Plastic goods meant for use and throw, to be meaninglessly disposed as along you go. Plastic covers, some meant to hide, others made to protect, what’s enclosed inside.

​Hard, broken, worn out and cold. Beauty which will ever so softly unfold. Subtle shades of monochrome hues. Vibrant blossoms adorned with dews.

Five-year-old Molly asked her dad, “What is happiness?” So the next day, her dad surprised her with a toy, a speaking Barbie, and she was overjoyed and spent every waking and sleeping moment with it. A week later, her dad promised another gift. As Molly waited by the door, her dad came home with a huge box. While she looked on with excitement, her dad opened the gift to reveal within it ten dolls of the same Barbie make. Her smile disappeared in disappointment.

On a cold evening, in a lonely park, a troubled kid & an old man sat on a bench while the sky was covered with black clouds & trees hummed the tunes of nature, dancing to the tune of the winds. “I was hungry and took an apple off the hawker’s basket as no one was watching. I was happy then but had been feeling heavy ever since. What’s troubling me?” asked the little boy to the old man.

Trigger Warning: Suicide Bhargav was going to do awful things that night and the worst among them was not just killing himself. He carefully planned them, leaving nothing to chance. It took a lot of guts to even consider suicide, but Bhargav was going through a rough patch since last year, and all it took was a breakup. The breakup was also not unexpected; both of them had been thinking about it for a year or so, but neither of them was ready to let their emotions take precedence. Giving priority to emotions and letting them run the show, they believed, was not something they could do freely. There had been many misunderstandings and fights, but the emotional drama had devoured him up from the inside out. He wished he could get out of this relationship, but he was afraid he’d be left with no will to live because there wasn’t anyone worth living for. Everything started while they were at school like the typical stories seen in films. However, this was unusual in a way, because they both saw the relationship as an outlet for their emotions and desires. Cover Photo by Pankaj Tottada Bhargav was sitting on his bed, while on the television, the newsreader diligently parroted the news. He tried to remember the first time they tried to get physical. It was more of a need than love for each other. He knew it, yet he was ashamed to admit it. Years later, when he would look back at those memories, he’d remember nothing except the passion they had for each other’s skin. Skin, more than heart, played an important role in bringing them together. Now, on this very day, when Bhargav decided to do whatever horrible acts that he believed were required, he tried to rack his brains to remember every last bit of it.

तुम्हारे माथे की व्यथा की लकीरें मैंने हर्षृंगार के फूलों से मिटा दी हैं। तुम्हारी पेशानी पर, मेरे विश्वास की छांव है। और तुम्हारे मन के भीतर मैं मंदिर बनाऊंगी, नारायण का ।

24th April 2006 “Mr Maniratnam, a renowned businessman, was brutally murdered yesterday. His head was clipped off with an axe. Local police and the forensic team were already at the crime scene,” briefed DCP Sharma as Govind and Ankitha followed him. Standing at a distance, they saw the forensic team scattered all over the place, with Mr Subhash giving a broad smile noticing Govind. Amongst the chatter, Govind could hear Mrs Maniratnam’s cry while noticing the stunned silence of the servants who stood at the entrance along with them. Stepping inside, Govind saw blood spread over the white sheets and Mr Maniratnam’s body lying on his bed. Approaching it, he noticed a clean cut. As he stared, Subhash whispered, “Our money is on an axe…” Cover Photos by Kevin Braun With a smirk on his face, Govind nodded while noticing Ankitha talking to the family members. Subhash continued, “The clean cut seems professional. Mr. Maniratnam might not even know what hit him.” Glancing at the ripped, bloodstained pillow, Govind gazed around the room before asking, “Any signs of forced entry?” With Subhash shaking his head, indicating no, Govind stared at everyone in the room. Meanwhile, Ankita approached to inform, “Nothing productive. Just praises to the dead soul.” Noticing Subash completing his paperwork, Ankita queried, “Why kill a reputed businessman?” While Govind pondered, Subash asked, “Even if someone did. Why the head?” Govind’s mind was racing with questions. He noticed no bloodstains in any other part of the room, and the bedroom was unusually closed from all sides. Presuming that the murderer had entered through the main entrance, Govind still wondered how the murderer carried the head? At a distance, Mrs. Maniratnam, still weeping, tried to speak to DGP Sharma but found it challenging to say, “I... I don’t understand why anyone would want to hurt him. He was well-respected and is certainly a good man.”

