Knowledge is Power!

Category: Short Stories

Stories written by Khushboo Singh.

The admin and author, Khushboo Singh, is a postgraduate who eventually discovered her passion for writing and creative pursuits. Currently working as an Account Manager and Strategist at a marketing agency, she continues to explore new opportunities and deepen her knowledge.

  • A Short Love Story by Khushboo Singh

    Varun was sick. His body was quite weak, and he had been in bed for four days. His father, Shravan Ghosh, was a shopkeeper who owned a stationery store in the main market.
    Shravan was worried. His elder son usually helped him at the shop, but now, with Varun sick, Shravan was finding it difficult to manage everything on his own.

    His younger son, Karan, was reckless and not interested in household responsibilities. But given the situation, Shravan asked Karan to accompany him to the shop. Though Karan was hesitant, he couldn’t argue with his father.

    The next day, Karan joined his father at the store after school. He was feeling bored, but he somehow kept up with his father. In the evening, Shravan left for home, leaving Karan alone. People kept coming to the shop. Someone wanted a pen, some copies, and a few for chocolate and bread. Yeah! They kept a few grocery items in the store.

    Then came a girl and asked for a chocolate. Karan got goosebumps. He had seen her. She was a senior in school. Her name was Ragini. It was the first time he had seen her in a suit. Even in uniform, she looked very pretty, but in that pink suit, she looked even more attractive.

    Image generated in Canva

    Karan could not help but stare at her in plain sight. She noticed but didn’t say anything. Karan asked her, “Do you recognize me? We go to the same school.” Ragini nodded against it and asked, “How much for the chocolate?”

    Karan replied, “It’s Rs. 5.”

    Ragini paid the amount and left. Karan kept looking at her as she went away.

    Soon, it became a routine. Ragini would come to the shop in the evening, mostly to buy chocolate and sometimes other things. Karan loved being at the store. He had a huge crush on her, but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He waited all day for those 5–10 minutes, just to catch a glimpse of her.

    A week went by. Varun recovered from his sickness. He told his father that he was ready to get back to the store. Karan was scared; he didn’t want to miss seeing Ragini at the shop. His emotions took over, and he spoke to his father. “Varun can rest for a few more days. I’m already helping you at the store,” he said.

    Varun looked at his father. He was the obedient son. He knew his father would want him back. But to his surprise, his father said otherwise. Shravan was happy to see his younger son taking an interest in his business. He decided that Karan must help him for a few more days. Varun did not like it, but he was not brave enough to talk back to his father.

    The next day, Karan waited eagerly for Ragini. But Ragini did not come. That was unusual. She was pretty regular last week. Karan thought to himself, “Maybe she is sick or something!”

    The next day, the same thing happened. She didn’t come. Karan was so restless that he couldn’t focus on anything else. She had stopped coming to the shop. But why?

    Karan’s love was slowly spiraling into obsession. He would wander near the senior class, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Every day, he searched for excuses, for fleeting moments to start a conversation. But no matter how hard he tried, she always seemed just out of reach — like a dream he could never hold onto.

    He grew so restless that one day he followed her home. He waited near her house to catch up with her. ” She may come out for some work! I will definitely talk to her today!” he told himself.

    Ragini finally came out in the evening. At almost the same time, she used to visit the shop. Karan was surprised. He was curious if Ragini was finally going to the shop today, after so long! He followed her. She didn’t go to the shop. She instead walked to the nearby park. Someone was waiting for her.

    Karan was dumbstruck. It was Varun. She was meeting Varun!
    “Of course, they are in the same class! She came to the shop for Varun. When he got sick, she might not have known. But then he recovered! He must have told her at school that he wasn’t going to the shop anymore. So she stopped coming too. What a fool I am! How could I not see them together at school?”


    Karan was in despair, his heart broken. He went back home.
    That night, his father asked him, “How come you didn’t come to the shop? Your mother said you didn’t come home after school. Where were you?”


    Karan replied sadly, “I won’t come to the shop anymore. Let Varun help you, like before.”

    Thanks for reading!

  • One Day at My School by Khushboo Singh

    The thirteen-year-old Varun was in deep sleep when a sharp voice woke him up. “Varun! wake up….I said wake up…now”, his mother was shouting from the kitchen. Varun slowly opened his eyes and looked at the school bag kept on the shelf. His laziness faded as he impulsively sprung out of the bed and sat uneasily. “It’s Monday…I forgot my maths homework. No..no.. Miss Sheetal will punish me badly”, his thoughts were making his heart beat faster.

    He was still thinking when his mother stepped into his room and spoke in an angry voice,” You are still in bed. Get up fast. Get ready. If I have to come here again it will not be good”. She walked back to the kitchen.

    Varun slowly walked into the kitchen and stood at the door. “Ma! I am not feeling well. Can I skip school today?” The mother didn’t bother to turn back. She kept preparing the dough while she spoke back in an irritated voice,” Your excuses won’t work on me. Go and get ready.”

    Varun started doing his morning chores. He wore his school uniform and sat at the table as his mother served breakfast. He was thinking of a way to skip school but his mother won’t allow it. Somehow he completed his breakfast. His mother packed the tiffin and prepared his bag. He sluggishly carried the bag and walked out of the house to the bus stop.

