Short-story

The Court of the God

Published

2 years ago

January 24, 2022

Ayush Bhagat
Grade: 8
Kothari International School,
Noida

Shadows snaked around the swaying willow, which danced as if a corpse hanging from a fraying noose rather than the majestic tree that towered high above. Around the ancient tree, many graves lay tucked deep into the veins of the dying earth, but only one was of relevance to the sorceress that skulked at the midnight hour. Ishtar tucked away from the strand of black hair that fell upon her ebony eyes, scanning the bewitching darkness.

Sprinting across the cold earth, she found the grave she desired. “Raven Moonshadow”, she read, her cheeks stained with a trail of clear, saline water. She shook her head, reminding herself what she had come for. Her gown, the hue of midnight, flew in the chilling wind, howling in terror. A circle of black candles lay surrounding the gravestone, anointed with blood. Ishtar gasped, staring at the iron knife as if to bore a hole into it. Was she doing this?

Yes. Yes, I am. It was too much.

Never would she hear his stifled laughter whenever he was failing to hide something from her or see his radiant smile that lit up every day. She put the knife to her palm, blood blurring her vision while she carved the symbol into her flesh. Crimson splattered all over the stone.

The wind howled, the willow, once serene, now thrashed about like a feral animal caught in a cage.

Eyes shut tight as if to expel the pain, she spoke, her voice deep.

“Hear me, god of the dead! I command thee!”

Rain pounded on her, and her bare feet ached against the now burning cold of the earth below. Grey, saddening clouds converged, and a metallic odour began to fill her nostrils. The stench of rot was sickeningly fragrant. The world twisted around her, warping into a barren landscape, where hellfire and darkness ruled.

“Return my beloved to the realm of the living!!”

“Bring back that I love, and I will pay as you wish!” She begged, continuing to hurl her power at the seams of the world. Silence. An imperial figure stood on the bridge. It was raised above the caverns, and Ishtar was confident that centuries would pass before she touched the end if she fell.

The figure was pale, its fingers skeletal, and wings bony-white.

“Who dares to summon me?”

“I do. I am Ishtar, and I wish to resurrect Raven Moonshadow,” she replied, examining the god. He had many names, some forgotten in the pages of time, others popularized by the modern world.

“A Moonshadow? Leave and never come back”, the god replied.

Ishtar sighed.

The Moonshadow bloodline had performed a powerful ritual to summon Death itself in the old days. They had attempted to place Death upon a neighbouring enemy, but the eldest had another idea. He offered him water. It reached out for it, but at the last moment, the boy sent it into the face of Death. It was saltwater, lethal to spirits.

All Death stood still for one moment.

He reached for Death’s shroud, and the god shrieked at him. A bone-shattering scream that shook the underworld but that did not deter him for long, as a vial of toxic liquid flew into his hand—the soul of his grandfather. Later on, he would resurrect his beloved grandfather at a high cost. A price he would pay long after he drew his last breath.

Death never recovered, and the chthonian god never forgave.

“That’s an age-old matter.” Ishtar pleaded.

“Mind your tongue, witch, lest I tear it from your mouth”, he roared.

Ishtar’s eyes widened; her hands flickered with darkness. Then, the floor began to quake, and she grasped the handrails. Another figure stood alongside the first. She had an ethereal blue glow, and her hair flowed across her shoulders. She stared at the girl before flying towards her. Her touch was like cold fire, and she struggled to avoid flinching.

“You come and dare to ask orders of my family? Make your case, witch,” She whispered, her voice accompanied by drums in Ishtar’s mind.

“Make your case…in the Court of the God.”

Short-story

Fury of Tomato

Published

9 months ago

August 16, 2023

VOV Writer

Advika Bhatnagar
Shikshantar School, Gurugram
Grade 3

Alice, a nine-year-old boy, lived in the countryside of Tinseltown with his Granny. He was a stubborn and edgy child. He liked to eat whatever he wanted and didn’t care much about Granny’s words. This made the old lady very sad.

“Granny, Granny, hunger pangs! I want pizza and chocolate ice cream for dinner,” said Alice

“Wait, child, I’m making delicious chicken soup, healthy multigrain bread, and a fresh salad,” answered Granny.

Alice got angry when he saw salad on the dining table. He yelled, “Again, cucumber, bell pepper, carrot, and tomato. Is that what I will eat? “No, no, no, never, not at all. No dinner tonight.” Granny got worried and left the house to get his favourite food.

Alice was all alone. In anger, he picked up the tomato and threw it at the wall. The red pulp of the tomato almost covered the mid-wall. He was shocked to see the pulp turning into a monster.

“Ha, Ha, Ha, you stubborn boy. Every day I see you trouble your Granny for food. When you hit me against the wall today, I felt hurt. I will teach you a lesson. I am the new king of vegetables. I rule the meals,” said the tomato monster. And then the monster followed him everywhere in the room.

Alice was so scared that he was running in different directions. Sitting under the table, he quietly prayed, “Oh God, please save me from this deadly monster.”

