The Pebble and The Moon

Story 1: The Anxious IT Specialist

Sneha was an IT professional. She took her pills for the night and went to bed. She was dealing with chronic anxiety and depression. Pills helped her relax and sleep.

At around 3am she woke up with a start. Her nightdress was all drenched in sweat. She was gasping for breath as if she had run a mile. She had seen a weird dream. It was like a small boy was laughing like a maniac in a dark forest and she was partly sure that she was actually shouting in the same manner in her room while sleeping. She tried to remember what the boy looked like but all she could remember was he was wearing white clothes. 

What was happening to her? She was anxious now. She remembered the doctors advice and started telling to herself," It will be alright Sneha ". She repeated it again and again. 

The little boy standing next to her also repeated in his weak voice, "Yes Sneha, it will be alright." She smiled at him. He was so cute and supportive. He always stayed by her side wherever she went day and night since the day she hit him with her car.

She wondered why people called her insane and went back to sleep peacefully.

Story 2: The Drunk Clerk

One night, Victor, who was a clerk in an office came drunk to his house. He found his wife and two kids asleep. He softly went in the TV room taking care not to wake them up and to watch sports. As he went there he realised another man sitting on the couch, watching TV.

The TV room was dark and barely anything was visible properly. Football was on though! This surely was an unknown person possibly a felon ?

He crept back behind the man and caught him by his throat. "Who are you?" he shouted. The man was not even gasping for breath. His face was as still as a corpse. He didn't move or oppose Victor's hands on his throat.

Then suddenly there was a crack of lightning outside the window. Victor was in a shock when he saw his own white, stiff face in his ghostly hands. His skin was pale and looked like his body was lying there for few hours.

He never went to the office today. The last glass of malt whisky of his short, boring life was just sitting there.

Story 3: The Long Night

A man and his wife were strolling in a park together.The man said, "Akriti, you have always been so beautiful, I can't believe I got a woman like you."

Although his head was aching softly but he ignored it and continued, "I can't remain even one moment without you."

The woman sobbed softly and said, "I am not the woman I was. We are older. I am almost 50. You are still young as you were 20 years ago. You haven't changed a bit. It's cute that you still love me."

"I don't care, I feel the constant impulse to just hang around you and never leave you." The man replied.

"You should leave me, Vignesh. It's been 20 years and you have been with me day and night. Don't you want that headache to go away ?" She said softly.

He was quite confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"For the past 20 years you have never slept and you still don't remember anything ? You protected me from those men at that night on the silent road. But they hit you with a rod Vignesh. You bled too much. We couldn't save you. We tried!! But we couldn't. You are supposed to leave this world dear. Please, go and be at peace!"

She said and started crying.

The moon seemed more ghostly and night much darker now!

Story 4: The Happy Wife

It had been 3 years since Sunita's wedding. She loved her husband. Cooking new delicacies by watching new recipes on You Tube gave her satisfaction. Everything was going on exceedingly well in her life.

One day her husband returned home, after a three day business trip. While he was in the washroom taking a refreshing bath, she decided to unpack his stuff. There it was lying carelessly amongst all the clothings, a red satin undergarment of a lady. Tears dropped from the corner of her eyes. She said nothing.

He came out. She smiled forcibly and placed in front of him today's snacks and tea.

He started eating. 

"It tastes a bit sour?" 

"Because it's ratkill."she said."Go and dream about her in hell." She held the undergarment in front of him.

"K...k...ugh... That's a sample of clothing by a company we collaborated with to make the fabric more lighter and softer. What the hell did you do?"

He was now wriggling on the floor and a white liquid was oozing out of his mouth.

Story 5: The Wet Soil

Rain drops were striking hard at the window pane. Ten years old Sofia plugged her earphone in her ears.

It was raining after so long, even before her father left her and her mother to marry that evil woman in the city. Her father had spent every last penny on that woman, even her mother's jewellery. 

This cool breeze felt so good. The sweet scent of the wet soil. The small mound of dry earth with the excess grass was now becoming wet. Sofia felt a relief that the thirsty dying grass above the mound would be now revived. Clouds became denser and the rain heavier. Now it was mud everywhere. The scent was still sweet though. She slowly watched the mud washing away with the rain.

Then in the mound between the almost dead grass she spotted something shiny. She wiped the window of water. Yes it was glistening!

She ran downstairs and in the open, wet, muddy courtyard. There it was, a huge gold ring in the mound. She went closer. The ring was sitting on a hand. She recognised the hand at once. It was the same hand which used to slap her and mock her when she went to visit her father in the city. Only the difference was, now her stepmother was rotting in her courtyard.

Story 6: The Rich Boy

Ayush was lying down comfortably on his warm bed on one winter's night. Thick, soft and velvety quilts covered him. The room heater was emitting mild heat which felt like a warm hand on his already relaxed forehead. A soft smile adorned his face. He was relaxing after spending numerous hours in office ending with a successfully signed up business deal. He took a deep breath and exhaled peacefully. He felt thirsty. He got up and tried to reach his water bottle sitting at an arm's length from his bed. He couldn't find the water. It was supposed to be there. "Such irresponsibility ?!"he sighed. "Ramesh? Ramesh?". He shouted. "Fetch me my water." Shut up you pathetic psycho," said the guard outside cell 144. "This one thinks he is a frigging millionaire."he told the new guy on duty and slipped a glass of water from the small window.

Ayush drank the water with a sweet smile and returned to sleep on a cold and shabby metal framed bed shivering under the thin, worn and unwashed blanket. 

"Thank you God for all the blessings,"he said and went to sleep.

Story 7: The Pizza Party

Kriti, Shraddha and Anamika were sitting in a cozy corner of a restaurant on a cold winter's evening having pizza and soda. They were laughing merrily. Kriti silently noticed a shady guy in a hood sitting on a table on the other corner having his drink. There was something eerie about him that made the night more chilly than it was. Kriti felt somewhat uneasy.

Her friends mocked her, "Why are you so silent Kriti? You don't even know how to party!"

Finally, she said farewell to all of her friends and started walking alone towards her flat on the dark street with stray dogs howling to the moon. She felt a strange sensation and looked behind. The hooded guy was following her. She increased her pace. But, there was no use of running now.

She stopped and turned back facing the guy. He was now inches away from her. He removed his hood. He looked confused. Kriti smiled. 

She caught hold of the guy by his collar and sunk her pointed front teeth in his neck drinking all the warm sweet blood. She paused for a moment and said while smiling," What do those bitches know about snack?" 

Muffled screams were filling the night sky.

Story 8: The Betrayal

Shivi went camping along with some friends. It was night and the forest was cool and dark. They lit a fire and sat in a circle singing songs and laughing hard. Everyone was in a jolly mood. 

Their heads turned all of a sudden towards an unnatural shrill echoing from somewhere in the forest. It was definitely a woman's voice.S

Shivi jumped and caught hold of her torch and trekking stick. "We should go and check", she said looking up at others. 

"Are you nuts ?" said Aryaa. "Haven't you seen horror movies? You are supposed to hide in situations like these." 

"Yeah you guys can keep chickening out. I am going!" She jogged towards the sound. Aryaa and the others followed reluctantly.

Shivi went towards the voice and finally reached an old tree with drying branches and thick stump. There it was lying at the foot, an audio player, the source of the sound. She bent down to examine it and suddenly felt a hot and extremely painful sensation in her back. "Die bitch." It was Aarya's voice. "How dare you look at Rahul? Sleep around with demons in hell now."

There were three more stabs and Shivi was down on the ground on her belly gasping for breath drenched in red.