flash fiction

KHERO KHATA / Under the olive tree

Then you will vanish—becoming Amma, Chachi, Mami. No one will remember your name.

KHERO KHATA / Polychrome

I made my first kite out of white paper scraps; on my 16th birthday, it came to me that they needed a pop of color.

KHERO KHATA / Wash your fruits

I rush to the mirror. My gums are pristine, no wound, no sin. But when I look back at the fruit, the truth reveals itself: the flesh is blackened, writhing with tiny, hungry mouths. The rot has teeth

KHERO KHATA / Egg drop soup

The cream colored bowl held the steaming, almost translucent yellow broth with traces of white, garnished by an array of green onions slashed in an angle.

KHERO KHATA / Fixed

The rain began at dusk, its cold fingers tracing the cracked panes of the house like an unwelcome visitor. By midnight, the storm had grown wild, wind howling through the trees, rattling the fragile bones of the dwelling. I stood before the door, my hand trembling on the tarnished brass handle.

KHERO KHATA / The veil of shadow

He had consistently disregarded the villagers' accounts of bhoot-prets as local folklore. To him, they were just stories to scare the gullible

KHERO KHATA / Mother saves her corpses before lunch

Mother woke before sunrise with the weight of the house pulling at her bones and moved against the cold floor, the chill biting at her ankles. In the corner hung the gutted rabbit, its blood pooling on the floor. Her fingers trembled, as she bathed herself in it, coating her skin red.

KHERO KHATA / The floodlights

Chaos. More chaos.

KHERO KHATA / Dual faces of an unseen predator

In a world spun from the threads of chaos, we are born into a tapestry of shadows. We are shimmering maidens in the night, nurturing within us a fire both subtle and strong. Yet, the air around us is heavy with whispers–danger and desire intertwined.

April 13, 2023
April 13, 2023

‘Drinks with a Ghost’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 21

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 21 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Drinks with a Ghost

April 12, 2023
April 12, 2023

‘Read’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 20

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 20 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Read

April 11, 2023
April 11, 2023

‘Face’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 19

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 19 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Face

April 11, 2023
April 11, 2023

‘Diary’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 18

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 18 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Diary

April 10, 2023
April 10, 2023

‘Cow’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 17

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 17 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Cow

April 7, 2023
April 7, 2023

‘Last Words’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 15

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 15 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Last Words

April 6, 2023
April 6, 2023

‘Street’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 14

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 14 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Street

April 6, 2023
April 6, 2023

‘Turn’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 13

I'm not sure when I realised we'd met before. At first, you were just the elderly man seen  pottering around our communal rooftop.

April 4, 2023
April 4, 2023

‘Switch’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 12

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

April 4, 2023
April 4, 2023

‘Changes’: Sehri Tales selections, Day 11

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