Alice rushed to his Granny’s room, wears her hat and robe. He picks up the embroidered, favourite napkin of the Granny and moves slowly towards the wall. He wipes the tomato pulp, and the monster disappears right away.

Alice gets the lesson of his life to value all food. He vows to take care of Granny, as her belongings protect him. When she was back, he hugged her and said, “I love you so much. I will eat whatever you cook for me.”

The writer attended Takhte Writers & Publishers’ Story Writing Writeshop at Kalasthali, Gurugram.

Photo Courtesy – Andre Taissin (xRUJcUTEp6Y) Unsplash

Short-story

#Anecdotes of India@75

Published

2 years ago

June 2, 2022

VOV Writer

India, an enigmatic and epochal country, has an unparalleled and flourishing cultural legacy, which we are proud to represent. It is steadfast and unyielding, and it will never be lost to future generations. This year marks the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.

Writers are synonymous with bringing about a renaissance, whether literary or social; they function as negotiators to mediate the country’s social and cultural difficulties and, at times, become reformists. They have a legendary imagination, a distinct voice, flawless creative control of wordplay, and the ability to represent reality.

Takhte Writers & Publishers in collaboration with StoryMirror launch the literary contest ‘Anecdotes of India@75′

‘Anecdotes of India@75’ acknowledge the unacknowledged. It could be a person or an incident adding to national ethos, and you as a writer feel that others should know about it. So, start thinking, exploring and writing it in a stimulating story.

Rules:

Participants have to submit their content on the above theme.
Winners will be decided on the basis of editorial scores.
Participants should submit their original content. There is no limit to the number of content to be submitted.
There is no word limit.
There is no participation fee.

Categories: Story

Languages: English, Hindi

Prizes:

Top 2 winners will be felicitated with the Coffee Table Book of Rs2500/- authored by Takhte Writers
Top 20 winners in each language will be published in an ebook by StoryMirror.
Winners will receive digital certificates of appreciation.
All participants will receive a digital participation certificate.

Submission phase – May 29, 2022, to June 28, 2022

Declaration of Result: August 11, 2022

Contact:
Email: takhtevov@gmail.com
Phone/ WhatsApp: +91 9311845524

Short-story

Twisha and Alex on Moon

Published

2 years ago

April 18, 2022

VOV Writer

Reyaansh Bhardwaj
Scottish High International School
Gurugram
Grade 4

Alex was in his science lab carrying out his usual experiments. But, this time, he had thought of making a robot, which he wanted to gift to King Andrew during his birthday celebration. At that moment, Twisha came into the lab with Oreo.

Twisha, a year younger than Alex, is a sweet, pretty and short-tempered cousin. She asked Alex about his new experiment and shared her thoughts about going to the Moon.

Alex said, “Wow! Moon. I know you always wanted to go there. However, right now, going to the moon is more like a dream as we do not have a spacecraft. One day, I will take you to the moon”.

“One day! Seriously Alex. It doesn’t seem that near now. I surely want to go now,” said Twisha.

“Oh, Twisha! Don’t lose heart. I just remembered that Dr Peter is a Rocket scientist. He lives in the U.S.A, and I’ll talk to him about it,” said Alex.

Twisha replied, “Don’t make it tough. I will take you there.”

Alex was wonderstruck and astonished and teased her, “You are not a scientist. Are you a magician? HA HA HA HA HA HA.”

Twisha frowned. Seeing her annoyed, Alex said, “Ok, ok, so when are we going? How are we going? For how long are we going? What are we taking along?

Oreo heard the word going. He whined as if he should not be forgotten in their plans.

Twisha replied, “So many questions in one go. Bro, relax. We’ll go after two days on the full moon night.“

Twisha patted Oreo and said, “My Lil pup, I’m sorry you can’t go this time, but I’ll treat you with your favourite bone and peanut butter.”

As planned, on the full moon night, they both go on the terrace; Twisha asks Alex to lie down on the spread carpet. It was attractive, multicoloured with stars on it

Alex gets grumpy, “Are you serious. Is this your plan? Just lying down, and we’ll reach the Moon.”

“Have patience, this carpet has magical powers, and it will take us to the moon,” said Twisha. Her mind is burdened and overworking how to calm Alex and end his curiosity. Then, as in a trance-like state, she can take him and bring him back quickly.

Twisha picks up the crystal ball and asks him to focus on it and take deep breaths.

In no time, Alex exclaims, “Wowww! We have finally landed. It’s giant. Twisha, you know other names of Moon, its Luna, Selena or say Artemis. Moon is the only natural satellite of our planet and the second brightest object in the sky after the sun. Any object on the Moon will weigh six times less than on Earth. It rests on the tallest mountain, the Mons Huygens. Twisha, you would have read too, that Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the Moon.”

Alex, for hours, kept gaping and looking around in awe. He is surprised that Twisha has not spoken and asks her, “Hey! Why are you not saying anything? You also know so much. So you should share your learnings.”

Twisha giggles and pats Alex’s shoulder, “Hey, Bro, how are you doing? I think you completely enjoyed your visit to the Moon.” Alex rubbed his eyes and looked at her with his mouth open.

Photo Courtesy – aron-visuals-unsplash