fiction

FICTION / The vanishing Ramanujan

The night after the story got published, Jamal stormed to my home at around 11 PM, drenched in the rain. That was the first and only time Jamal raised his voice against me

Reader Submission / States

"That’s why I have jars of jealousy, anger, sadness, monotony, but this – it’s important."

Love poem for the reflection in the mirror

I will not even begin with the skies

FICTION / At the birth of death

One sits silently. Her eyes blink sometimes. Sometimes her lips tremble a little, or they don’t tremble at all.

FICTION / An interview with Shakchunni

Behind the bangles that jingle ominously in the dark, there is a voice—a voice that has long been silenced

FICTION / Leave of absence

“Residents usually get 30 days of observation period,” said the man at the reception, “but since it’s a leap year, you get an extra day.

FICTION / The hawk and the mice

Bolstered, the six little mice lead their army up–up–up the trunk of the poor, ravaged oak they were so desperate to save. 

FICTION / Ira in my town

After many years, Ira has returned to my town. She hops four towns to get here. We are supposed to meet today. I’ve been ready since morning. We will meet by the lakeside.

The Box

She frantically whisper-screamed at him, “Stop yelling! And this is serious Fayaz, we need to find that box.

April 27, 2024
April 27, 2024

The man who dug his own grave

Everyone gathered around the east end of the Shashipur to watch Sharafat Miah dig his own grave. The local kids lurked around Sharafat’s old hut, keeping a watch on the progress of the grave until their mothers came to pick them up after Maghrib.

April 25, 2024
April 25, 2024

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in your House

If they knew, your mother would have said, “It’s in your head, darling,” and your father would have screamed, “Put that head in the toilet bowl where it belongs.”

April 25, 2024
April 25, 2024

6 Books to add to your summer reading list

As summer rolls around and our lifestyle changes to adjust to the heat, so do a lot of our books! So here are a few books that might make a good addition to this year’s summer reading list.

April 18, 2024
April 18, 2024

‘The day begins wrong’: Mastering tension and suspense in fiction

In my creative writing classes, whether at the University of Toronto or the Hermitage Residency in Bangladesh, I emphasise that any student of fiction must first master suspense

April 12, 2024
April 12, 2024

The chasm

At around 2 AM he was awoken by the sound of Shahidun’s sniveling cries on her prayer mat. As grating as it might have sounded, he felt grateful for it to have woken him up.

April 11, 2024
April 11, 2024

5 short books you can read and finish on Eid day

Here is a list of 5 short and swift books for fellow bookworms (people who would much rather stay in than socialise) to nestle in with on this Eid day. 

April 9, 2024
April 9, 2024

5 of your favourite iftar items as books

The youthful adventurers in the story spare no effort in unravelling a mystery that proves as elusive as the unyielding strands of jilapi, while also exploring deeper, sweeter themes such as friendship.

April 6, 2024
April 6, 2024

Konokbari

Reya looks out the window of the bus, the glint of sunlight falling across her oval face makes her olive skin shimmer.

March 30, 2024
March 30, 2024

At home

This is the first time I let you in, but you’ve already made yourself at home. You are bumbling around in my kitchen, as though you have been making me tea for a lifetime.

March 23, 2024
March 23, 2024

'Resist': Sehri Tales selections, Day 11

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 11 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Resist