Beach clean ups and inventions like the Interceptor were mildly useful in keeping rubbish out of water. The three Rs and ecological organisations like Oceanic Society were encouraged. Yet, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch bulged broader. Compostable biodegradable plastic was invented; Notpla was made from seaweed and plants. Finally, legislation criminalised non-compostable plastic production. A […]
Category: Fiction
Parable of the Rain
And the rains came. And the crops flourished. And we fed our families. And we were filled with contentment. And we cut down trees, built tall cities, paved over greenways. And we were filled with pride. And the rains dwindled. And we trampled the meadows, moved into mansions. And we were filled with greed. And […]
An Oak Tree
The glass of water sat on a high shelf. Some of the gallery visitors wondered if it was half-full or half-empty, contemplating their lives accordingly. Others said it represented third world drought or marine abundance. Eventually someone bothered to read the title on the plaque, and announced it was an oak tree. The others laughed […]
Cupid’s Arrow
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had my suspicions about my kid brother. The clues were always there. His favourite book, ‘Robin Hood’. Preferring a bow and arrow to a game’s console. And the twinkle in his eye whenever the word ‘love’ was mentioned. A major clue was Valentine’s Day. He was never anywhere to […]
The Cat Who Fell From the Sky
Life for Mab had been normal, up until a fateful night in the late summer of 1694 when everything irrevocably changed. As she watched the Tears of Saint Lawrence, a dark shape fell through the night, landing with a whomp of expelled air into the dense privet hedge; a huge and fuzzy cat, dark as […]
The Wrong Good News
He was big, strong, lean and handsome. Very handsome, as required for the mission he was on. Dressed all in black, he stood on the edge of a tall, vertical cliff. Directly below him, tiny in the distance, lay a speedboat, tied up to an unseen jetty tucked under the cliff. With a well-practised crooked […]
A New Home
Prof Schubert sat in his chair, face buried in his hands. The hypertensive quinquagenarian could not take the escalating anxiety any more. Suddenly there was a loud cheer shattering the eerie silence of the floor. “Good news Davy. There has been a clear communication. They have all settled well.” Tracy’s voice shook him out of […]
Kitten Heels
As I grew up, everything that shaped me turned into a liability, because almost none of those qualities were considered girly. Being smart wasn’t girly, majoring in engineering wasn’t girly and loving sports wasn’t girly. I liked billiards and Texas Hold’em poker, and they were both male dominant games. I never liked how heels hurt […]
Beginning
He’s waiting for the letter eagerly. Everybody in our house is waiting but all for different reasons. My father is waiting to see whether his frail son has made it to the army. My mother is waiting to finally analyse how many days she has with me in the same house. My sister is waiting […]
Letter from Italy
Dearest, Yes, please do come. The doctor says I’m up to it. I have slept peacefully each night for several weeks now. No nightmares, no screaming, no bouts of amnesia. You can’t imagine how much better I am! The villa is small by local standards but just right for me. Great room and dining room […]
The Silent Composer
Lorna moved with the days like a coconut on the ocean. She had become so immersed in her daily routine as to forget the weight she bore in her step. She was a teacher at St. Agatha School for Arts where she had started her job teaching music about a year before. She whiled away […]
Thanksgiving
I’m grateful that I was born on January 12th, 1998 at 10:15 pm. into the body of a beautiful little girl. My name, Niloofar, is a symbol of love and spirituality. You gave me a family.You made every cell of my body vibrate and you fed them.You made my heart beat and made the stream […]