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The Tales Next Door Made For Each Other
A young man was sitting in a corner table of the Chinese restaurant in Connaught Place, New Delhi. He glanced at his phone after every few minutes, swiping it up and down with his fingers. He looked up and turned his gaze towards the door. He was tapping his feet incessantly. Placing his phone on the table, he began drumming with his fingers.The waiter approached the table with the menu. The man pointed to the coffee.“One coffee? Black?” asked the waiter.The man nodded.He was a handsome young man with a wheatish complexion and a square jaw. His deep-set black eyes and thick eyebrows gave him a look of being intelligent and perceptive. He had short wavy black hair. His strong muscular biceps were conspicuously visible through his T-shirt.He picked up his phone again and checked his messages. He shook his head - nothing new.“Hi,” came a sweet musical voice. “I am Tia. You must be Kabir. I hope I haven’t kept you waiting for too long,” said Tia extending her ha
The Tales Next Door The Invisible Gift
Adi stopped for breath behind a large banyan tree. He took in long gasps of air and peered behind him. There was no movement, no sound of twigs breaking under the men's feet, no sound of crushing dry leaves. He sank on the ground, his legs aching from running so fast. Sweat dripped down from every part of his body, and his face felt as if it was on fire.He sat under the tree for some more time, to make sure that he had lost his pursuers. He listened intently. All he could hear were the birds chirping as they flew back towards their nest and the buzzing of insects. It was only now that he realized that he had been bitten on his arms, and there were large red swollen spots in a few places. He scrutinized them.“Not to worry,” he thought to himself. These were simple insect bites. He looked around for the antidote, the plant his father had told him about during their visits to this forest innumerable times. He plucked the leaves, crushed them in his palms, and applied t
The Tales Next Door Friendship
The old woman lay on her bed, unable to move a single muscle. Slowly and painfully, she turned her head.A brown dog, of no particular breed, was sitting by her bedside, looking at her with sad, brown eyes. When he saw her turning her head, he moved a little closer, touching her cheek with his soft, cold nose. Slowly and with some difficulty, she smiled, which accentuated the wrinkles on her thin face. She tried to raise her hand to pat him, but her strength gave way, and her hand fell limply by the bed.As if in total sync with the woman’s feelings, the dog quietly moved towards her hand and bent his head a little, so that her fingers, which were slightly outstretched and out of the boundaries of the bed, touched his furry little head. She stroked his fur, dragging her thin fingers gradually over his head. She was overcome with love,sadness and she closed her eyes. A single teardrop escaped as she pressed her eyelids shut. This dog had helped her weave the threads of
The Tales Next Door The Taxi Ride
John had been driving a taxi in New Delhi since the day he got his driver's license when he turned 18 years old. Well, officially since then. In reality, he had been driving since he was 16 years old, long before everyone had GPS enabled smartphones. He knew every road and every street in the big metropolis. Even now, he used the maps only to give comfort to the passengers. He trusted his own instincts better than the map. He knew which routes were better at what time of the day. He knew which roads to avoid if it was a festival or a public holiday. With John, you could be assured that he would take you to your destination in the shortest possible time.John loved driving. He had recently bought a new car, and he loved it like his own child. He cleaned it himself, dusted the seats, put images of Gods of all religions on his dashboard, and lit some incense every morning.Meeting new passengers was a delight for him, most of the time, at least. Like most taxi drivers, h
The Tales Next Door The Perfect Alibi
JD was sitting at the bar, enjoying a whiskey after a long day at the police station. This had become his favorite haunt after the office. Whenever he wanted to relax and spend some time alone, this was the place for him. It was not one of those fancy bars and restaurants with bright perfumed rooms and smart waiters. It was a good old-fashioned bar. The semi-dark room, with muted neon lighting, the smell of cigarette smoke mixed with the aroma of various liquor, the unpretentious wooden furniture, and plain walls, was more relaxing to JD than any other place.The bartender knew him well and prepared his regular whiskey and soda as soon as he saw him enter the door. Not many people from the station came over to this bar since it was a little out of the way. As a matter of fact, not many other people, in general, came to this bar. It suited JD perfectly as he could spend some time in peace.JD liked to spend the evenings alone, without talking to his colleagues or peopl
The Tales Next Door Killer Virus - 17
Sam and Tina were driving to work, making their way through the slow Mumbai traffic. The news was playing on the radio. The last week had been full of information about a virus that had supposedly infected many people in New York. There was no known cure and no idea of how it spread. They had named it KV17, which the media had renamed ‘Killer Virus – 17’.“We all need to be careful. Viruses can get out of control very fast,” said Sam with a furrowed brow.“You worry too much,” said Tina, smiling. “Mumbai is far from New York. In any case, I’m sure it is only a gimmick to get a higher viewership by the news channels. ‘Killer Virus’ indeed! For all you know, it might be a new type of flu.” Tina rubbed her hands together. The car’s air conditioner always did that to her, but she liked a low temperature. Her nose had started turning a little red. Sam looked at her and smiled. “My little Rudolf,” he teased as they entered the airport premises.Tina kissed Sam as she climb
The Tales Next Door The Biggest Punishment
Ria stood outside the police station, gathering the courage to enter. It was a bright day. The sky was still blue, a few white clouds floated by. The intensity of the sun's rays was decreasing as it slowly moved closer to the west.“It will be a beautiful sunset today,” thought Ria. She loved sunsets – the orange skies and the cool breeze, the sun going away with a promise for another bright day when it rose in the east again.She sighed as she looked at the newspaper that she held in her hand.“Top Businessman, Mr. Rajput’s son, goes missing” ran the headline.“I wish Dimple was here. She could have helped me decide what to do,” muttered Ria.She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and put her foot inside the police station door. The station was abuzz with the sound of activity. Two shabby-looking men, in dirty, tattered clothing, were sitting on a bench in a corner. The cheap alcohol smell emanating from them could be sensed till the door, and Ria's hand in
The Tales Next Door The Lockdown
Rohan and Neha turned towards each other simultaneously; both their eyes open wide in confusion. The news anchor reported that a complete nationwide lockdown would start the next day at 9 pm.“Oh, God! A lockdown. That too, for 15 days!" said Rohan. “What does lockdown mean, Papa?” said the five-year-old Krish as he stopped playing with the Lego set, he had received as a present from Rohan. “It means that no one can go outside their homes,” said Rohan, with a deep sigh.“That is amazing!” shrieked Krish jumping excitedly on the sofa. “Does this mean you will be staying with us for some more days?”“Yes, Krish. That is what it probably means,” said Neha. “Now, don’t jump on the sofa. It is nothing to be so excited about. We will have to see what can be done.”Krish jumped onto Rohan’s lap and hugged him tightly. “This is the best thing that has happened. Thank you, God, for this wonderful birthday present!” he shouted, unable to control his excitement. His eyes t
Latest chapter
- The Tales Next Door About the Author
- The Tales Next Door The Station Artist
- The Tales Next Door The Right Thing To Do
- The Tales Next Door The Lockdown
- The Tales Next Door The Biggest Punishment
- The Tales Next Door Killer Virus - 17
- The Tales Next Door The Perfect Alibi
- The Tales Next Door The Taxi Ride
- The Tales Next Door Friendship