    As he reached the stop it came to his mind that he could make an excuse for missing the bus. So he went a bit far from the bus stop and sat at the tea stall. It was a hot sunny day. He was looking at all the snacks kept on the shelf of the shop when he realized that he was thirsty and had forgotten his water bottle. He looked at the school bus as it passed away and that gave him a bit of relief. He was still scared of his mother but what could she do now? The bus was gone.

    He decided to stay there for a while and then go home. He was sitting there when a man came close on a bike. He was the kid’s neighbor, Prashant. He asked the stall owner to prepare a cup of tea for him and then looked at Varun. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you go to school?”

    (Image generated by Canva)

    Varun mumbled, “I..I..missed the bus”.

    Prashant looked away carelessly as he took the tea from the stall owner. As he took a sip he spoke again, “Come I will drop you.”

    Varun started sweating with fear again. “No worries uncle. It’s ok. I will walk back home.”

    Prashant nodded against it and spoke as he took the last sip of his tea, “Don’t argue kid. Your mother would be angry if you went back. Come, let’s go.”

    Varun sat on the bike with a sad face. His heartbeat increased as they reached the school gate. He climbed off the bike and entered the school premises. All latecomers were standing in a line and were being scolded by the PT Teacher. He joined the line. The teacher scolded them badly and then asked all of them to run and make five rounds of the school grounds.

    Varun was pathetic. He thought to himself,” I should have taken the bus. This is worse than getting scolded by Sheetal mam”. He pushed his thirsty tired body and started running on the ground. The teacher kept shouting from behind, “Keep running”.

    Finally, the rounds were over. A tired Varun reached his class. He was panting and sweating badly. As he sat on his chair, his friend asked,” Why are you late today?”. Varun was too tired to answer. Thankfully the first class was over, so he won’t be facing Sheetal mam.

    As he caught his breath, he asked his friend, “Did you submit your maths homework today?”. His friend smiled and said,” Oh! no. She did not come today. Thank god! You know I didn’t do my homework. I was so scared. But she is on leave till next Monday.”

    Varun looked at his friend in shock. He went blank for a moment and then asked his friend, “Can I have your water bottle?”.

    By Khushboo Singh

  • The Last Ritual by Khushboo Singh

    Mohan kept thinking about the argument with his wife while rowing the boat. The passengers were chatting among themselves, but that didn’t bother Mohan. He was immersed in his thoughts. He wanted to send his son to the town for better education, but his wife argued that he was too young to send away. It’s not that he was not attached to his son but wanted a better future for him. He is already 12 years old and there is no good school in the village. A voice broke his chain of thoughts.

    One of the passengers spoke, “When do you cross the river in the morning? I need to go to the town early morning.”

    Mohan replied, “How early do you want?”

    The passenger spoke again, “At dawn.”

    Mohan replied,” I will be here by sunrise.”

    The boat had reached the shore of the river. Mohan hinged the boat to the riverside and the passengers climbed down. They paid Mohan and walked away. It was getting dark now. Mohan carefully hinged the boat and tied it to a stone pillar. He was taking out his stuff when a stranger came close to him.

    The stranger called upon him, “Brother! Take me to the Rajghat.”

    Mohan turned around and looked at the stranger. He was an old man with an overgrown grey beard. He was lean and tall. Mohan had not seen him before.

    Mohan spoke, “ I have never seen you before. Are you from a different village?”

    The old man spoke with a sad voice, “ Yes. I am from a distant village. I have walked all day to reach here. I need to cross the river.”

    Mohan replied in a humble tone, “ Kaka! You are late. It’s dark and misty. I can’t row the boat at this hour. I need to go home. My family must be waiting.”

    At this point, the old man looked tired and distressed. Tears rolled down his cheek while he spoke, “Oh boatman! Please understand my situation. I got a letter today morning. My son is dead. I need to go to Rajghat. I need to see him and collect his body. I need to complete the rituals. He was my only son and I don’t have anyone other than him. You can’t understand my loss.”

    The old man broke into tears as he struggled to speak further,” Take everything I have. Just let me see my son one last time. I will never forget your debt oh boatman!”

    Mohan shivered with pain when he saw that old man crying. He went forward and held him tightly. He gently tapped his arms and said,” Kaka! Don’t worry. I will take you.”

    Mohan took the old man on his boat and went back to the river. He rowed his boat in that dark misty night. He looked at the old man who was sitting still, looking at the wave created by the moving boat. He was feeling bad for the poor stranger. He gained all the courage and asked the old man, “How old was your son?”

    The old man replied in a low voice, “He was 21 years old.”

    Mohan asked again,” He works in the town?”

    The old man was still looking at the ripple created in the river. He didn’t look away but took a deep breath and replied,” He wanted to earn a lot of money. We sent him with his uncle to the town. He joined a goldsmith there and started assisting with his work. He was doing well. In the beginning, things were good and he used to visit us every month.”

    (Image generated with Canva)

    He paused and looked towards Mohan, “ The distance is large. So I understand it would have been difficult for him to travel every week. But we were happy. But later he got busier than before. He couldn’t find the time. His mother passed away last week… and..”

    The old man again broke into tears and he looked away. Mohan didn’t ask any further.

    It was deep dark now. Mohan lit the lamp on the boat. He spoke, “Kaka! We are close. We will be there in another few minutes.”

