Daunting Deeds is an anthology with multiple writers contributing short stories narrating an incident that changes the protagonist for life.
Exploring topics like suicide, apocalypse, sexual abuse, revenge, sacrifice, & death, the stories in this collection cling to the reader for a while after experiencing them.
Story I
Bhargav is trying to hurt his ex-girlfriend, unable to live with the fact that their relationship no longer exists. He, however, learns from his mistake & realises his shortcomings.
“Absolution” by Harsha Modukuri shows the journey of a boy fighting his inner demons before winning his life back. However, not in time.
Story II
When the embodiment of death merges into the One and the only life left in the ever-expanding universe is the One, time halts, and life turns into a nearly invisible white dot in the black canvas.
“Adi Ananta” by R. S. Chintalapati is the tale that shows the end of a life cycle and the beginning of another while showing how the One is the end and the beginning of everything living that has ever existed.
Story III
An unwelcome touch, a searing look, a seemingly normal word spoken but which is pregnant with hurtful intent — these are some of the ways in which people indulge in sexual abuse. The action may not even be evident to the next person but is ample to scar the person for whom it is intended.
“Ammu” by K. M. Sindhushree talks about such a scar that was caused to an innocent victim.
Story IV
It is often claimed that life is tough and no matter how hard things get, we should keep fighting. Individuals are expected to fight no matter the situation. Neither the factors that support a person to fight nor the reasons for an individual to not fight aren’t discussed. A couple of winners are cited while thousands of failures are forgotten.
“A Desolate Soul” by Nikhila Kotni is one such forgotten story of a fragile soul who couldn’t live with her circumstances. Filled with sorrow, the story shows how the members we look up to mean so much when facing life turning situations and how life seems meaningless when we lack the strength and are abused by the very people we look up to.
Story V
A bunch of soldiers are sent on a covert operation to save a couple of hostages. The soldiers put down a few cowards before facing a peculiar situation after losing one of their own in their mission.
“An Innocent Victim” by Gayatri Sharma narrates a typical situation a few soldiers face that gets them labelled and dismissed rather than be understood.
Story VI
Long ago, in the ancient Vindhya kingdom, there lived a devout priest of Goddess Kaali called Bhadra. As a child, he was terrified of Goddess Kaali, but over time something changed.
“Bhadrakaali” by Santhosh Annabattula tells the story of an innocent & pure-hearted boy depicting how his perspective towards the true beauty of Goddess Kaali changed from a child to an adult.
Story VII
When a young king asks his council of scholars about what mere mortals such as themselves should do to add significant value and meaning to their existence, many councillors answer instantly to the displeasure of their king. Unsatisfied, the king promises to promote the scholar who could find him a proper answer to be the head of the council and with this motivation, Maya the second in the council finds the answer in a horrifying dream.
Read R. S. Chintalapati’s “The Four Brothers” to know how Maya perceives four abstract concepts as embodiments and explains how individuals who could master these concepts are the ones who could make a difference and add meaning to their lives.
Story VIII
Life gets complicated & convoluted when the past is nothing but a dark pit that drains the moral strength from within any individual.
“The Lost Smile” by Pooja Jonnalagadda tells the story of two friends, one helping the other walk out of the abyss. Both believe it isn’t easy but isn’t impossible.
Comentários