Poised Protagonists is a collection of ten flash fiction by seven authors, namely Chethana Nagulapalli, Harsha Modukuri, Gayatri Sharma, Max Masen, Pooja Jonnalagadda, R. S. Chintalapati, & Santhosh Annabattula.
The stories in this collection have been chosen based on eccentric characters that are emotionally driven with an added rationality to their choices, making them one of their kind.
Story I
To live life watching the ones you love being abused is a horrible state of existence. There are times when individuals are helpless, and it is their strength that’s missing & there are times when it is their fear that fails them.
“A Monster & An Angel” by Harsha Modukuri tells the story of Avantika’s family being abused by their father until one fortunate night, after which life is back to normal.
Story II
Sidharth gets a message late at night that his father has passed away. Though he feels sad, he doesn’t shed a tear as his relationship with his father has always been complicated.
“Dying Wish” by Santhosh Annabatula tells the story of a boy who was never told the truth until it was too late. It shows how choices against society were vilified and how innocents were victimised.
Story III
Is being rejected painful? Can one be contented with being a second choice? Should the rejected put others through the same pain when the tables are turned? Can individuals treat the rest like an option when they have been treated as one?
“Her Choice” by Chethana Nagulapalli explores these questions through two characters in a love-hate relationship by keeping its readers fixated on oscillating emotions.
Story IV
Quite often, it isn’t easy to cherish the present, but even when it is, many of us are stuck in the past or speculating an uncertain future. The simple realisation to live in the present isn’t apprehended until a well-wisher pulls us out of the memories and insecurities.
“Her Resolute” by Pooja Jonnalagadda tells the story of Anjali consumed by so much pain that she has no happiness until one day. Find out what happened.
Story V
Long ago in the kingdom of Shantam, King Utham decides to crown both his twins as his successors instead of picking one of them to rule. While the first brother is contented with what he has been given, the second brother craves desires that are beyond his reach and power. In order to fulfil his desire, the second brother takes up a voyage against everyone’s advice.
Read R. S. Chintalapati’s kids’ story “Immortality” to know why setting unattainable goals and seeking personal desires isn’t a wise idea. The flash fiction shows even after giving one’s best, a quest with the wrong desire leads to catastrophic conclusions.
Story VI
One doesn’t realise the true weight of love until it is taken from them. Being young and moving on is way too simplistic compared to the ones at the end of their journey.
“Marked Memories” by Pooja Jonnalagadda is a monologue of a man who has lost his wife but is still living in the paradise of memories she left for him. The story shows how tragic it is to the ones who truly fell in love and lose them at the end of their journey when they are the only happiness left.
Story VII
Filled with an insane desire to meet the devil, a middle-aged man nicknamed Omniseeker is suggested to visit a place called the Child’s Wail. A fancy name for a burnt orphanage. For once, it is not a hoax.
“Omniseeker” by R. S. Chintalapati explores the story of a deviously desired man who meets a bitter end seeking a being that is nothing more than a side within mortals.
Story VIII
Many of us lose our friends and family every passing day, but not all of us try to completely wipe our memories clean, considering most of them to be nothing more than passing clouds, in fear of being sunk in sorrow. Rather, we cherish our encounters, encapsulate our emotions and remember them.
“Passing Clouds” by Chethana Nagulapalli shows how terribly a few of us are trying our best to wipe our memories clean in the pursuit of keeping ourselves happy and what it means when one realises the insignificance of some relationships.
Story IX
There are a few sins that even the most compassionate cannot forgive. Sometimes, even the most kind-hearted & noble individuals go beyond their way and cut through the constitutional system to serve the justice they think others deserve.
“The Liberator” by Max Masen tells the story of a prisoner imprisoned for three decades for his heinous crime. Days before his release, this prisoner meets the Liberator for his second chance.
Story X
As so-called grown-ups, most of us build expectations on ourselves filled with presumptions about our parents and friends. In the pursuit of living up to them, we not only forget to live as we wish or should but get carried away doing more than anything needed or expected.
“The Stance” by Gayatri Sharma explores the story of a girl who is filled in such a presumptuous thought-process that it takes her to reach the very end of the ride to realise it was in reality never expected of her.
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