    The old man didn’t heed at first. Then he looked at Mohan and took out a box from his luggage and said, “ I was going to give this box to my son..but…now..”. His voice trembled and he stopped speaking. Mohan realized that they were at the edge. So he started preparing to hinge the boat. He climbed down the boat and tied it with a rope. He could hear the old man stepping down as well. But when he looked back he was shocked. There was no one near the boat. He went around to see. No one was around. He thought to himself, “Did the old man just run away? Why? Maybe he didn’t have money?..Why would he act like a thief?”

    Mohan was a bit disappointed but then he realised the situation of the old man and calmed himself down. He went back into his boat to return back home. But when he entered the boat he saw a box lying on the sitting area of the boat.

    He opened the box. There were two earthen pots with a cloth covering the mouth of the pots. He knew those were the ashes of two dead people. His fear was turning into reality as he opened the letter kept in the box.

    Son! You never cared to return to us in these two years but we can’t give up on you. After your mother’s death, I felt lonely and I knew I wouldn’t survive for long. I don’t expect much from you but we will be released from this world of Maya if you complete the last rituals meant to be completed by a son. If you find our ashes and this letter we will find our place in heaven.

    The letter had an address on the backside and was addressed to a person named Raghav. Mohan still in shock decided to deliver the letter and the ashes to the given address.

    When he reached the given house and knocked, a lady opened the door. Mohan showed his face in the light of the lamp and spoke, “ Does Raghav lives here?”

    The old lady looked surprised. “Why do you ask?”, she spoke.

    Mohan said, “I have a message from his parents.”

    The lady still in surprise spoke again with a hint of irritation in her voice, “ How come his parents ask his whereabouts now? No one came to ask in the last two years. His ashes were lying abandoned in his old room for so long. Do you know the amount of trouble…”

    Mohan got numb. All the words were vanishing in thin air as if the whole world had gotten silent. He could only speak in a faint voice, “Where are his ashes?” The lady went inside shouting and came back with a pot.

    Mohan himself completed the rituals early morning and prayed for the soul of the entire family. Then he returned home where his wife was waiting for him eagerly. She kept asking questing while he sat on the floor.

    He finally spoke, “Our kid will stay with us.” Both looked at each other in comforting silence.

    By Khushboo Singh

  • The Neighbour by Khushboo Singh

    Madhu looked out of the kitchen window. The new neighbors were unloading their stuff from the truck. It was a small family like hers. Only she didn’t have a kid while the new family had one. She could see a tall, lean, fair man with a beard, his beautiful wife, and a small boy. The boy looked young …probably eleven or twelve. The man looked irritated as he carried the pieces of furniture but the wife looked calm and composed. She smiled quite often. The boy was reading a book in the corner.

    The whistle of the cooker distracted Madhu and she came back to the kitchen platform. She got busy with her cooking and didn’t look out of the window again. Raman called her from the room,” Is the food ready? I am getting late.” Madhu replied in a loud voice,” Yes, come to the dining hall. It’s ready. I am just packing the tiffin.”

    Raman left for work. He ran a cyber cafe in the city. He would leave the house at 10 am and come back at 8 pm every day. He was a simple man with few expectations. He would usually carry tiffin for lunch except for Saturdays when he would close early. Madhu was a housewife but she also ran a tiffin service and provided meals for workers in the cement plant in a nearby area. She was assisted by her old neighbor and his younger brother earlier but now that they were gone she was facing trouble carrying out the work on her own. She called her own brother for a few days but he won’t stay long. His summer holidays would be over soon and she was looking for a new partner. She was making decent money from her tiffin service.

    One afternoon when she was taking a nap, the doorbell woke her up. She woke up and went to open the door. She was expecting that Tarun might have returned. He had left early for distributing the tiffins. But she was surprised to see her new neighbor at the door.

    The neighbor spoke,” Hello! My name is Sharda. I live next door.”

    Madhu responded,” Ohh! Hello. Nice to meet you.”

    Sharda spoke back,” Can I come in?”

    Madhu responded again,” Yeah sure. Come in.”

    Both hit a conversation and Madhu felt relieved that her new neighbor was very friendly. Madhu was impatiently waiting to bring the tiffin service into the conversation. Finally, she spoke,” You know I run a tiffin service.”

    Sharda smiled and showed excitement,” Wow! How do you manage? How many people do you feed?”

    Madhu said,” I send tiffin to 25 people right now. The thing is that I used to run the business with my previous neighbor…and you know she is gone.. and now you have come…which is great..mmm…but I need someone to assist me in my work…mmm”

    Madhu was hesitating to speak,” Do you cook?..or even if you don’t..would you like to be part of my work. I will pay you..only if you are willing to work..”

    Madhu finally took a breath. Sharda laughed hard. “Why are you so nervous? I would love to work. I don’t know anything about cooking. But I will help you. But…”

    The long pause was making Madhu anxious. “ Is there any problem?”

    Sharda spoke again,” My husband…”

    Suddenly there was a knocking on the door. Someone was knocking hard. “ Sharda…Sharda..are you there?”

    Madhu ran to open the door. It was Sharda’s husband. Before Madhu could say anything he barged into the room and held Madhu by her arm. “I asked you not to leave the house”, he was angry.

    Madhu wanted to speak but she was also terrified by the man’s behavior. Her own husband never even talked to her in a high voice and this man was clearly very aggressive. As they both left the house she sat down. She kept thinking about the incident all day.

