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Kumar Subra

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2020

Stories (10)

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39 Followers

15 Following

10 Stories

91 karma pts

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The Last Armband

Kumar Subra

Submitted to Contest #303

The scoreboard read 1–0.It was the 89th minute of the Europa League final. Manchester United trailed Tottenham in a match they were supposed to win, not just to salvage a season, but to salvage a soul. Every misplaced pass, every mistimed run was met with a collective groan from the red side of the San Mames Stadium. Bruno Fernandes stood just outside the centre circle, hands on hips, sweat streaking down his face like guilt.Frustration swelled like a tide. He yelled for the ball, received it, turned, and saw no movement. Static shirts. Holl...

1 like

The Girl Who Spoke Too Loud

Kumar Subra

Submitted to Contest #303

She first saw her reflection in the shimmer of an old shop window, a face full of angles and questions, framed by hair that wouldn’t sit still and eyes that refused to shut up. She was just sixteen then, carrying too many books and a dream that made adults smile with pity. "The industry eats girls like you," they said. But she knew better. Or thought she did.The audition wasn’t planned. It was a whim—a dare she muttered to herself between subway stops, pressed into strangers and neon buzz. She sang like it was the last honest thing left in t...

3 likes

The Message in the Margins

Kumar Subra

Submitted to Contest #302

It had started with a simple email. A short one. Polite. Vague enough to feel personal, but formal enough to keep a boundary."I came across your paper on grief psychology and found your observations deeply resonant. I’d like to share something I’ve experienced. It may be of interest to you. Let me know if I can write back."It was signed: — A Friend Who Reads Between the Lines Clara almost deleted it. She was used to the occasional stranger reaching out. Her essays had been republished in niche online journals and grief therapy forums after h...

4 likes

Tea and Thunder

Kumar Subra

The rain always smelled different in Galway. Softer, somehow. Even when the storm rolled in from the Atlantic with all its fury, it arrived like a guest who’d brought a bottle of wine and a story. Not so in Kuala Lumpur. There, when it rained, it commanded. Thunder snapped across the skyline like a reprimand.So when Fiona O’Connell stepped off the plane into Malaysia’s thick, electric humidity, she felt as though she'd wandered into someone else’s dream. Or joke. Possibly both.She’d come chasing love. Or closure. Maybe both.Months earlier, s...

0 likes

Pulse of the Moment

Kumar Subra

Sirens screamed through the streets, splitting the humid air with shrill urgency. Kuala Lumpur wasn’t unfamiliar with protests, but this was different. The city was a pressure cooker. Something about the chaos, protests, the blackouts and the mass panic felt off as though it was coordinated. It was as if someone had orchestrated the city's unravelling.Alex clutched the steel rail of the ambulance as it jolted forward, weaving through stalled traffic and burning debris. A junior paramedic barely six months into service, he still hadn’t master...

0 likes

The Photograph

Kumar Subra

Submitted to Contest #100

“Honey! Something is seriously wrong with me! I think I’m losing my mind!” shrieked Daniel over the phone to his wife. His heart was pounding so fast that he felt as though it would just fall of his chest. He was shivering and sweating profusely. His hand was trembling while holding his mobile phone. “Calm down Danny. What’s wrong?” Jessica asked. “I don’t know Jessy. Something is wrong with my eyes. Or something could be wrong with my brain” Daniel’s panic was apparent in his voice. “Baby, please pull yourself together and tell me what is ...

8 likes

Slices

Kumar Subra

Six weeks. That’s how long it has been since Cynthia last saw her daughter. She could still feel her presence in the house. Her scent still lingered in her room. Cynthia was missing her daughter more than usual that Sunday so she stepped into her room just to feel more connected to her daughter. It has been different stepping into her daughter’s room for the past six weeks. Cynthia sat on the bed and zoned out after a while and she was recollecting all those memories she shared with her daughter over the years. The memory of her daughter hol...

3 likes

Hug it out

Kumar Subra

Submitted to Contest #42

Alex’s eyelids were becoming heavier by the second and it was slowly trying to close. That’s when an ear-splitting sound which sounded like a car honk woke him up. His eyes were wide opened and he realised the car he was driving was going off the lane. He quickly got hold of the steering and guide the car back on track. Luckily there were no cars coming from the opposite lane.Alex checked the time in his watch. It showed 3.30am. He didn’t know how much time he has left but all he knew was that he had to see his wife as soon as possible. Exac...

5 likes

I Waved and He Waved Back

Kumar Subra

Submitted to Contest #41

Have you ever thought about the day in your childhood when your parents picked you up and put you down for one last time? Knowingly or unknowingly, they never picked you up again after that day. They thought maybe you could take care of yourselves or you were too big for them or more often than not, simply there was never a reason. That’s how it is in life for everyone. But that was not the case for me. I could still remember the last time my papa hugged me and lifted me off the ground. I was still a very small kid and the memories are fadin...

11 likes

The Pothole

Kumar Subra

Little did I know that an unassuming day like yesterday evening could open up a whole new window in my mind; maybe a little less than a ‘eureka’ moment, but a little more than just ‘enlightenment’. It made me perceive the world in a new light through a new window. We look through our eyes and often assume we are seeing the whole world out there. We see things and we think things are as it is; that’s how little our small brains could comprehend.It was just another regular Thursday evening. The roads were trying to dry themselves up after a he...

2 likes