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Arora Gleans

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2024

Stories (15)

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27 Followers

38 Following

15 Stories

394 karma pts

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A Papered Mirror

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #306

“Lovely, did you get that?” I heard her voice tremor like still water on a shaken table. My eyes were lost, scanning the walls with stains of the past. “Hon?” The soothing voice turned clear from the initial drone as I stared into the artistic wrinkles on her face. I had grown used to Mrs. McNulty’s presence in my life as she presented one apartment to another, one house to another, each with her hands spread grandly as if there wasn’t any other final destination I would rather see. The journey was a maze—each place I saw, drowning me furthe...

4 likes

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE UNKNOWN

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #301

The even sound of wheels rolling over gravel was satisfying for James to hear from the safety of a smooth car seat, strapped between the rough belt. The clinical scent of leather still filled the inside of the vehicle, but outside, the expansive fields, scattered puddles of blue water, and the clear sky with clouds that hopped straight from an oil painting felt like an escape from the stuffy space inside. James stared at the underdeveloped road up front with half-open eyes. No other cars or people were nearby. It was empty until a vanishing ...

8 likes

Girl

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #290

The London Tube feels like an unsettling thriller.As I stand by the platform edge, my headphones blasting indecipherable lyrics through my ears, I worry that someone might push me over the edge amidst the chaos. The thought makes my body shudder stiffly, and I wince. After looking up at the digital board, there were still five minutes for the tube to come bolting down the tracks as a swarm of people hog the automatic doors to be the first ones inside. Five minutes is an eternity for the London Tube; it's like the tube is as slow as I am afte...

9 likes

The Tiny Suitcase Project

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #286

I was slouched on the soft carpeted floor with a small suitcase and a closet bursting with possessions. A closet filled to the brink of exploding, and a tiny suitcase. A minuscule suitcase, and a closet of chaotic festivities. I looked back and forth between the empty compartment lying still on the floor and the wide-open wardrobe doors with robust colours and frivolous items dancing uncomfortably off-beat. As I gazed deep inside, I rendered this task futile. It was impossible to fit all my possessions inside the worn-out bag sitting by my k...

14 likes

The Residue of Home

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #285

The darkness held its usual silence with the sudden escapes of noise from motorbikes zooming down the highway to children cackling down the streets past curfew. Once the momentary roars of the night faded away, Rue could savour the beautiful silence again. The night always held a certain tranquility that left her heart full, but today the navy sky brought nothing but heartwrenching quietude as Rue Casey craned her neck to see the uncrumpled sheets by her side.   From now on, her crinkled fingers and sagging cheeks would never feel ...

13 likes

Emerald's Santa

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #284

Emerald Bittrel did not die yesterday. Or the morning before when the sun was low and dense clouds scattered across the musty blue sky. Emerald was sure her heart was beating soundly and her lungs were functioning smoothly. Emerald Bittrel was the epitome of living at the bare minimum. A clean heart, and an active body that took her from work and home and then to her worn-out, chipped, desk once more. The banality of her life was never forgotten and Emerald Bittrel never experienced the flavourful moments of living that one ought to have. At...

15 likes

Sophie Moore and Charlie Packett Talk

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #280

I’m glad you finally came for dinner.Yeah, me too.We’ve been planning this for a while, haven’t we?We have. Did you enjoy the spaghetti? It was incredible, Sophie. Did you really make it yourself?Why do you sound so shocked?I’m not shocked. It’s just the pasta was delicious, I truly can’t get enough of it. Oh, well, thank you. Yes, I did make it myself from scratch. I think I might drop everything and become a chef.I say do it and I’ll be your assistant chef, or whatever it's called. It’s a plan. It’s definitely a pl...

11 likes

Willow’s Last Three Words

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #279

Willow turned her body in agony as the sun streamed through her bedroom window into her wide-open eyes. Although the sun rose a few moments ago, Willow had been awake the entire night, tossing, turning, and jolting up straight when her breath staggered.Today, Willow Church turned thirteen years old. For the past few months, the taste of being a teenager was all she could salivate about. Thirteen was entering a new era of blue-streaked hair and staying out later than she could at twelve.Willow was especially excited to go to school on he...