    The next morning Madhu woke up by some noise. She could hear a siren from her room. She came to the main hall where her husband and her brother were peeking through the window.

    Image generated using Canva

    “What happened?”, Madhu asked.

    Tarun said,” Di! Something has happened to our neighbors. There is an ambulance and a police jeep. The crowd is surrounding the house.

    Madhu felt cold under her feet. She told herself,” It must be the husband. He would have killed Sharda. She should have filed a complaint against the monster when he barged in the day before. Poor Sharda.” She looked through the kitchen window while cursing herself. She could see a body wrapped in white cloth being transferred into the ambulance but nothing else was visible. The kid and the husband, no one was there.

    The whole week after the incident she kept blaming herself. She didn’t even tell her husband about the pain. One morning when she served the tea to her husband, he asked Madhu to sit near him. As Madhu sat down she looked at the news her husband was reading. There was a picture of Sharda and her husband.

    She asked Raman about the news. Raman looked at the paper and spoke, “Unbelievable right? I couldn’t have thought that something of this scale would happen in our neighborhood. Poor man.”

    Madhu was shocked and spoke at once, “Poor man???? What are you saying?”

    Raman sighed heavily,” Yes! our neighbor. His name was Aman. Poor guy. He was trying to keep his mentally unstable wife away from the police. She was the culprit in a murder case. Apparently, she poisoned an entire family in her previous neighborhood. The police were investigating the case and found evidence of her crime. Her mental history came up during the investigation. The police were going to file the chargesheet when the husband ran away with his wife and little kid. They shifted here to avoid the police. But last night she poisoned her husband as well.”

    Madhu was shocked. She held the newspaper in her shivering hand as she read the headlines:

    A woman charged with the murder of a family poisoned her own husband and ran away with her twelve-year-old kid

    By Khushboo Singh

    Thanks for reading!

  • The Forest Fire by Khushboo Singh

    Gopal kept an eye on his flock of sheep as they fed on the dry grass. The sun was above his head and he was waiting to return home. As the sheep grazed, Gopal sat on a stone boulder and watched the extensive cover of the forest. Gopal belonged to the hills and had watched those forests from the beginning, but as he grew older, his fascination with the woods increased.

    He finally returned home with the flock. He was hungry and could easily smell the rice cooked in the kitchen. He asked his mother,” What is there for Lunch, Ma?”

    His mother replied,” Rice and Kandali ki sabzi.”

    Gopal went in and sat down on the floor. He waited as his mother served him the food. He was so hungry that he started eating the food at once. His mother asked him to slow down and poured some water into his glass.

    “Amma! I brought the woods”, Harish cried from outside.

    The mother went out with a few coins and paid the woodcutter. He took the money and asked for some water. He was continuously coughing. The mother went in to get water. Gopal shouted from inside,” Harish wait for me. I am almost done.” The mother frowned but didn’t say anything. She handed over the glass of water to Harish. “How do you cut the trees with your bad health?”, She asked.

    Harish drank the water and handed over the glass to her.” I don’t have a flock of sheep like you or a land, Amma”, he smiled as he spoke back to her.

    Gopal was just sixteen years old and Harish was thirty-four. Gopal’s mother wanted him to befriend boys of his age and not homeless adults.

    Gopal finished his food and came out speaking, “Let’s go!”

    Gopal and Harish would roam near the forest area. Harish would tell everything about his day and how he chose the best trees to cut and everything about chopping the woods. Gopal also wanted to be a woodcutter. He was bored of being a caretaker of the sheep. He wanted to enter the forests and learn more.

    As they were talking few people came out of the woods. They had guns in their hand and were smoking beedi (cigarette). They looked at Gopal and Harish and passed by them. As they left the scene, Harish spoke,” How do they sleep at night? …Hunting innocent animals.”

    Gopal diverted the conversation,” Leave it brother. Tomorrow you are taking me to the forest right?”

    Harish nodded and said,” Yes. Be ready early morning. I will show you the way of the forest”. Both laughed and rejoiced at the beauty of the hills and the forest.

    The next day Gopal woke up early. He was excited about visiting the forest. He had his tea and breakfast and ran towards their meeting point to see Harish. He told his mother that he would return by lunch. Harish was already there with his tools. He was carrying his axe, saw, chisels, and other stuff. As they moved into the forest they could hear the voices of other men. They saw from the bushes that the hunters were already there. They were sitting with their guns smoking tobacco.

    Harish was angry but Gopal pulled him from behind. Both moved ahead into the forest ignoring the hunters. Gopal asked Harish,” Why were you staring at them? We don’t want any trouble. Mother would kill me if she got to know I was here. You will cut the tree and I will learn. Let’s keep it simple.”

    Harish took a deep breath and said,” Okay”.

    Harish chose a fine spot and put down all his stuff under a tree. He went close to another tree and spoke to Gopal,” For household fire and regular usage we could have gone for branches. But to sell the carpenter this would be the best choice. It’s a dead tree. What do you say?”

    Gopal was excited. “Yes! Sure. Let’s start”, he responded with full enthusiasm.

    As Harish held his axe in his hand and was about to strike, he heard something. Gopal also felt it. They heard screaming noises. As they looked keenly they saw smoke at some distance.

    “It’s a forest fire. Shit! Shit!…we need to run. Those monsters were burning beedi in the forest. Morons!”, Harish kept cursing as he packed his stuff in a hurry. They both ran in the opposite direction to the smoke.

