Hello there! It’s an understatement if we said that we are super-excited about this issue! It’s our first ever Fiction Special in the five-and-a-half years since Spark’s inception in 2010 and wow, putting it together has indeed been lot of fun! We have stories that are spooky, funny, racy, thought-provoking, reflective, romantic, surreal and what not’ featured in this edition. All we can say is just dip into it and savour each of the 13 stories that we have lined up for you this month. You are going to enjoy it!
A bunch of poppies are uprooted from a garden and are put through an arduous journey in which they experience the harshness of the big bad world in many ways. Ajay Patri tells their story and gives the poppies a voice.
A little girl and her grandmother deal with a rare problem that occupies their days, thoughts and dreams. Nandagopal T tells the story of how they try to cope with it.
Vidya is a bookworm who thinks boys like Silver are pests. Can someone save her from him? Sudha Nair tells the story.
A tale of friendship, betrayal, transgression and hope of two strangers. A puff of spook from Bhargavi Chandrasekharan.
Uday has three hours for himself between teaching at an arts college and taking tuition for Mr. Ishwar’s son. What does he do during those three hours every day? Parth Pandya’s story tells you more.
Vrinda Manocha’s story sheds light on the troubled mind of a naughty six-year-old girl, Jiya, who’s desperately waiting for her mother to return home.
Blossom has the difficult task of clearing her mother’s cottage after the latter’s passing on. Memories of her growing up there haunt her as she goes about her task, but she comes across a past she doesn’t anticipate. Indu Parvathi tells the story in ‘Anamnesis’.
Seven-year-old Pavni’s mind is a creative powerhouse. It could easily craft four to five stories a day. But the poor little girl always encounters a challenge that perplexes her. Told with a touch of surrealism, Kaartikeya Bajpai’s story is an insight into the workings of a young girl’s creative mind and her biggest challenge.