Beautiful Attraction

The street party was exciting.

There were food-stalls and plenty of fun-events.

They had invited the city's most important people.

She felt privileged to have got a pass.

She was enjoying herself when she saw him...

She was seeing him after nearly a decade.

He looked smart and handsome as usual.

He had always made her go weak in her knees.

She did not want him to see her.

PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot

The Young Scientist

"Just because you won the 'Young Scientist' award, doesn't mean that we will believe your crap!"
Twelve-years old Ashok heard this from his classmates.

While his friends played games, he was lost in his science projects.
He was explaining about powering up satellites.They asked him to "act his age".

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

Hera Panchami - Goddess Lakshmi Expresses Her Anger

Ratha Jatra is celebrated every year on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya (second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month). This grand festival that began in the Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha, is now very famous and celebrated all over the world. But, many are yet to be aware of the celebration of the days following the pulling of the chariots to Gundicha Temple on Ratha Jatra.

On Ratha Jatra, Lord Jagannath leaves the Shree Jagannath Temple and goes for a nine-day-sojourn with His siblings, Lord Balabhadra & Devi Subhadra, to their birth place at Gundicha temple, located 2.6 kms away. Lord Jagannath does not take His wife, Goddess Lakshmi along with Him when He goes with His brother and sister for the Ratha Jatra.

Text by Dash Benhur; Art by Tapan Moharana

Box Office Hit

She felt elated to walk into a movie hall after ages. A huge movies fan, she had to watch the latest release.

The last two years had kept her very busy in completing her autobiography.

A book publishing-house had accepted it.

She was excited that she'd soon get to see it in print. 

She hoped that her story would be accepted by a movie production-house as well. 

PHOTO PROMPT - Ted Strutz

Fellow Passengers

He was glued to his phone in the airport when he dashed against a fellow passenger.

Picking up her boarding-pass, he noticed her Indian name - "Roopa Dev".

Apologetically handing it over, he saw that she strikingly resembled his fiance, Natasha.

PHOTO PROMPT - Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

As Roopa walked away, Natasha came alive in his mind.

They were to get married some years ago.

She went for a trip to the Himalayas.

He was devastated to hear the news that Natasha had perished in a bus-accident there.

Three Musketeers

The journalist was eagerly interviewing the billionaire, who lived a frugal life.

There was a huge glass showcase where he had displayed trophies of all shapes and sizes.

The journalist could not understand why an old tea-kettle, a spoon, and an iron occupied space there.

PHOTO PROMPT - Valerie J. Barrett

"Don't these three stand out from the rest of the showcase?" he wondered aloud.

You Are A Part Of Me

I'm in my own world doing my own thing,
When something crosses my head that's exciting!
A word, image, gesture, smell...reminds me of you.
You are a part of me, and you haven't any clue!

My thoughts race to the moments we have shared,
The unspoken words & the secrets we have bared...
Something triggers and I see those moments replay,
You may have gone far; a part of you'll always stay.

That Familiar Place

Sanya often wondered what lay beyond the bright blue door in her grandfather's home's backyard.

He never answered her queries.

Sanya decided to investigate. 

When she found a fancy looking key and key-chain, she acted as though it was her genie in a lamp.

Castaway

When he came to his senses, he could feel the harsh rays of the sun.

Opening his eyes, he saw that he was lying on a soft bed of sand on a golden beach of a tiny island.

He remembered his boat getting capsized in a terrible cyclone the previous night.

He was alive!

PHOTO PROMPT - Susan Eames

Just Keep Swimming

“Ready! Get, set, go!”

The moment Sita uttered these words, the little ones jumped into their respective tracks in the pool.

PHOTO PROMPT - Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Having adopted these orphans, Sita provided them shelter and food.

They had to fulfil her long-cherished dream.

They had to earn medals for their country.

Sita put in a lot of effort to train them.