    (Image generated using Canva)

    Gopal was frightened. “Where are we going? We are moving deeper into the forest”, he enquired.

    “Don’t speak. Keep running”, Harish shouted angrily.

    Gopal could feel the heat on his back. Harish fell down coughing as he was choked by the smoke. Gopal was completely in control of his fear and he couldn’t stop for his friend. But the fire caught up like a wave of the ocean and drowned everything that came up. Gopal gave up his fight and submitted himself to fate as he fell to the ground.

    Away from the forest Gopal’s mother was cooking lunch. Suddenly there was chaos in the village and she heard screaming noises. As she came out of the house she could see the flames from a long distance. It appeared as if the fire made the sky appear orange and black. The villagers gathered and looked at the forest fire in fear.

    “Another fire”, one of them spoke.

    “It’s been so frequent in the past few years. God knows when the rescue team will arrive”, said another.

    Gopal’s mother sat at the doorstep looking at that fire and waiting for Gopal to return. But he never did.

    By Khushboo Singh

  • The box by Khushboo Singh

    15 years old Shanti went to see the fair with her friends. Her mother gave her 50 Rupees to eat and buy stuffs. She was quite excited.

    When the girls reached the place, they got even more excited. There was a huge crowd. There were shops selling toys, little clay pots, bangles, etc. There were stalls for different snacks like Samosa, tea, chat, and different kinds of sweets. There were swings and rides for children.

    The girls were exploring all the options. The place was filled with joyful sounds and laughter of people. Shanti was curious while going through different shops. While her friends were busy eating various snacks, she decided to spend her money on something unique.

    As she walked away from her friends, she came across shops selling pottery, clothes, handcrafts, and many more. She noticed that there was a shop selling antiques. She entered the shop. It was a big one. There were boxes, statues, coins, and wall paintings. She looked at the beautiful boxes as the shopkeeper approached her.

    “Do you want to buy one?”, he asked and smiled.

    Shanti replied, “ Yes! How much for one?”

    “150 Rupees”, the owner said.

    Shanti’s smile turned into disappointment. “ I only have a 50 Rupees”, she said.

    The shopkeeper looked at her and said, “I have one old box which I can giveaway for 50. But it’s in a bad condition. Someone threw it near my shop. I collect antiques and it looked really good so I kept it. But no one would buy it as it is broken.“

    The shopkeeper went inside and brought a wooden box. It was a rectangular box. It’s handle was broken and there were scratches on upper cover. It seemed like someone tried to damage it. But from inside it looked brand new. Finely polished inner walls with a mirror on the top lid. The interior had fine engraved miniature designs. There was engraved a text saying,

    Return anything you take from here

    “What does it mean?”, asked Shanti.

    The shopkeeper replied,”I don’t know. It’s just for decorative purposes. Don’t bother. Do you want it?”

    Shanti replied at once,”Yes!”

    She happily brought the box with her. She was excited about putting ornaments and jewellery in it, but her mother denied. She said that the gold jewellery were kept in safe and should not be touched.

    Finally, Shanti kept her artificial bracelet in it. She had bought it from a local shop. It was made of fake pearls but looked really pretty.

    That day Shanti’s friend Meenal visited her. Shanti showed her the box. Meenal was fascinated by it. She put her own earrings in the box and said, “It looks so good in it. We will keep all our jewelry in this box.” Shanti’s eyes sparkled with excitement. They both spent some time together and then Meenal took her earrings from the box and went away.

    The day went by and at night Shanti closed the box and went to sleep. The next day when she opened the box, she realised her bracelet was not there. She asked her mother and father about it. No one had touched her box. She was confused. She went to Meenal’s house to ask her.

    When she reached her house, she saw policemen standing at Meenal’s door. Meenal’s mother was weeping and her father was talking to the police. Apparently Meenal disappeared from the house when they were asleep. The parents searched all places in the village but were unable to locate her. The mother was screaming, “ She was sleeping with me. How can she go anywhere in the middle of the night? The doors were also locked from the inside when we woke up.”

    As Shanti heard all that she ran back to her house. She went into her room and took out the box. She opened the box. As she looked carefully she noticed something. She went to her father’s room and got his magnifying glass.

    With the glass when she looked at the miniature designs she realized something. Those were ornaments engraved on the walls of the box. She could see her pearl bracelet among them. Then she saw something that froze her. Some of the ornaments were engraved with the human figures wearing them.

    She quickly turned her attention to the text again

    Return anything you take from here

    Shanti understood that her friend was never coming back. She took the box in her hand and ran quickly towards the fair. She went to the antique shop, threw the box at the door, and ran back home.

    The shopkeeper came out and saw the box. He picked it up. He went inside and kept the box on the shelf. It read

    For sale

    By
    Khushboo Singh

  • Sundar and The Boar by Khushboo Singh

    The smoke from the burning brick stove was causing tears in Rehka’s eyes. She was preparing the chapatis for dinner. Shyamlal (Rekha’s husband) was sitting on his old khatiya and was smoking chillum. As he waited for dinner, Sundar came to see him.

    Shyamlal: Why are you so late? I was looking for you all day.

    Sundar: I was on the farm only.

    Shyamlal looked blankly at the floor and kept smoking his chillum. After some thinking, he spoke. Some wild animal is destroying the crops at night. I want to keep a check on that. I can’t trust anyone else. You are like family. From today you will guard the farm at night.

