Kirti Rajwekar

“The Diaries of a Time Traveller: The Day I Met Mona” by Kirti Rajwekar

Dear Diary, It all started in a crowded lift in the Empire State Building. I was on the way to the observation deck when a scuffed black loafer wedged itself between the lift doors. They jerked open to reveal a woman in a long, grey coat, her fingers clutched around the tattered handle of a brown briefcase. She squeezed in next to me, then gingerly slipped her arm through the gap between my body and the wall to press the button for floor sixty-six. The arm of her coat brushed against mine each time she glanced at her watch, something she did...

0 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Seven Minutes in Heaven” by Kirti Rajwekar

If I've done the math right, I've got a nineteen-in-ninety chance of being shoved in a closet, and a one-in-forty-five chance of being shoved in a closet with Lauren. Those are good odds. Alice, the host, holds up a top hat, reaching in to pull out a slip of paper. "Lauren!" Lauren's face pales. Alice reaches back into the hat. One-in-nine chance. Not as good. "Aaaand, Camille!" Fuck statistics. I'm about to throw up as the other players pull me to my feet, my protests falling on deaf ears as they open the door, shoving Lauren through first,...

0 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“The Flower and the Star” by Kirti Rajwekar

"Past Cassiopeia..." Floriel zipped through the constellation. "Left at Andromeda, then keep flying straight— aha!" The Milky Way, a swirling speck growing larger as Floriel flapped her wings with a new sense of urgency. "ASTERIEL!" Floriel had searched all of Heaven, Asteriel's room, the roof of the armoury… Asteriel was nowhere to be found. There was only one place left to check. Floriel ducked into the Milky Way. "Keep flying till you find Alpha Centauri…" she muttered, remembering Asteriel's directions from 500 years ago, when she'd take...

0 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“The Haunting of Rosebud Cottage” by Kirti Rajwekar

Submitted to Contest #244

"Mabel, honey, come look at this." Mabel tossed aside an empty cardboard box, joining Celia on their brand new, second-hand couch. "What is it?" "I don't remember taking this one." Celia passed her a photograph from the previous day's moving in photoshoot that she'd insisted upon to test out her new film camera. The photo was blurry, like the camera had been shaking violently. "Maybe it took this when you knocked it off the counter?" "Yeah, but… look at this." Celia pointed to something at the top right-hand corner. Mabel brought it close to...

9 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“The Eternal Occupant” by Kirti Rajwekar

Submitted to Contest #243

The worst part about being built to last, is lasting when nothing else does. Through floods, droughts, and fires, reigns, conquests, and revolutions. Nothing remains, not the roses bordering my walls, nor the vines anchored to my stone. They wither and decay, giving way to quivering buds and tendrils to reign over the arches and notches that were once home to their ancestors. This is also a habit of the occupants within my walls. For a precious few decades, they call me home, then they grey and wither, leaving me to the fresher-faced, who gr...

6 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Interagency Cooperation” by Kirti Rajwekar

Agent Regina Fell's temples throbbed as she opened her eyes, her lids so heavy she nearly gave up halfway. It was only when her vision stopped swimming that she noticed the ache in her shoulders and the burn in her wrists. "I don't believe this." "Good. You're awake." The blurry form of Agent Sasha Campbell stopped pacing to take a step closer. "What was that, chloroform? Classy." Sasha's voice was strained. "I'm doing you a favour." "You call breaking in, knocking me out, and cuffing me to a water pipe in my own home a favour?" Sasha crouch...

0 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Lost and Found” by Kirti Rajwekar

A breeze picked up in the heart of Mayfair. Powering through Berkeley Square, Alayna gripped the handle of her tartan umbrella so tight her knuckles turned white. It was her favourite; she was not about to lose it to the elements. But the breeze had shifted gears, turning decidedly into a rather strong wind. Fat raindrops pelted onto the umbrella, splashes of which buffeted straight into Alayna's face. She flinched, and as if on cue, the wind transformed into a gale, and THWAP! For a breathless moment, Alayna struggled with her upturned umbr...

0 likes 0 comments 0

Read story