his heart and left him to live a shell of an existence when a similar storm had snatched her away with a flash of lightening.

He tried to take a step towards her, instead stood frozen, feeling gloomier and colder than the weather outside. An unbearable pain was piercing through his veins, as flashes of memories blinded him. He wanted to scream, to explode.  

Just then he felt the warmth of a touch on his shoulder. He opened his eyes. 

“Good morning! It’s time for your pill.” 

“This coffee is tepid. And when exactly did I say you could enter?”

“Hush, now”. I’ll get you hot coffee,” she said, stifling a smile. 

Her eyes are blue, like Monica’s.

I was young once, he thinks. 

Now it’s all over. 

He turned back to the raging sky.


From @shamsmakkiya, @minzy34, @Mari_deSilva & @wIkIfReAkz:
Isis sat frozen. Adrenaline stormed circling her entire body. The very next second, the full height glass window went crashing as she threw the table in great rage. The building startled. The colleagues rushed upwards. At the sight of Isis's ferocious look, the boss retreated. Hundreds of questions met Isis's ears. She started responding atypically.

“STOP!!!” Isis was screaming inside her head; but her body was not her own. Amidst the shattering glass, numerous cuts that leaked blood like an ice cream on a sunny noon, she saw the retreating Boss. In a flash, her mind recollected the look in his eyes the previous night. It all made sense now.

He was a coward. He didn’t want anyone to know his dirty little secret. But I wasn’t going to just roll over and play dead. I was going to stay and teach him a lesson he wouldn’t easily forget. Isis never backs down from a fight. Especially when she has got nothing more to lose.

She signaled her fellow-mommoids.

His body seemed tiny from the 55th floor.

---
Epilogue
The mommoids, the humanoid nannies have a high demand as they possess all the motherly features.


Yesterday, Intra-Sync Info-Syster (ISIS), the server gynoid, found that the CEO of CareBots.Inc was drawing plans to design mommoids as sex machines to attract more customers.

June 13-14: Broken

Original photograph by @PaviliciousK

From @PaviliciousK:
Drip. Drip. Drip.

What in gods name is dripping from the ceiling??

Malli slowly reaches up- CRASH! BANG! DONG-PATAS-DONG!

Shit and piss from our upstairs neighbours trickles into our bathroom. I look at Malli spraying industrial-strength disinfectant and all i can see is the drip drip of my hard earned salary; down the shit pipes.

From @bhagsy:
I was left feeling empty as he slung words of cruelty on to me, accusing me of things I hadn't done. My world was shattering and funnily I could see the pieces falling. My knees gave way and I fell to the floor. There I lay, an empty and broken person.

From @Shi_dreams:
For two hours she lay on the bathroom floor, curled up into a ball, balling her eyes out, her heart broken. “How did she let the events of the last 24 hours happen?”

Suddenly there was a knock on her apartment door.

“Omg! They’ve come for me!” she thought in horror. “What do I do?!”

Original photograph by @Mari_deSilva

From @Mari_deSilva:
Listless, she walks the streets, a thatched bag under her arm. It holds newspaper cuttings carrying images of young boys held at detention centres; two of whom she’s identified as her sons.

“I know they are alive. 
Why can’t they just let me see my boys? 
I will not rest until then,” she cries.


From @dishilicious:
the promise i made 
to myself
that 
i will never 
shed a tear for you 
again
is 
the only promise
i had ever 
broken! 

From @shamsmakkiya:
A self-immolated spirit wails in vain.

I have blundered. Yes! I shouldn't have sacrificed myself for such a mere reason. I am broken *Wails*. I have been such a worst fanatic. This place is so dreadful. Will I ever be able to get my soul back to my worldly body!? Oh politicos, help me!

From Priyanthie de Silva:
I had never seen such a neglected garden or such a dilapidated house. Curiosity made me walk in through the broken gate, sure that it was abandoned.On nearing the front door, a soft moaning could be heard.I peeped in to see an old woman, wailing plaintively,  'my putha (son), my deiyo (God)."

From Gillian Nair:
You're a coward.

You spit out words of hate
With your raw cold heart

You breathe lies and swear them true.
You're the coward, not me.

I'm the forgotten
I'm the wasted
I'm the broken
I'm the damned.
I'm the fucked up. 
But you'll always be the coward,

Who couldn't fight back for me.

From @wIkIfReAkz:
What's Mine?