    Sundar had a fear of darkness. He was reluctant to the request put forth by his boss. But he had little choice. So he agreed.

    Sundar went back home. He was packing some chapatis for his stay on the farm. He looked around and thought to himself:

    I should have never agreed to this job. How can I stay alone all night? God knows what creature might be ruining those crops. What if it hurts me?

    Sundar reluctantly left his house with his lamp and a few chapatis. He took a bamboo stick for his protection. Walking towards the field, he noticed Rajam playing with his friends. Rajam was the thirteen-year-old son of his younger sister. Something came to his mind. He called Rajam. He hugged his favorite nephew and said:

    I am going to the fields. I will stay there the whole night. Would you like to accompany me? I will get you, sweets, on the way.

    Rajam got excited. He replied:

    Yes, Mama! I will come. Wait I will inform Mother about it.

    Suddenly Sundar realized that his sister would never agree to it. It was rather unsafe. Even he was hesitating but he was too scared to go alone. So he told Rajam:

    We can’t tell your mother. You know how she is. We will inform her that you are staying with me at home. No mention of the fields. Got it?

    Rajam agreed with a huge smile. After informing his mother he went ahead with his uncle. They got sweets on the way. It was a dark night. The field was deserted with no one around. Sundar placed the lamp on the ground and spread a cloth to sit. He gave some chapatis to Rajam. He instructed him:

    Listen, Rajam! Whatever happens, you stay close. We need to stay awake all night. You eat and take a nap. When you wake up, I will sleep and you will guard. If you hear some noise, wake me up. Do you understand everything?

    Rajam laughed and nodded a yes to his uncle. He ate the chapati with sweets and lay down. A scared Sundar kept looking around. At any slight noise, he would get alert and hold the bamboo stick tightly. But nothing major happened on his watch. He tried hard to stay awake but he soon fell asleep. He went into such a deep sleep that his nap was interrupted only by the bright sunlight.

    He woke up yawning and looked around. He realized that Rajam was not there. He got confused. Where did the kid go? He looked into the fields. He was not there. Sundar started to panic. He packed his stuff and started walking towards the village. He kept cursing himself:

    Why did I bring him with me? What will I tell my sister? What if a wild animal devoured him? No…No..this is not possible. He should have screamed. What if he did?

    His heartbeat was running faster than his legs. As he entered the village, Shyamlal stopped him. He tapped his shoulder and said:

    My men just returned from the field. They told me that the fields remained unharmed today. Good job!

    Sundar had forgotten about his purpose in those fields. Shyamlal’s words were not giving him any comfort. He didn’t respond to his boss and walked fastly toward Rajam’s house. As he went close, a voice stopped him. It was Rajam’s. He looked behind. Rajam was playing with his friends. He was shocked. He went straight to him and asked in an enraged voice:

    Why did you leave without saying anything?

    Rajam laughed and said:

    Uncle! You sleep as if you would never wake up. There was so much chaos in the nearby fields. I tried to wake you up but you kept snoring. So I went alone to check. A wild boar entered Maniram’s field. He captured it with the help of some poachers. I saw it all. Then I came back. I couldn’t sleep there with you snoring so loud.

    Rajam went ahead to play with his friends. Sundar kept looking at the brave kid and thought to himself:

    Thank god! They captured the boar.

    By

    Khushboo Singh

  • A Horror Story by Khushboo Singh

    Sheetal and Rajam were anxiously waiting for the school bell to ring. They ran out of class when they heard the bell ring.

    Sheetal shouted without slowing down her pace, “Today I am going to beat you.”

    Rajam mocked her,” We are taking the forest route. That is not child’s play.”

    Both speeded up towards their home. It was a daily routine but today they decided to take the lesser travelled forest route. Rajam was faster than his sister. He ran without even looking back. When they entered the forest area, Rajam shouted without looking backward,” Stick to the track, don’t enter the woods.” Sheetal still lagging behind spoke back in full confidence,”I know the route.”

    A few minutes later Sheetal started losing her breath. She was tired and hence she slowed a bit. Rajam kept running. Suddenly a snake crawled in the road from behind the bushes. Sheetal got scared and started running away from the snake. Rajam who was running at full speed didn’t notice that his sister was left behind. Sheetal, in an attempt to escape the snake entered the dense forest area. The snake was not following her anymore. She stopped and looked around. She realized that she was lost.

    Sheetal screamed, “Rajam!….Help me…Rajam!!!”

    No one was around. Fear crawled through her heart and she started breathing faster. She screamed for help but it was of no use. She walked and walked. The sun was setting. It was getting dark. Then all of a sudden she saw a hut.

    She thought, “Am I dreaming? A hut!…In the middle of nowhere. How is that possible?”

    She was full of suspicion and yet she went close. The area near the hut was clear. There was a small pot of water outside. A tree just behind the hut was loaded with fruits. She was hungry.

    She called in a low voice, “Is anyone there?”

    A minute later, a very old lady came out. She was barely able to walk. She had a bird in her hand. A sparrow. The bird lied motionless in her hand. The old lady, looked at her for a moment and then asked her, “Who are you? You don’t look much old. What is your age?”

    Sheetal gained all her courage and spoke, “ I am from the nearby village. I have lost my way. Can you lead me to the road?”

