Palash Jhawar

“A Great Bargain” by Palash Jhawar

“So, did you decide on one?” I was bending down to look closely at the beautiful selection in front of me when my enthusiastic salesperson’s words brought me back to earth from my deep reverie. I stood upright without breaking my gaze and said, “They are all so beautiful, I don’t know which one to choose.” Standing in that humungous plant nursery, I started to contemplate the day I had which led me here. I had just moved to this city a week ago, a fresh start so to speak. I had recently lost my job, as the company I worked for went under...

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“What are you afraid of?” by Palash Jhawar

“I see an endless green pasture, with the green of the grass blurring out in the blue of the bright and clear sky. She is running just a few steps ahead of me but no matter how fast I follow her, she seems to be getting away. I can’t see her face, but I know it's her. Who else could it be? She stops at a distance and turns around as she waves her hand. I see her beautiful smile, beckoning me closer to her. I am still running, trying to catch up to her but eventually, she starts fading into the background and just ….. disappears.” Tears sta...

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“Taking the third option” by Palash Jhawar

Submitted to Contest #95

It was all in front of me, every tiny detail – laid bare in front of me. I consider myself to be an analytical guy, always focusing on facts and figures, but even I couldn’t find a way out of this mess. My desk was piled with these papers and I was struggling for a solution that gets me out unscathed, but I don’t think that’s going to happen this time. Frustrated and flustered, I got up and started pacing around my office. I really loved my office; it’s spacious, decorated tastefully and has an amazing view of the city. I stopped pacing in...

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“It always comes around” by Palash Jhawar

Submitted to Contest #89

Life is nothing but a collection of memories. Some good, some bad. Some trivial, and some which you can never forget. I was experiencing one such cherishable and most memorable moment of my life: my wedding. Ever since I was a little girl, I had dreamt of a sunset wedding, on a cliff, overlooking a beautiful canyon. My mother on the other hand had always preferred a tropical wedding on the beach. I used to think that it was going to be a heck of a decision to make but as it turns out, an incarcerated mother doesn't have much say in her dau...

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“How sure are you?” by Palash Jhawar

Submitted to Contest #74

“Hey! Wake up. Your food’s here”, barked an irritated voice. I was on the floor and slowly opened my eyes to look up at the equally irritated face looking down on me. I sat up unsteadily against the wall and tried to subside the incessant throbbing of my head. As I held my head in my hands, my eyes fell upon something written on my arm: The number 10. That’s when it struck me, where the hell am I? “Didn’t you hear me? Sit up and eat your food quickly”, barked the same voice again, more irritated now, while shoving a plate towards me fill...

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“So...what's next?” by Palash Jhawar

Submitted to Contest #66

I was running so hard that my lungs felt like they were going to burst. I looked up to see them standing in the distance, but they seemed so far away that I wasn’t sure that I could make it. I just looked down again & ran with every pinch of energy I could muster. I had almost reached them as I felt my head spinning & was about to collapse when one of them caught me & held me up. When I finally looked up at them, I saw bemused expressions on the face of all my friends. “What?”, I barked at them. “We should ask you that. Why d...

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“It's the little things” by Palash Jhawar

Submitted to Contest #56

Anna “What do you mean I don’t date enough?”, a slightly hyper Anna asked her friend. Rita continued to give her the look, completely unaffected by Anna’s outburst. She just put up her hands and indicated everything in Anna’s vicinity. “Look at yourself, Anna. You are at work on a Sunday morning. For the past 6 months, I have seen you put in 80 hour weeks. You really need to get out more”, exclaimed Rita while maintaining her death stare. Anna broke her eye contact and looked around at her cubicle. Her cubicle was all she had been seei...

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“The date of a lifetime” by Palash Jhawar

Submitted to Contest #50

It wasn’t that I was an all-time nervous jitterbug, but a romantic encounter has always been out of my comfort zone. And when that romantic encounter was with a stunningly beautiful lady like Alicia, I suddenly became all thumbs. I worked as an investment banker at a top-tier private equity firm. I joined the firm right out of college and have been steadily rising through the ranks ever since. I spent my entire childhood being kicked out of the houses of many of my relatives. No, I didn’t fancy that over living at my own house with my pare...

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“The trail of life” by Palash Jhawar

Submitted to Contest #49

Sofia walked faster than before, moving around every vine and branch in her path. The forest was so dense that even during the middle of the day, she could barely make out things just a few feet ahead of her. She also kept getting scratched by the thorny vines every now and then, but that didn’t slow down her progress. After all, the life of her little brother hung in balance. Sofia was a 20-year-old sophomore at the community college. She was an introvert at heart who lived at home instead of the dorms, resulting in the fact that she had ...

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“The spark of uprising” by Palash Jhawar

Submitted to Contest #45

Matxino Matt was running from boulder to boulder as fast as his legs could take him. The middle of the summer season had arrived and it was one of the hottest days. The scorching heat made it almost impossible to roam around outside but he had no choice as he was in the queen’s hunting party. It was almost her lunchtime and he was yet to find any food. He searched from tree to tree, looking for anything to eat, but no luck. His search ultimately led him to the river bank, which for them was the boundary of their territory. He loved the riv...

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“It's in our blood” by Palash Jhawar

Submitted to Contest #42

As I walked up the dark staircase, each step felt like I was climbing a mountain. My breath was ragged and my chest felt heavy. I put my left hand on the sidewalls for support and could feel the faint thumping of music originating nearby. I could feel something dripping down my brows, sweat or blood – I could no longer tell. The fingers in my right hand were cut and swollen, and holding my gun with it no longer seemed viable. But I had to. I had to reach the top of this staircase and I knew what was waiting for me there. And if I wanted any ...

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