O' my beloved lass, thou once made a pledge:
'Shall come alongst with mate, towards southern edge
Neath the the moonlit woods beside the rivers'.
Hast broken thy promise; alas, my breast now shivers!
*
'Two killed in a landmine explosion in Kilinochchi,' says Army.

[Inspired by Bharati's 'Theertthak karaiyinile'.]

From Tristan Kube:

Original photograph by Tristan Kube

Like a lonely tree that grows branches for company - he had learnt to enjoy his own. He often conversed with himself - for within him exist many a man.

The mind was his mallet and all he needed was space to dream.

“HE’S LOST HIS MIND”, the guards said...

Only, such men ne’re broke.

From Mythify:
In the corner of the room, the unwashed, bedraggled prisoner mumbled to himself. He gazed vacantly at the door as it opened.

The agent took one look at the man who used to be the world’s foremost criminal mastermind and sighed in exasperation.

“You broke him,” she said accusingly to the warden. “He’s useless now.”

June 12: Addiction

Original photograph by T.K.

From T.K.:

The horse was fast. Or so he thought. It was not to be today. He was supposed to get some rations for home and milk for the kid. He wiggled into his trouser pockets and dug out a mashed up fifty.. his last note. It was enough for the bread.. but.. ‘twas his lucky note.

From @sharasekaram:

You are my addiction, my cocaine, my virtue and my vice. You run through my every breath, thought and dream. Without you I shrivel, I crave, I suffer. With you, I am invincible, unconquerable, untouchable. You drive me, you push me to be the best version of myself. You are my addiction.

From @bhagsy:

I was intoxicated by what we shared, sitting all day I would do nothing but think of him; drink in his features, his walk and his movements or sit gaze into those deep black eyes all day, knowing they saw right through me. I was addicted. Addicted to this man for all we had, and didn't.

From Mythify:

“I’m so totally addicted to you,” says the teenage girl, adoringly looking up at her lover, this older, married, fabulous man. A more discerning observer may have trembled at the menacing quality of his smile. This addiction would cost her dear – it would spell chains, basements, knives and, above all, pain. Mind-numbing, reality-bending pain.

From @shamsmakkiya:

A COMEUPPANCE.

Young children went missing frequently.
Later they were called juvenile delinquents.
None knew about the criminal behind their evil addictions.
One fine day, everything came to light.
The mob chased after him.
The paedophile was chopped to pieces.
Mob justice was implemented.

From Priyanthie de Silva:

It was by accident, that she found out her father's addiction. Her 'Dad' whom she adored, was a monster.

He returned home each evening, to  ' family-time'. On weekends, he would wheedle from her mother money to treat "the boys". She never objected. 

She heard her class-mates discuss the 'goody two shoes' whose father was a rake!

From @Mari_deSilva:

Longs talks looking out into the sea, faithful promises to “do the right thing”, self reflective emails, daily calls willing each other to “walk away...” But, nothing could keep them apart. They couldn’t get enough of each other. Junkies Forever they wanted tattooed on their fingers instead of rings. Wonder what became of them?

From @wIkIfReAKZ:

'Doosra'

"Doc, I've written a poem..

'My nicest scenery;

My softest melody;

My finest fragrance;

My sweetest flavour;

My highest ecstasy..

-Me!'

You like it..?"

He hugged the handcuffed 'him'.

 "No.. Don't.."

---

He smiled; dressed up and threw a flying kiss.

---

Dr.Aaron's addiction, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, backfired on him..

"I shouldn't have cloned myself.."

From Tristan Kube:

“I’m convinced now, that the one thing that can make an addiction go away is yet another”. He says pulling out a tiny photograph of his three year old daughter from his wallet. He’s been clean two years since his girlfriend OD’d. Now little Suzie’s his addiction; hence he calls her his Cocaine. Some disapprove.

June 11: Fragment

From @sharasekaram:
I clutch onto the fragment you hear that I still hold. I pray it is enough, and if I hold on tight enough that you will come back to me. That you will reach on and give me your whole heart – not just a sliver. For you, without a shadow of doubt –have mine.

From @shamsmakkiya:
DAY- 1 [23:00]
Dick Costolo receives a call.
"We have annihilated your highly secured domain to fragments"
"What!? Who are you?"
"US."

DAY- 2 [01:00]
Millions of users encountered network blackout.

DAY- 2 [06:00]
Breaking News: The CEO of the renowned social networking site, Twitter, passed away due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Anonymous: We have reached a milestone.