    The old lady asked again, this time with slight irritation, “I asked something. What is your age?”

    Sheetal was a bit suspicious, but she replied, “I am thirteen. Why do you ask?”

    The old lady dragged herself closer to Sheetal and looked at her carefully. Then she glanced at the bird in her hand and looked back at the girl. She spoke, “This little bird is dying. Would you hold it for me.”

    Sheetal nodded against it.

    The old woman insisted, “Do it! I will help you. Hold it.”

    Sheetal hesitated a bit but didn’t argue. She slowly took the bird in her hand. The old lady smiled as she saw the bird move in the little girl’s palm. As the bird started getting conscious, the lady fell to the ground.

    Sheetal panicked and dropped the bird which flew and sat near the pot. She tried to hold the old lady and asked,” Are you ok? What is happening to you? Please tell me the way out of the forest.” Sheetal started weeping and tears rolled down her cheek.

    Image courtesy: Google images

    The old lady spoke to her the last words,” I am sorry little one. You can’t leave. You can’t die. You can’t escape, unless the bird has a new master. She needs to be fed. Don’t let her die or you will be cursed to roam in this forest forever and your soul will be condemned to hell. I will take a leave now.”

    The old lady died leaving Sheetal stuck in the lonely forest. Sheetal screamed for help. She ran away from the hut. After hours of running she reached back to the hut, where the bird was sitting on the ground. The words of the old lady came back to her. She rushed to hold the bird. What should I feed her? She was thinking about it when she noticed something. Her hands looked bigger. Her hair was longer than before. As the bird regained its health, it took something from her body.

    She was aging faster. She kept the bird away. It was full of life unlike her. She looked around herself hopelessly as she saw her life going down the pit.

    Fifteen years later

    Fifteen years had passed since the incident, but Sheetal had no sense of time. She was quite old by now. It was difficult for her to guess her own age, but she was definitely not twenty-eight as she should have been. Her hair was grey, her skin wrinkled, and her eyesight got blurred. The bird was still healthy though. It needed to be fed every year when it would absorb two years of her youth.

    One day Sheetal was sitting near the hut when she heard a voice. A little boy came running towards the hut. She had not seen a human in fifteen years. And now there was a young boy approaching her hut. That was it. Her escape. She moved towards the boy. The boy stopped and looked at her. He turned back and again towards Sheetal.

    “There was a snake. Can you lead me to the road?” The boy panicked.

    Sheetal knew the feeling. She had been at his place. But now the situation was reversed. What if the boy was key to her freedom? The old lady did not have any life in her. But she still could go back to her village and meet her family. Anyways she was not willing to rot in hell.

    Sheetal asked the boy, “Who are you? How old are you?”

    The boy replied with impatience,” My name is Sarthak. My father is a woodcutter. He has been cutting woods in this forest for a long time. He once lost his sister in here. He still hopes to find her. I was just accompanying him. He had asked me not to …”

    “What is the name of your father?” Sheetal interrupted the boy.

    The boy gasped a breath and replied, “Rajam. His name is Rajam.”

    Sheetal stood still for a moment. She had gone numb. Tears rolled down her cheek. She hugged the boy and whispered in his ear, “ Run away kid. Don’t touch a thing in this forest and run till you see the end. Tell your father that his sister died in peace.”

    The kid looked at the old lady with surprise. But he didn’t speak a word. He turned back and ran from where he had come. Sheetal looked at the boy till he disappeared in the woods. She sat down at the door of the hut and the bird flew over her and sat in her lap.

    By

    Khushboo Singh

  • The old lady and a magical lake by Khushboo Singh

    A cloth merchant was returning to his town. On his way, he passed a small village. It was already late evening and he was tired of traveling so he decided to rest before moving ahead. He looked for a place to stay as he didn’t want to spend any money on renting a room. He saw a temple on the outskirts of the village, where people were going for evening prayers. Nearby that temple was a beautiful lake. But surprisingly the lake was completely isolated. No one was to be seen there.

    The merchant decided to take a nap near the lake. It was quiet so he won’t have to bother about any disturbance. He chose a tree and put his bag under it. Then he used the bag as a pillow and slept on it. The bag was important to him as he had kept all his gold coins in it, from his recent sales. He was almost asleep when some voice woke him up. There was someone at the lake. He hid behind the tree and looked in silence. An old lady had approached the lake. She took out something from her saree. It was a gold coin. She threw it in the lake. The merchant was taken by surprise.

    Image for illustration: Khushboo Singh

    He kept looking. The lady waited momentarily and then something shiny appeared from the lake. It was a bowl filled with gold coins. The merchant was astonished. He got goosebumps all over his body. He had never seen such magic before. He thought to himself:

    One gold coin gave her a full bowl of gold. What if I throw five gold coins? I will get five times as much money as she has.

    He was filled with excitement. He waited for the old lady to leave. The old lady took the bowl full of gold and left. As soon as she left, the merchant rushed towards the lake and took out five gold coins. He threw them into the lake. He waited with impatience. But nothing happened. He was confused. He waited more. Still nothing. He didn’t understand anything. He looked around. No one was there. The old lady was gone. He searched for the coins by entering the lake. But he found nothing but mud and water.

    He realized that he was missing something. He ran in the direction where the old lady had gone. But he could not find her. He thought to himself:

    The lady was so old. How far she could go? Maybe she is from the village.

