Picture it & Write – Cheryl’s Wedding Gown

When Charlie proposed to Cheryl, she made sensational plans for her wedding. She had just ordered the wedding gown when Charlie backed out, saying that she was not the woman for him. Though Cheryl was highly disappointed, she kept the gown. Next was Larry, the stand-up comedian. Cheryl bought a new wedding gown, as the older one reminded her of Charlie. But, sadly, Larry deserted her at the altar, sending a note that said that she was ‘too serious’ to be his wife.

Then, she was proposed by Freddie, the football player; Harry, the poet and Jimmy, the con man (!) None of them worked for her and Cheryl abandoned the idea of marriage at 32. Fifteen years later, she met Russell. When she accepted his proposal after thinking long and hard, she rejected the idea of a formal wedding. Russell relented and they were married at the register office, with Cheryl dressed in casual jeans. Before departing for her honeymoon, Cheryl gave away her five wedding gowns to the charity, and finally washed away the memories of her past relationships.

This was written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write

Picture it & Write – The Holiday

“You have won the tour for two days and one night.” screamed the postcard and with it was a photo of a boat house and a floating bed.

“Imagine mom winning the contest!” said Francine.

“Come on, let us start packing.” said Felicia.

“But, just four people are allowed for the holiday.”

“You, I, Fred and one of our friends? Or maybe dad? Yes! That would be perfect.” said Felicia.

“What do you say, Fred?” they asked their brother, who was sitting, quietly.

“None of us are going. This trip is for mom and dad.” he said.

“What are you saying? Why not?”

“Francine, it was mom who won the contest. Why didn’t you think of including her in your list?”

“But, only four of us can go..”

“Why do you include ‘us’, btw? Haven’t they sacrificed many trips for us? I am tired of you both ignoring mom on any of the entertainment deals. Is that because she is outdated? She is the one who really needs and deserves it. Come on, let them both go. They need time alone.”

Fred looked at them, pleadingly, and they both slowly nodded.

Written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.

Picture it & Write – The Price

Max hit the ripe mangoes with a stone. They fell down in a bunch. His mother had often told him not to stone a tree. But, she had told him so many things. And look what happened to her.

“That was pretty accurate.” said a voice.

Max turned around to see an intense bearded man looking at him. Max turned back to the mangoes again.

“Are you at school?” the man asked.

“No.” said Max, shortly.

“Are you willing to join LSF?” the man whispered. “We just need smart folks like you.”

Max turned away listlessly. The man quoted an amount and further prodded him to join.

“Will I get three square meals a day?” asked Max, showing some interest for the first time.

“Yes. You will need to undergo an extensive training. But, it would not be difficult for someone like you.” said the man.

“I am ready for anything. I just want food. It has been two days since I ate.”

This was written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write

Picture it & Write – The Disappearing Act

The magician told sixteen-year old Linda, “The first act would involve you disappearing inside the large box and when the box is opened, Mrs McNeil would come out of it.”

“What about me then?”

“There is an underground passage beneath the box. You can slip down to the basement. Mrs McNeil, was that clear? “asked the magician to the sixty year-old new performer.

Mrs McNeil nodded her understanding.

The stage was set for the performance.

“Now for our disappearing act.” the announcer said in a booming voice.

Linda smiled, parading in her outrageous costume. Then, the magician opened the lid and she crawled inside the box. He opened the box after two minutes.  An old woman appeared from the box and the audience applauded. But, the magician was astonished. She was not Mrs McNeil. Had there been last-minute replacements, he thought irritably. He disliked unprofessional behaviour.

The magician hurried to the basement after his show. Finding it empty, he joined his team in the first floor. “Where is Mrs McNeil?” he thundered. No one knew where she was.

“Okay, have you seen Linda?” he asked.

“Here I am.” said a young voice.

The team looked around, but Linda was nowhere to be found.

“It is me.” said the old woman, who had appeared from the box.

“Who are you? Where is Linda?”

“I am Linda.” she sobbed. “When I made my way down the basement, I met with Mrs McNeil. She looked at me strangely and walked towards me. I felt her disappearing through me. All of a sudden, I felt exhausted and my skin shrunk. I feel that I have lived for 100 years. Oh, what am I going to do now? Give me back.” she cried.

Written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write

Marina Sanders – Picture it & Write

Marina Sanders stepped on the road apprehensively. Her car was unexpectedly under repair and she decided to walk after a few hard words with her driver.

