Suma Jayachandar

“BLANK.ZeroZeroOne” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #134

On planet AUM.108 ashes are sacred. The shadow of its inhabitants is never lonely. For it has two suns. When the two suns are equidistant from AUM.108 its inhabitants congregate. They sit cross-legged on the grey ground, place their purple translucent upper limbs on their knees and close the single eye on their foreheads. And begin to chant. A chakra begins to grow at the base of every throat, a glowing lapis lazuli. The conscience connector wedged as liquid emerald in their chests branches out like a tendril. The salty orange rivers freeze....

19 likes 13 comments 13

Read story

“Bubble Rap” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #133

Do red teddy bears love to rest their furry backs on red pillows?Apparently, on the shelves of Treasure Island, they do. Especially around the second week of February, when the pillows are heart-shaped.It’s 9.30 in the morning. I drink in the rich aroma of Masala Tea from the next shop as I raise the shutters of Mr.Shah’s gift shop. Mr. Shah trusts me enough to let me open the shop early on special days like this. After all, I am the only salesgirl among the whirlpool of workforce to have stayed like a stubborn stopper. The rest have dr...

18 likes 8 comments 8

Read story

“Chalk and Cheese” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #132

“All marriages are arranged; some by the bride and the groom and others…well, by others!” boomed the baritone.“I don’t agree Ram. A person should be able to choose a partner for themselves.”“Janaki, don’t put these silly ideas into kids’ heads now. Aren’t we happy together?”“Well, we got lucky!”“Even though we are like…”“Chalk and cheese?” Ma had said and let out a throaty laugh.I was thirteen at the time and was certain I had met the love of my life. I too had joined in the laughter thinking of it as a bad joke. One never knows what th...

26 likes 8 comments 8

Read story

“Met-a-farce 2030” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #124

In this new world, your heart can be used against you. I didn’t know it back then.I never thought I would find love in the ruins. Yet, it was where our eyes locked for the first time. You were standing like a queen near the recessed arch of the pink-hued Lotus Mahal in Hampi; your purple eyes admiring the birds carved on a pillar. I had just found my way out of the frenzied participants at the nearby elephant stables- Saturday evening crowd clamouring to get on the back of 40-year-old elephants to wage duels. It got on my nerves. I throttled...

12 likes 6 comments 6

Read story

“Mirrors and Misfits” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #123

All mirrors are created equal; their finish and frame decide their place. Just like all humans are created equal; their family and fortune decide their place.This is not the time to be having such thoughts. C’mon…“… and have a five hundred a year each of us and rooms of our own; if we have the habit of freedom and courage to … courage to…” Again!? Tara stared at her reflection in disbelief. She shook her head violently and threw the paper roll mike on the mirror. There was no way she was going to impress her English Literary Club member...

18 likes 8 comments 8

Read story

“Another Day in Paradise” by Suma Jayachandar

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #121

CW: Reference to human trafficking.I am 17 and in Paradise. It feels like I have been here forever.Flashes of life before keep coming to me in my dreams; Mother feeding grains to the clucking hens and Father slumped on the floor with an empty toddy bottle rolling next to him. Now I live with Didi, Bhaiyya and their little angel.I wake up without an alarm. It must be around 4.00 a.m. now. I wake up to a space filled with food around me- just like yesterday, the day before and the day before that. I fumble with my cold hands and flick a switch...

43 likes 29 comments 29

Read story

“Today Is My Day” by Suma Jayachandar

“Back in my day, we had grain the size of an egg.” “And egg the size of a watermelon?” I ask with an innocent grin. A snigger by my 10-year-old elder sister turns my question into a dare. Granny replies unfazed, “And the watermelon the size of an elephant” and continues with her inspection of the kitchen. My parents have gone out of town for the weekend and Granny is here to set our home straight. “Your ma, the poor busy woman has a kitchen the size of an elephant but provisions the size of an egg!” “Eh?” “Nothing, we need to go to the super...