From Priyanthie de Silva:
The light was failing, so I shut the book with a sigh. It was absorbing, the fragment of a young life, snuffed out prematurely. The tale related the bourgeoning interest of the protagonist, in the girl next door, little realizing that she was married. She led him on, the husband returned unexpectedly & caput all was ended!

From theshadowseeker:
Ten years had passed since she had seen him last. Their parting words nothing but hateful and harsh. Scattered around her, lay the melting shards of the hate they had built, broken now for the man who lay motionless. A mere fragment of the man she had known. And loved.

From Mythify:
He wore the aeons-old apple core on a string around his neck. Rotten, it was, with greyish mould and the occasional maggot crawling out of it. He loved it, though. It drove him to greater depths and new horrors. It was, after all, a fragment of the very first sin – his greatest victory yet.

From @PaviliciousK:
I peel off this skin. Puke away the bile. A sweat of memories drips down my face. 

Drops that linger on my eyelashes. But not for long. 

Pieces of my life, fragments of a broken life wash down the drain. 

That’s enough. The time has come. Step forward. 

New life.Wholeness. Rebirth.

I Rise. 

From @Mari_deSilva:
Who knew that one miniscule experience would determine the course of her heart for life? That her heart would never again love unconditionally, trust implicitly, give unrestrained or care selflessly. She never realised how much she lost along with her gain. How much she’d changed. What power she’d given that one missing fragment...what a shame.

From @wIkIfReAkz:
MMXIII AD

Alice woke up from her deep slumber.

"Where am I..?" she wondered. "Or is this also a fragment of the same dream?"

She wandered through the hallway.

All she could find were nothing but some weird machines and wired humans.

"Gosh.. This is the strangest!"

She saw a wall calendar read: 'June, 2013'

From @Pennykinned:
After he left, she kept wearing the wedding ring, prepared for a lifetime of loneliness and misery.

But there came a day when she outgrew this fragment of the past. It was time to take the ring off, leave her hand bare to grasp new possibilities.

Even the most broken hearts do heal, eventually.

June 10: Dream

Original artwork by Tristan Kube

From Tristan Kube:
Pry open my mind and you will find, mildew on every corner and on many a sides: dreams collecting dust and thoughts gathering rust.. And somewhere in another corner the hopeful words - “one day I shall; when the time is right”. 

If time be the mother of thieves, procrastination is the killer of dreams.

From @sharasekaram:
Living your dream is like free falling. It’s a dizzying rush, your feel drunk on power – you are defying the elements. “But WAIT!” logic screams, “Where is your safety net? What happens when you crash?” Simple. Your passion, dedication, talent and single minded belief in your ability will weave one for you along the way.

From @Mari_deSilva:
I wake up in tears. They’ve killed you! How many times I’ve begged you to be careful? To watch what you say in public? You never listened. 

“What should I do? Shut up and do nothing?” was your usual retort. 

I never had a good response. But, I do now. 

“Nobody’s invincible. Not even you.” 

From Shanz:
Thought we could make a life together, so many plans for our future. It felt so right.  You were mine and I was yours.  Looking at life through rose coloured glasses, seeing green pastures running around wild and free, until with a jolt I was suddenly woken only to find it was a dream.

From @wIkIfReAkz:
Surveillance
The revelation created a stir across the world: “The Government intercepts every inter-personal communication, on national security concerns..”
¤
Meanwhile another experiment was underway. This time, to overrule the intra-personal communications.

“A device will be fixed in every household. It will control the neural-waves of the citizens, evoking only a set of patriotic dreams..”

From Mythify:
“It can’t be,” he stammered, “You were in my dream. How can you be in the real world? This isn’t happening. You don’t exist.”

The fanged creature chuckled lazily, “You humans. Thinking of dreams as separate from the real world. Dreams are real. You dreamed me into existence. And now, you will pay the price.”

From Twitty:
Dream, dream, dream when I want you, when I need you, all I have to do is dream…… Anytime, everyday, you can be mine, anytime of the day.  But gee whiz I am dreaming my life a way.

From @shamsmakkiya:
A Human vs. Animals
Every single grain of sand blended in his sweat.
The teary bricks pronounced his name agelessly.
The rocks found in their thoracic cavities lacked dampness.
He never recognized their artful and deceitful blood.
His dreams faded along with his breath.
Patience and perseverance was all that he built for himself.

From @PennyKinned:
She woke up with a start, crying out. “It was a dream, it was a dream, it was a dream,” she recited, trying to calm herself. But it isn’t quite so easy to dissipate the monsters when you wake up in the middle of the night, alone, is it? She lay awake all night. Again.