Today I will be married, and the entire village is invited. Is that why my mother cries? I have seen her wet cheeks and swollen eyes. Yet she pretends it’s the dusty wind that bothers her. Is she overwhelmed? Saddened to lose her eldest daughter? She has six more to care for. The married women… Leer más The Village Bride by Terveen Gill
It wasn’t the darkness that bothered Shane, but the insecurity of being on his own, all alone for the first time in many years. In fact, he had never been afraid of the dark. Even as a young boy, he had spent most of his time loitering in the dark alleys near his grandfather’s house.… Leer más The Best Friend by Terveen Gill
What do you call a man who has seen the turn of two centuries? Old? I’d say CURSED! Forsaken by God. Left behind to confront boredom, encounter misery, suffer the pathetic complexities of a stagnant life. My name is Veda Paul and I’m 117 years old. You may snigger and call me senile, or an… Leer más Forsaken by God by Terveen Gill
Her lips were envied by the mighty and the weak. They were also adored and worshipped. Haunting ballads described them as magical, professing their power as life-giving and lethal. She wasn’t born from nobility, rather handpicked from hostility. An orphan with no past or future, a gift to the ones who possessed her. A throne… Leer más The Kissing Maiden by Terveen Gill
I’ve been told she’s just like me. The same wavy hair, heads as round as cantaloupes, almond shaped eyes oozing with chocolate brownness, concave noses, dimpled chins, oval faces. The only difference, I’m a grown-up man and she’s a tiny four-year-old. Even her laugh echoes mine, wild and chaotic. When she walks, her legs move… Leer más She’s Just Like Me by Terveen Gill
I didn’t want to go down this alley. An invite to a costume party – dress as you like – no theme or restrictions. Parties aren’t for me, a man in his thirties who thinks staying up after nine is a party in itself. But my girlfriend is a human sunflower always turning towards the… Leer más Cupid’s Just a Fat Man with Wings by Terveen Gill
I want to get one thing straight. I’m not an atheist. There is something out there greater than you and I. What is it? Now that’s the thing. You are already set in your beliefs. That’s where we differ. I have none. For me that something out there could be anything. How about that favorite… Leer más Spirituality and Religion Ain’t my Thing by Terveen Gill
They didn’t know what to do with him. He was spilling all over the place. His tears were creating a ruckus that was proving hard to contain. In fact, he was slobbering, his mouth resembling a sporadic fountain of saliva. They tried to amuse him with jokes, funny anecdotes that had cracked him up in… Leer más His Goddamn Jackass Behavior by Terveen Gill
Govind sat staring at the mango tree. The sun was in his eyes, but it didn’t deter him. Tiny mangoes hung in bunches from the tree’s limbs that were thick with green leaves. A warm breeze was passing through and it made the leaves and fruit sway. The gentle motion reminded Govind of the side-to-side… Leer más In Govind’s Small Courtyard by Terveev Gill
He was brought to the mental asylum in chains. Not because he was dangerous. But because he said it inspired him. Getting into character, into the mood, the understanding would come to him if he became what he wanted. Not something the dull-minded, the unimaginative could comprehend. It wasn’t their fault, the ordinary could rarely… Leer más The New God of Writing by Terveen Gill
I’m going to be sacrificed. But that’s alright, I’ve been given four months to live anyway. Might as well be of some use before that. I’m hoping it’s not some stupid reason like appeasing a god or bringing copious rain. Those excuses are so passe. Cliched. How about some originality? Mummy always said – turn… Leer más How Does One Drink Soup with a Knife by Terveen Gill
Anger. Rage. Murder. These are the steps Charlie took, climbing ever so slowly, lingering, stalling, debating, but never turning back. He wasn’t familiar with the paths of reason, understanding, compassion, kindness. He only saw the steps. And he climbed them. One by one. Eager to complete the ascent and then gladly repeat it. They were… Leer más To Punish my Mother by Terveen Gill
Thirsty…Thirsty…Thirsty. Parched lips everywhere. Dried throats thick with death. He walked, looked, then stopped. His water sack hung from his shoulder, its bulge nestled into his side. The man had found another. This one was on the verge of death. ‘Open your mouth, brother. Cool water. Drink.’ He carefully tilted the leather satchel. Only a… Leer más The Dying Belong to No One by Terveen Gill
Either I’m looking at your ass or the back of your head. Nothing else seems to appeal to me. Not the sights or sounds around me. There’s nothing special about where I usually stand. I’ve been doing this for so long that all my questions have abandoned me. Why me? Is this a joke? Was… Leer más Always Back of the Line by Terveen Gill
He was sitting on his porch, drunk, ranting. It was three in the afternoon, four empty bottles sat beside him, the fifth in his hand, three sips down. His speech was slurring, his eyes were shifting, it was time to impart some wisdom to the sidewalk, scare the children on their way home from school.… Leer más Never Date a Woman who Don’t Respect your Wife by Terveen Gill
My father is a respected gangster. I’m just a pathetic thug. But I was born with credibility entrenched in my genes. I’m Simon Lobo’s only biological son. My father had other children, but they weren’t his. They were offspring of the streets, stuck to its asphalt like chewed and spit out gum. My father scraped… Leer más Honorable Drug Lord by Tervee Gill
It had been exactly one week of stalking, climbing, perching, and watching. But he still wasn’t satisfied with what he had seen. It hadn’t been enough to feed the greed inside him, exhaust the curiosity, provoke the rage. And he wanted to be pushed till he burst. He had lost his backbone and nerve, but… Leer más Not Really a Peeping Tom By Terveen Gill
I wake and find that it’s in the bathroom, waiting for me to join it. It sits on my toothbrush, restless to give my lips a kiss. I brush like there’s a demon in the depths of my mouth, it must be purged before I utter a single syllable. I spit. And rinse. Perhaps I’ve… Leer más Pain Never Leaves You by Terveen Gill
‘There’s nothing wrong with your foot.’ Macy Werie wiggled her toes and eyed the doctor with disdain. The man was getting ahead of himself. ‘Doctor, before meeting me today, had you ever heard of the name Macy Werie?’ Doctor Hesma frowned and replied, ‘No. Never.’ Macy had the man where she wanted him. She smiled… Leer más You’re Suffering from Writer’s Foot by Terveen Gill
Dementia. It took great-granny from us. She lived with it for four years and it slowly consumed her. By the time she passed away, there was little left to her. She was a crumpled figure cruelly hollowed out and emptied. But she was still great-granny. A woman who had left her cheerful mark upon us… Leer más They Blew Up Great-Granny by Terveen Gill
Gobblers & Masticadores 