9 likes 2 comments 2

Read story

“Heritage House” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #119

Palacio De Maria stood on a plateau close to Palolem beach. The lush greenery surrounding it was in sharp contrast with the shiny sands that lay beyond. Remo Pareira was its sole occupant at the moment.Remo looked down at the flashing strobe lights from the shacks, milling tourists with fluorescent headbands and folding tables set close to the lapping waves. November nights had turned even the quieter beaches into buzzing hives.Once, he too used to look forward to the tourist season. He would set up his small booth next to Big Bamboo and pai...

17 likes 9 comments 9

Read story

“The Warrior” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #118

Today’s the day I change. The course of history. From mundane to exalted. The hunchback has a very minute role in it. But I will give her due credit. For I know that the world is never kind to an ugly old woman giving clever advice. When the king walks into my royal chambers, he will find a stranger. A dishevelled woman lying on the floor who is beyond reason. The reason that has been carefully formulated, calibrated and appropriated by men, made elusive to women. Even to the most intelligent and accomplished women. That woman on the floor...

14 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“Guilty As Not Charged” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #116

CW: Reference to ADHD Does every criminal know this? That her unpunished crimes bury themselves deep and gnaw at her best moments? I lower the window of the staff car in which I am driven past the impressive portico of the private school, the one from where I retired today. After serving for 25 years. In a rare gesture reserved only for the most loved teachers of the school the principal himself stands at the steps leading to the foyer along with the staff and a few senior students. A banner is propped among them that glints in the af...

18 likes 8 comments 8

Read story

“Through the Lens” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #113

CW: Domestic abuse Once they reached the massive ornate doors of the temple, Keshav turned to the tourist couple and said with a downward nod of his head, “Sir, this is the end of the guided tour. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to serve you. Hope you enjoyed your visit. Have a nice day madam.” As he moved towards the next batch that he was supposed to take on the tour, the young woman called out “Wait, Mr. Keshav. You said you could interpret the dreams. May I ask you something?” It was too late for her boyfriend to stop her. Moreove...

15 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Well in Time” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #111

CW: Reference to autism, self-harm. All it took was a touch. To see that the concept of time and space is an illusion of the mind. When Fiona James woke up, she didn’t remember it though. She always woke up 5 minutes before the alarm went off. It was her routine to mentally go through the day’s schedule while still in bed. It was not a casual tabulation but an hour to hour if not minute to minute visualization. She believed in being thorough. This was one of the qualities that had propelled her to head one of the most coveted researc...

14 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“In the Shadows” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #109

I kick back my block-heeled sandals under the divan that doubles up as an extra bed when Baba or any other odd relative turns up to see how am I faring as a single working girl. I pull away the sweaty cotton saree that is sticking at my waist as I reach my cramped bedroom and throw it on a heap that has been building up since Monday. I sit at my dining cum work table and sip ginger honey tea from the cup. I look out of my 5th-floor apartment window. It's 4.30 p.m. and I can see the playing area below swelling up with a steady stream of chil...

15 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“Checkered” by Suma Jayachandar

“Koki! Ko..ki,” I hear my mom’s unladylike loud voice and slide down the branch of the guava tree. I notice its smooth milk chocolate-toned surface; was it always this beautiful? Maybe. Imminent move from the station has made me look at everything more closely, or sentimentally as Papa would say. I am not a softy though. If anything, I have always been a tomboy. “Ma, what is it?” I ask her in an annoyed tone. I mean can’t a twelve-year-old enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon in the garden without being disturbed? But Ma had turned into a Clea...

6 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Temporary Shelter” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #98

Ballabh lights his beedi and sits under the tree. The sweltering Delhi Sun has sapped his energy. A few of his fellow-labourers are lying under the shade with their faces covered by their hand towels. It’s lunch break. He brings his mind forcefully back from Rini as the mason shouts,“Enough of resting, saalon! Get back to work”.Ballabh takes the last puff, throws the stub on the ground. He then splashes the tepid water kept in an open tank on his face, wipes it with his worn-out hand towel which he later uses to tie as a turban on his h...

11 likes 1 comment 1

Read story