Anisha Yagnik

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2020

Stories (12)

12 Stories

547 karma pts

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“If You Give a Worm Some Wine” by Anisha Yagnik

* Author’s note: This is a very casually written story. This is also a mostly true story. * Despite dreading the party—any party—I found it was much easier to socialize with strangers when they wore zombie makeup or a bright orange wig or had a plastic ax sticking out of their head. I was exceptionally comfortable that evening because I’d lazily chosen to be a pig in a blanket. I wore pigs’ ears, pin...

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“Easy Breathing ” by Anisha Yagnik

Before we start, I’d like to clarify that this is not an ad campaign for the Moon. But if someone were to approach me and ask me to tell the good people of Earth what it’s like—and offer me a sizable amount of cash—this is definitely what I’d tell them. It’s the perfect utopia-like occurrence that‘s usually followed by something tragic. So far, I haven’t seen that giant asteroid or deathly plague that’s supposed to wipe ...

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“Bee, Stung” by Anisha Yagnik

I don’t know if she remembers, but it stings me every time that I do. It has been six years. Six years of growing my confidence and finding root in my principles. Still, when I think of my role in that night, that simple act of exclusion, my stomach sinks to the floor, and I feel that I’ve lost the right to live. Wondering if I owe her an apology. Wondering who remembers. We’re all adults ...

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“The Living Room” by Anisha Yagnik

“Today’s not a good day,” Mom said guardedly when Meena asked if she could have her friend over to the house. Vidhya, Meena’s older sister, clenched her teeth, knowing that their mother was right. It broke Vidhya’s heart when Meena didn’t catch on right away. “Why?” Meena whined. “I finished my homework!” “I know, honey,” Mom’s voice was tired. “Just...not today, okay?” Vidhya looked at her li...

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“An Unkind Description” by Anisha Yagnik

She was set up for failure. Anyone who looked closely could see it, but most people didn’t have their seeing eyes on. (And if they did, she didn’t have her hearing ears on). Without looking too closely, Delilah Reddy was evidently a mouse. She disliked the moniker. She rejected it at her boldest…which, admittedly, was not very often and not very bold. To that end, the moniker stuck to her like gum to your used-to-be favorite left shoe. An eighteen-year-old on the precipice of her college years, Del believed in the myt...

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“Vignette” by Anisha Yagnik

It’s hot and sticky on the streets of New Orleans. This is nothing new, but normally I would avoid standing in this summer soup for too long. Today is different. Today will be worth every drop of sweat and every proclamation of “Damn, it’s hot!” that will come in the next hours. I can practically taste the victory waiting for me and my friends at the end of this ordeal, and it’s too sweet to flake out on. To endur...

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“The Keys of Life” by Anisha Yagnik

Ansel Walter Sherman, the online piano-lesson phenom, is a hero to many people, but not to me. I, who am closer to him than they are, see through his presentation. They want to be shown a hero. I want to be shown a mentor. We were built on trust, jubilation, companionship, transparency; all of this strengthened by time. Attendees of his master classes feel a kinship with him that is derived from connecting to his ...

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“Full Price” by Anisha Yagnik

Our boss got arrested last night. We were surprised to hear this, because Ms. Chang is such a suit. Grumpy even after her morning coffee—fetched by whoever is unluckily in her radius when she asks—Chang is the kind of boss who keeps her job for her capital and not her charisma. She’s always on the straight-and-narrow, so much so that she makes us use a script to sell the Steinways. This begs the question…what could Chang...

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“Easy Way Out” by Anisha Yagnik

My mother is a strong proponent of the easy way out, and that is probably why she fully understood how to help me. Still, both of us have always known our journeys were meant to be intertwined. It became even more apparent when she left my dad but kept me and my younger sister. Well, she left him, but he’s the one that had to leave. He’s three hours away now, and I miss him, but my journey does not. He even left me a magical portal—our secret—through which I could visit him in the city, but I never used it. Not until I was twenty-three ye...

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“They Will Come Back” by Anisha Yagnik

I’m not a dog person. Shoot me.Dogs might be the model for the phrase, “puppy eyes”, but what can I say? I’m strong-willed. After the one time I got an asthmatic cold from letting my friend’s Golden Retriever lie next to me at a sleepover, I can say with absolute certainty that puppy eyes do not work on me. Allergies over empathy.…I’m a hypocrite. Shoot me.There’s a dog outside my door right now, and I live in the middle of nowhere. Why? Because I’m not a people person. Spending day after day with people di...

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“Friendly Flames” by Anisha Yagnik

Vivian:Camille and Nihar got divorced yesterday. It wasn’t Vivian’s marriage, but it made her feel terribly alone. The thought kept resurfacing that she was right, but that’s not what this was about. Two of her friends had renounced each other with a vicious stamp on a piece of paper, and now Vivian had to bite her tongue in order to keep her friendship with Camille and with Nihar. And with Avani, and with Luke. With all of them, even though sticking to Camille called to her the ...

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“Good Night” by Anisha Yagnik

Sali’s neighbor is an insomniac. She lounges on her balcony every night—provided the sky is clear and the mosquitoes aren’t nipping—and she waits. Sleep will come, but sometimes it doesn’t, and Sali’s neighbor has the privilege and curse of watching the sun rise. Sali drives in circles all day—a university bus route—and her dreams have descended into analogous, sinister loops, so now Sali is frightened to sleep. She fears she’ll wake up mad, one morning. She lives alone, but you’re never really alone when there’s a human being on the othe...

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Author bio

I like to write optimism into my narratives, but sometimes I'll flex my inner cynic. I guess you won't know what to expect. (IG: @anisha_reads )

Winning stories 🏆

Contest #45
Full Price – read story