Background King Orkin, the seventh descendant of the Rian kingdom divided his kingdom into two kingdoms three decades ago on the request of his daughter Gloria to give her husband a share. Dividing the Rian into two provinces formed the northern kingdom called the Glorian and the southern kingdom called the Lorian. Illustrated by Sravani Dhulipala While Queen Gloria ruled along with her husband the Glorian Kingdom, Prince Lorian who is the only son of King Orkin took his father’s crown to rule the Lorian Kingdom. Though Lorian did not agree to the partitioning of the Rian Kingdom, his words weren’t taken into account. So when Prince Lorian became a king, he vowed to unite the kingdoms and restore the Rian Kingdom to its glory. So for decades, both the kingdoms fought and the Northern kingdom always won because in between the Northern and the Southern kingdoms, there were mountains called Crossover which had the Northern military bases. So when the Southerners attacked, the Northern soldiers killed half of them with arrows before even facing them in person. This play begins with the death of King Lorian in the Lorian Province. Characters Anthony: King of Lorian Kingdom ​Patrick: King of Glorian Kingdom Kingston: General of Lorian Kingdom Lancelot: General of Glorian Kingdom Rose: Princess of Glorian Kingdom Arian: Poet Prim: Messenger of Lorian Kingdom Lily: Maid to Princess Rose. Scene I This scene takes place in the private chambers of Prince Anthony at Lorian’s Province. ~ Enter Kingston ~ Kingston: How are you, my prince? It has been a dreadful day for everyone in the Lorian kingdom as we lost our beloved King whom we all adored. His highness’s judgment was unparalleled and his wisdom was unquestionable... However, even great men must someday bow to the two ultimate masters’ namely time and fate. Your father, my prince, has shown this world what a good king could ever be and hadn’t he been so strong mentally, chaos would have taken. If not for him, your grandfather’s mistakes would have cost a lot more than land. I must regretfully mention that your grandfather as you know wasn’t as honourable as our king was. Anthony: My father was wise and strong. Even though I share the same opinion, what was he doing when my grandfather divided the Rian Kingdom into two? For decades, he fought against his sister and lost thousands of men but never stood up as a victor. To date, General Kingston, Rian Kingdom is still divided. Believe me, I have never thought of uniting the Rian Kingdom until my father in his last moments whispered on his dying bed that he wishes me to win over the Glorians and unite everything forever.

I’m a lone sailor in the waters You have been the wind To raise my sails up And then rip me apart

Disclaimer: Incomplete Story. Retrostring’s famous robotic engineer, Dr Raymond, was a lonely person with no family or friends. All he ever did was research. Called Dr Ray by his peers, he bided his time dreaming, experimenting and building robots. After years of work, Dr Ray finally started building his first robot and intended to call it “Epoy”. Epoy was planned to be powered by Artificial Intelligence and capable of auto-learning. However, it occasionally malfunctioned in its basic functions. So, Dr Ray deactivated it and started rectifying its modules. He intended to keep the robot a secret until he believed its main functionalities had been established. So Dr Ray locked Epoy in a secret chamber under his university laboratory.

18th November 2015 The grim corridor of the dreaded jail stretched endlessly before Detective Govind and Ankitha as the prisoners on either side howled and jeered as he walked past their cells, cheering their new guests. Inspector John, a man in his thirties, explained, “The victim was a loner who was kept separate from the rest. He was not one to initiate fights, nor was he one to back down.” Observing the inmates trying to be as intimidating as they could, Govind wondered aloud, “Then, why was he killed today?” Cover Photo by Kevin Braun Before the Inspector answered, they arrived at the cell, and the body was being taken on a stretcher. Govind halted the bearers and pulled back the veil to look at the victim’s face. It appeared as pleasant as a man asleep. After a moment, he signalled for them to proceed. Next, they entered the room where the victim had been seated to write his exam, taking the preliminary report from the medical staff. The table was pristine, like a blank slate, illuminated by the harsh glow of incandescent bulbs. The second chair sat directly across from him. Bloodstains marred the floor. The Jailer seethed with anger, and the Inspector, though equally furious, concealed it. “He seems thinner since I last saw him, probably due to the jail’s meagre rations,” Govind remarked, smirking at the fuming Jailer. The Jailer remained unimpressed, prompting Govind to deduce, “Apparently, there are no visible injuries on the rest of his body except that his hands look pale yet unharmed.” Confused, the Inspector remarked, “Was he killed by a single blow?”

A spirit is kindled within my body, Long in waiting with an earnest hope. Both deep and superficial at once, It shakes me from my slumber of reality. I become the tiny speck of dust, Dancing in the beam of sunlight. I become the wave of the ocean that, Pounds its forceful fist on the shore.

The whole world is witness to the luxury they are surrounded with. Those high comfort villas, extravagant life, and peaceful sleep. Who are they? When we are busy complaining about hot summer and snowy winter they are the ones who work under the heat of the sun and get wet while ploughing the field. They continue to work from morning to night. For them, rain, cold or heat do not matter much.