“Mom! Look! There is a ghost in a black dress.” said a child.

“Be quiet!” scolded the mother. She looked up to apologize. “Why, it is Marina Sanders, the actress.” the mom said, startled.

Marina hurried past her. She tried to walk fast when she looked at a group of tough drunk men. But, they passed by her without a glance.

No one noticed her for the next fifteen minutes. Marina raised her long gown a little when she beheld muddy water. Someone shouted, “There is Marina Sanders. I would recognize her legs anywhere.”

All of a sudden, a group of people hovered around her.

Written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.

Picture it & Write

 

“Have you brought it?” asked Sam

“Yes.” said Dilip, taking out a pack

Sam snatched it from him and opened it. It contained soft brown powder. He knew it would taste great.

Dilip and Sam, in their early teens, always met in the lighthouse, far from their village. They were already privy to robbery and smoking. The powder was a new attraction.

They heard a cough behind them. An old man huddled in a corner.

“What is that heavenly fragrance?” he asked in a shaky voice, coughing.

“This is nothing for you, grandpa.” said Sam, hiding the powder.

“Whom did you call, ‘grandpa?’”, asked the man, rising up. “Are you blind? I am just 29.” He fell down, shaking weakly and coughing again. His hands were shrunk and bruised.

The two boys stared at him.

“Give it to me. I have been using these for the past 15 years.”

The boys looked at each other and slowly edged away. The powder lay alone behind them. They would never touch it again.

This was written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.

The Final Book – Picture it & Write

Larry woke up, cold and shivering. It was the same dream again. The girl lay by the lake, reading, ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ by Charles Dickens. Below the title, it read, ‘The finished draft’. How did she get hold of the completed version? This was Charles Dickens’s last incomplete work.  Larry just stood in the shore, looking at her. He could not swim.  The girl took her eyes from the book and her eyes widened in fear as she looked at him. She dived into the lake with the book. Larry noticed that her red shoes were in fact a tail as she disappeared into the water.

Larry was sure that there was a finished version. He was a fanatical bookworm and had read all of Charles Dickens’s work. He asked all the libraries in the city. He even put up advertisements. He is still searching for the ‘final’ draft.

This was written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.

Unrest (Part 2) – Picture it & Write

Friends, This story is a continuation of my previous story with the same title. This was written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.

Mary fell down as she limped ahead. But, she gathered herself and walked to the doctor’s bunker. The doctor opened his eyes to the sound of footsteps and touched the gun beneath his pillow. He identified Mary’s voice when she called out to him.

“Why have you come here?” he asked her, looking around.

“My son is very ill, Tony. You have got to help me.”

Tony disappeared into the bunker after he listened to the symptoms. He examined some tablets in the dim torch light.

“He is to take one tablet thrice a day.” He thrust the tablets into her hand. “I will drop in as soon as possible. Now hurry.”

Mary’s legs hurt as she tried to move fast. She heaved a sigh of relief as she reached her bunker.

Her son, Rod, felt the tablets. They were soft and spongy. He chewed one as Mary fetched the water.

“It tastes so good. I don’t need water.” he mumbled.

After two minutes, Rod fell down, dead.

Continued in Part 3.

Picture it & Write – Plastic Loops

 

“Anita” called Tony

“Tony! You are early today”

“Yep. Where is the baby?”

“He was in the dining room, playing with those plastic fruit loops you got yesterday.” said Anita

“What! The loops are not meant for… wanted to test them in my lab.. Why did you take them out of the bag?” screamed Tony, running to the dining room.

The baby was nowhere to be seen.

“I put the fruit loops in the bowl” said a bewildered Anita “Where is the baby?”

“He is gone.” said Tony, his face ashen.

Written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.

Picture it & Write

 

The following was written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write

Alvin had been swimming for the past two days. But, he hardly felt exhausted. His heart was burdened with grief though. He had lost his ship and the entire crew to the devastating storm. His captain as among the last to fall. Alvin could still see his best mates, old hands and some new crew members struggling for their lives. He thought that he was going to die too, but was just briefly unconscious. He cursed his strong constitution and his fighting spirit. Land at last! He could see sailors on the shore as sun sparkled in the sea. All he had to do was swim for a few more minutes. Alvin could feel conflicting emotions war within him as he took a deep breath. He forced his body to be still and sank deep into the sea.