Pick a side! Pick a side! Choose who’s right and wrong. Only cowards stay neutral. Decide where you belong. Pick a side! Pick a side! Don’t you have any opinions? With me stand the majority. Come be one of my minions.​

Oh​, mountain! Oh, mountain! How giant and majestic you are In thou, I see an old but a stern man Standing tall, holding the values conquered in life Like the trees and stones, you hold, You make me feel timid

Rushing down the stairs, I stood there slowing my pace A glimpse of your face, with the breeze decorating your hair I see that you are already looking at me, managing a smile. Though it took a while, you eventually smiled, With your arms folded standing there across the wall, You are looking down, blushing! My beautiful doll. Are you shy? I can’t believe what I am seeing, I have craved for this moment. Am I dreaming? My heart is flying, as I stand in delight. And I take my first step into your world, take me inside. As we talk and I see your face illuminate It’s hard to not look, cause you are so filled with grace

Disclaimer: For ages above 18 only. Prologue Radha: Oh, God! It is already 4:30 pm. I have to be there by 5:30. I will be late to meet Rohit. Deepti: Calm down. You are never late, Radha. You know that! Radha: I know, but I still need to wrap up my work, and it will take another 15 minutes or so. © Writers Pouch Deepti: Well, if you keep worrying without wrapping it up. It might take more than 15 minutes. Radha: You are right! Deepti: And also, that dumb ass will not be on time, so all you will end up doing is reaching before time and waiting. So take a chill pill. Radha: You know, I don’t mind waiting, but I mind being late and making the other person wait. Deepti: Clearly, it says you respect others' time more than yours. Radha: It is not like that. Deepti: Oh, is it? Radha: Holy God, it is 4:47 Radha: I better hurry up, Deepti. Radha: I will see you on Monday. Deepti: Make me proud! Radha: Shut up. I have been waiting to meet him for two weeks now, and for this day, I have lost count. And every second felt like forever for the last two weeks, and now the time is running like a marathon when I’m late. I would have booked the cab an hour ago, had I known it would take an hour to reach my pick-up place. Finally, the man of the need arrived. I boarded the cab and checked the time, and it was 4:55. The estimated arrival time was 5:26 pm. Hopefully, I will make it on time. I could feel the excitement in my stomach. Butterflies are what I would call them. I couldn’t wait anymore. I wanted to see him. I have missed him so much. There is something about him that makes my heart jump. He is annoying and irritating 99.99% of the time, but somehow, I can’t resist him. All this while the time was running, now it feels like it has stopped. I had to distract myself. I closed my eyes and started to imagine what the evening would be like. Part I - The Day I reached a beautiful resort called Golden Flames that I had been planning to visit with him for months now, and finally, I was there. Moments later, he joined too & we entered the villa, and I closed the door behind me, and he was taking a look at the place. I couldn’t resist anymore. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him. For a second, he didn’t respond, and that felt like forever. Before I could pull back, he kissed me passionately and sincerely. I played with his hair, and he kissed me precisely as I wanted him to. He pulled me so close to him that the air couldn’t cross through us. I lost track of time, and we broke the kiss to get some air. And I don’t know what got into me. I just ran upstairs. He followed me. For the First time, he spoke nothing. I was watching the sunset. It was beautiful. It seemed like it could rain badly. He showered me with kisses on the back of my neck.

Archana, a girl in her twenties, returned after an exhausting day at work. This was pretty much how most of her evenings were, but all she needed was one hot cup of coffee and a hot shower to reset her mind and state. Opening her door, she heard the television in the main hall, separated by a partition and presumed it was her mother. Not wanting to bother her, she walked straight into her room as calmly as possible. She took a warm shower, and when she opened her phone returning to her room to dress up, she saw a couple of texts from her brother, Arun. Illustrated by Nandini Jalan Not believing what she had read, Archana called him, and he just mumbled something so quickly that she did not even comprehend him. She asked him to take a deep breath before asking him to repeat. Following her suggestion, her brother took a moment to stop panicking and then stated, “On the news, they say there is a shape-shifter on a killing spree. The police have at least found seven people dead by now…” To which Archana shrieked, “Are you serious?”