14 likes

The Emerald Keychain

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #277

When Hannalina Grey entered the office, it was one minute past nine in the morning. She strutted across the white marble floor with a paper cup of coffee wrapped beneath her pointy red nails. Hannalina always rolled in a minute late with her chocolate hair snatched up in a ponytail. The sweet lady at the reception hollered good morning in her usual cheery mood and Hannalina displayed her signature smile—straight teeth and sparkly from all the whitening she endured. Although Hannalina entered the office late with a certain grandeur, there was...

14 likes

Milk Chocolate Summers

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #276

When I was younger I told my friends I liked dark chocolate—bitter dark chocolate, eighty-five percent cocoa. I found dark chocolate was sophisticated and elegant, so having an affinity for it decked me with maturity. Although I boldly conveyed my unique interest in the bitter and dry taste, somewhere buried inside, I truly loved milk chocolate. Not just any milk chocolate, but the most simple and effective kind. Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. It was the very taste that imaginarily lingered on my tongue during the car ride Mummy and I took fr...

13 likes

David Summer and the Panel of Death

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #275

David Summer was a good man. He wore round spectacles and his few tufts of white hair always stood on his head, bestowing him a sweet old-age appearance, although he wasn’t quite as old as many thought. He had broad shoulders and stood at five feet six inches tall while his wife, Regina Summer, was slightly shorter. The two of them had a daughter as sweet as nectar, so the parents leaned towards an acceptable flower name—Lily. David went to work every day for the past thirty years and changed companies only twice. His family didn’t know what...

19 likes

A Tale of the Weorbyn

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #274

The weorbyn is a fuzzy creature with black fur and yellow button eyes. Its round stature stands five inches above the ground and its floating demeanor of movement allows it to be mistaken for a ball of dust. The weorbyn is a rare creature, found within the thicket of bushes. Many have forgotten the legend of this small, yet malicious animal. Do not be fooled by its honey-like voice infiltrating your ears and slow blinking, reminiscent of puppy eyes. While a Kraken or Griffin is rightfully feared for their strength and horrific presence, a we...

11 likes

The Strangeling Guardians Society

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #273

The tree branch tapped on the window twice just like it had been doing for the past few days as Roslivipona Stone ran her hands through her scalp once and then one more time. She was too preoccupied to notice the branch.  Roslivipona eyed her chin-cropped hair, which never grew longer; the two chunks of dark locks near her temples created the illusion of a devil’s horns. Roslivipona patted her hand near her temples each morning, only to find the spikes rigid in place.  She sighed in front of the mirror, hoping her hair would cooper...

21 likes

The Part-Ghost Family on Oaktree Way

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #272

I’m standing near the tiny kitchen window with cracked glass, remembering the very day we decided to move into The Haunted Mansion on Oaktree Way. Its bark-like exterior, jagged appearance, and the fact it balances upon an oak tree repel people more than any bug repellent I have known.  This is why Fred, Luna, and I moved in this summer. I distinctly remember Luna speaking to the agent when we considered moving to Raffashire, just outside London.  “We want to see the quietest house in this town; somewhere people hardly cross by,” L...

21 likes

Rain Water

Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #271

Nothing was worse than the sight of rain stepping right out of the London Tube. The rain in London showed no mercy. My blonde curls went haywire and my lips froze to the point where it became hard to speak without feeling like I was under a dose of anesthetics after visiting the dentist.  I pulled a rubber band off my wrist and turned my loose hair into a topknot. It was either a messy bun or hair with a life so much of its own that it would make anyone look twice. I couldn’t let James see that side of my hair, so I completed the final ...

23 likes

Author bio

My name is Isha Arora (also known as Arora Gleans), and I am a fashion marketing graduate from the London College of Fashion. Although I pursued a business degree, I have had a lifelong passion for storytelling through various mediums: photography, dance, digital art, and most of all, writing.

From a young age, I have been captivated by the power of words to transport our imagination into new territories. Since those early years, I have dreamt of creating a world of my own through writing. I have been working on my first book for some time, which is to be published very soon!

Alongside working on my first novel, I have been exercising my writing skills through crafting short stories. I hope the short stories I have written here on Reedsy are found to be interesting :).