Praveen Jagwani

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2020

Stories (7)

7 Stories

499 karma pts

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“Craving for a partnership” by Praveen Jagwani

Submitted to Contest #49

The gaunt 26 year old was busking on the main concourse of the Grand Central Station; the cheerful notes of his trombone caressing the spirits of the urban warriors. Harry, on his way home, paused midstride, arrested by this pale waiflike beauty. The busker’s tight blond ponytail emphasized his narrow face; cheeks bellowing rhythmically. His eyes were clenched shut as if he could not bear to look upon the heartless world - the world his thick lips were blowing away. Harry tapped his fingers on an imaginary table, as was his wont when schemin...

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“Embrace the Human Race” by Praveen Jagwani

Submitted to Contest #48

As outward appearances go, Amrita looked like any other 7 year old in her fishing village, in Kerala, India. Brown skin, oiled hair, pigtails, and dressed in the traditional modest long skirt with a loose blouse. Her father was a poor fisherman and she was third oldest among seven siblings.Like all other kids, she would walk to and from the village school every day. One day in her schoolyard she noticed a pregnant stray dog, resting in the shade of a giant tree. Some boys were hurling stones and sticks at it. You know how cruel little boys c...

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“Avoiding an Awkward Affair” by Praveen Jagwani

Submitted to Contest #47

“We shouldn’t,” you assert, perhaps more to yourself than to him. You squeeze his hand for a good measure, in the hope that he won’t take the rejection too gravely. He parks the car at the kerb outside your apartment building, and cuts the engine. The dashboard dials fade, and the car fills with a comfortable darkness. And an awkward stillness.You are secretly delighted that he is trying so hard, to convince you to sleep with him. You are dangerously close to giving in, but a part of you is resolute. He’s advanced all the usual corny argumen...

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“Scent of a Woman” by Praveen Jagwani

Submitted to Contest #46

Year 76 CE“Ahha! Look who’s here,” mocked a shrill voice at the back.“Welcome bitch,” hissed another.Okayyy. Good to know what we are dealing with. I squinted to appraise my surroundings. The place reeked of rotting carpets and broken dreams. The metal gate slammed behind me and the key grated in the lock. The guard and his flaming torch retreated as I started to walk deeper into the cavern.Thhhhoooh. A gob of spit landed inches from me. It was Maja, the pretty Macedonian, sitting against the wall, resentment flaring in her eyes. She’d ...

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“Prickly Pineapple Predicament” by Praveen Jagwani

Submitted to Contest #45

I believe there are, fundamentally, only two kinds of people in the world; those who like pineapple on their pizza and those who don’t. There are subversive forces out there, attempting to project kiwis, mangoes, and even guavas to the forefront of the debate, on what divides humanity. It is despicable really, because anyone with the slightest scriptural insight knows that it was the prickly fruit from the loins of civilization that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. This was indeed the primordial story of Change, involving a spineless snake...

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“Bourbon & Bees” by Praveen Jagwani

Submitted to Contest #44

My late twenties were surreal. I mostly have sensations and feelings about those years rather than very precise memories. Cocooned in a microcosm that loathed the ordinary, every aspect of my life was swathed in a miasma of frenetic excess. The drinking and partying was off the charts. At the time, I thought I had arrived. Once, chasing a deadline, I worked in the office for fifty straight hours, nourished by little other than Red bull. Similar acts of misguided machismo were obligatory to burnish one’s street cred, as the Navy Seals of Inve...

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“Breaking Tradition” by Praveen Jagwani

Submitted to Contest #44

Our hearts were thumping hard, beat to beat. Mine was pulsating on my temple while it's was squirting blood all over the shed. I could not peel my eyes off the ghastly fountain. I had narrowly missed my own hand as I brought the cleaver down on its neck. In my left hand, I still held the severed neck, the beak clasped firmly between my thumb and forefinger. Balan, my elder brother, had warned me against looking at it too closely."Just do it and walk away. Don't think too much."Grandma says all creatures have souls, even snakes and insects. I...

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Author bio

A full time banker, seeking meaning beyond work. Here to learn, help, inspire and be inspired. Critical feedback welcomed. **Update: Taking a break. Work beckons.