Vanit Shah

“Sorry, Wallace” by Vanit Shah

The party is slowly reaching its crescendo, pulsating disco lights illuminating the increasingly littered dance floor. I eventually manage to stagger back to my empty table, jostled as I am by the frenzied crowd. Breathing heavily, I sit and gulp down a glass of lemonade, surveying the carnage. What started as a semiformal, professionally reserved high school reunion has quickly collapsed into all-out madness. Blazers, ties and cashmere overcoats lay abandoned by their drunken owners, now jumping up and down to throwback tracks I haven't hea...

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“Weed in the Garden” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #105

The darkness first took root 2 years ago, like an unimposing weed buried quietly in the garden. I thought nothing of it at first, attributing the momentary lapses in mood and concentration to my strenuous job - just another symptom of 21st century Corporate America, a struggle shared by white-collar workers everywhere. But what did I care? I was meeting my performance targets comfortably, collecting bonus checks and lavish praise from my boss. I was able to provide for Jenny and Asiah. Nothing was amiss! Life was, 98% of the time, quite good...

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“No. But One Day.” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #103

The grey mornings have started blending seamlessly together, although here and there, the occasional face works its way into my conscience. The boss, asking me for a report he won’t read. The intern, asking me for a pencil he won’t return. The HR person, inviting me to a party I won’t go to. I liken them to curious, momentary disturbances in a lethargic sea of black, the only moving shapes in a periphery dominated endlessly by my computer screen. There was a time when the distractions would have been welcome, when the familiar human contac...

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“The Queen who Fell Off” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #101

(WARNING: Depression, Violent Themes) - Mother brought home the magnetic chess set for my 13th birthday. I squealed with delight when she unwrapped the metallic board with its 32 polished pieces, a miniature army that was mine to command. And then she got started in earnest. Coming home at 7pm every evening, bleary-eyed and disheveled after her grueling shifts at the knitting factory, she would immediately light up upon coming to my room, seeing me sitting dutifully on the bed with the chess board all set up. The worry lines would disappe...

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“Cold Sunrise on Mars ” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #99

Even after 4 years, I’m still not used to seeing the blue-grey sunrise on the horizon, peeking just above the Gusev Crater. Funny how Google Images only ever shows you pictures of Mars in the afternoon, when the sky is a pinkish-red, a hue that people have come to associate with the Red Planet for millennia. But standing on a rocky outcrop atop Anseris Mons, gazing at the purplish expanse of sky before me, I can say with qualification that the Curiosity Rover (and much of mankind) missed out on just how mystical the Martian sky can be during...

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“The Lord's Penny Well” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #98

The first penny went into the Well 3 years ago, on a beautiful summer day when the air was filled with the scent of blooming honeysuckle. I can still feel the gentle weight of the red-and-white mayoral sash draped over my shoulder, savoring the heady feeling of having finally been elected after months of political scheming.No sooner did the coin leave my hand when a chorus of applause broke out throughout the clearing, joining the frantic click, click of photographers jostling to grab my picture. Waving regally at the crowd, a smile beaming ...

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“Alex's Cocktail” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #96

Trigger Warning: Extreme Prejudice - “I’m coming, I’m FUCKING COMING!!” Lumbering my way down the steps, I curse to myself as the doorbell rings for a sixth time. Who in blazes would come calling this late on a Monday? I wrench the door open, ready to deliver an earful to the poor FedEx person who has the misfortune of delivering to me tonight. Somehow, I’m greeted by something even worse. Long, unkempt hair, a ratty t-shirt and faded jeans. The strong stench of cigarette smoke. A bristly beard covering most of his face.“Bloody panhandlers! ...

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“6 Feet Between Us” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #95

Lying dazed on the floor, I cringe into the crook of my arm as another teacup smashes into the wall above my head, sending jarred bits of porcelain flying in every direction. Peeking momentarily, I see her grab a butcher’s knife from the drying rack. “Ok, stop, STOP IT!” Her chest heaving, her face flushed, she pauses with the knife nested in her trembling hands. For several long moments, we do nothing but stare at each other, my bloodied hands raised protectively in front of my face, the silence broken only by the faint tick of an ancie...

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“When you Left” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #94

I still talk to you sometimes, even though you stopped listening to me. Maybe I do it to hide the guilt which still oozes up every now and then, when I look into the eyes of my new man.You would have called me silly if I’d told you 2 years ago. You would have pulled me in close and laughed your deep, throaty laugh, mussing my hair like I’d always hated. I can still feel the way your rough beard would have tickled my ear, and your low, throaty voice making me a whispered promise that you would go on to break.I’ll never stop listening to you.I...

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“Curtain Break” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #92

I live for the balmy nights. Wandering down the cracked pavement that borders my street, there is no pleasure greater than feeling the nighttime breeze caress my face. My footsteps echo in the darkness, a hollow sound that pings off the shuttered, squat houses. Trees loom ominously above me, casting rustling shadows every few feet. My watch beeps at me. 6:32am. I’ll need to hurry home before sunrise. I stop briefly to retie my shoelace, looking down the lane. Save for the occasional porchlight, the neighborhood is dark, empty and comp...

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