    So he decided to go to the village in search of the lady. He roamed like a madman in an unknown village but could not see any recognizable face. For a moment he wanted to return to his hometown. But he had lost five gold coins. That was a big part of his sale. How could he let it go? Plus he still wanted to use that magical lake for gaining more wealth. The greed made him stay.

    He rented a house in the village by a goldsmith. He kept asking about the old lady in the entire village. But he could not reveal his motive, so he made up a story and told everyone that the old lady stole his 5 gold coins near the temple gate. After two days of searching, he found nothing. So he decided to go back.

    On his way back home, he again crossed the temple. This time he decided to enter the temple. He did his prayers. Then he looked at the head priest. He realized that he had yet not talked to him. So he approached him and asked him about the old lady. But this time he told the truth to the priest.

    After hearing from the merchant, the priest burst into laughter. The merchant was confused. He asked the reason for such mockery. Then the priest said:

    I am not laughing at you but at the very nature of human greed. You threw your hard-earned money into the lake, to get more money that does not belong to you. You are not the first one to fall into the trap. Don’t you see that the lake is abandoned?

    This is a very old lake and is ruled by a Yaksha. Yakshas are the protectors of wealth and treasure. They change form and are shapeshifters. The Yaksha presiding over this lake creates illusions by taking various forms and testing people coming close to it. The greedy people lose money and gold as you did. The ones who are truthful have been rewarded in many instances. The lake is filled with treasure but people like you won’t get anything out of it because the Yaksha protects that ancient treasure and increases it over time.

    The merchant was filled with deep regret. He was sad about losing his hard-earned money. He also regretted going to the village and telling lies to people. Had he told the truth, he wouldn’t have wasted more money on his stay. Filled with remorse he went back to his town.

    By

    Khushboo Singh

  • The Tiffin by Khushboo Singh

    Rohan was getting dressed for school. His mother, Saroj was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Rohan was constantly looking at the watch. He was waiting for his father who was out for his morning walk.

    Saroj served him Poha and milk as he sat at the dining table. She packed his tiffin as he ate his breakfast. Right then Rohan’s father came in. Rohan looked at him with excitement. He went to his father and said, “Papa! Give me 50 Rupees.”

    Father- “Why?”

    Rohan- “You said if I scored more than 80% on my tests, you would give me 50 Rupees. I showed you the sheets. Please! Please!”

    Father smiled and asked, “What will you do with the money?”

    Rohan- “Our school canteen has excellent cream rolls. I will use the money to buy it.”

    Father- “No! Your mother prepares such a delicious meal for you and you want to eat crap. No!”

    Rohan- “Please Papa!”

    Father- “No! If you want money then I will give you. But you need to spend it on something good. You can buy some books, or maybe colors for your drawing lessons.”

    Rohan thought for a while and agreed. He got his 50 Rupees. But while giving the money his father reminded him that the money must be spent wisely. He would check the kinds of stuff bought with those 50 Rupees.

    Rohan thought to himself- “If I spend the money on cream rolls then what would I tell father? He would ask me to show the colors or the book I bought.”

    Saroj tapped him on the shoulder and gave him the tiffin. She said- “Put it in the bag otherwise you will forget.”

    This gave Rohan an idea. He thought- “If I forget the tiffin then I will have an excuse of spending money on food.” He smiled mischievously.

    Saroj was busy serving breakfast to his father. Suddenly, he heard the bus engine. His father screamed- “Rohan! The bus is here. Come fast.”

    He left the tiffin on the table and ran towards the bus. He had successfully left his tiffin home and was now free to eat his favorite cream rolls.

    He could not concentrate in any class. The thought of eating the cream roll had increased his hunger. He was eagerly waiting for the lunch break.

    And then the bell rang! He quickly took out his 50 Rupee note and ran out of the class. He was not able to control his happiness. With a wide smile, he ran towards the canteen. Suddenly he stopped as if a sudden brake was applied to a fast-moving car.

    The canteen was closed today!

    Rohan felt as if someone had snatched away food from his hand. His smile faded and he slowly walked back to the class. He entered the classroom where students were eating their tiffin. He could smell so many different foods- Paratha-curry, fried rice, sandwich, Maggie…

    He thought to himself- “I wonder what mother would have packed in my tiffin? It must be something good.”

    Image: AI image generated with Creative Automation Platform

    Rohan looked at other students with the hope that someone might offer him food. But the kids were so engrossed in eating their food that none had paid attention to him. The lunch was over. The last few classes seemed like ages. He did not pay attention to a single word said by the teacher. He could only think about rice, dal, and curry.

    As soon as the school got over, he became hungrier. The time taken by the bus to reach home seemed like an entire day. As soon as he reached home he threw his bag and ran towards the kitchen. Saroj asked him to wash his hands but he had no patience. He saw the tiffin still packed and sitting calmly on the kitchen shelf.

    He grabbed it and ran to the dining table. He opened the tiffin and started eating the Paratha and Bhujiya in a hurry.

    Saroj smiled as she watched him eat. She said, “You forgot your tiffin on purpose. So did you enjoy your cream roll?”

    But Rohan did not have time to answer. He was busy devouring all the content of the tiffin. When he had finished eating then he looked at her and said- “Cream roll can never match Paratha Bhujiya. Please bring more!”

    Story by:

    Khushboo Singh