Novels by A MaNan

Ankita was jittery as she strolled to the grounds and lined up with the rest of the girls. She glanced at the sea of heads before her. As usual, she was the last in the row, thanks to her height. She was taller than most girls and it seemed that she wouldn’t stop growing. Many a time, she has pondered over how tall she would be by the time she hit twenty. The chatter was deafening, and she wondered what they had so much to talk about! Unlike others, she could barely start or keep up with a conversation.

After a week’s hiatus, Ankita trudged through the gates of her new school. She adjusted the weight of her bag on her shoulder, her cold, sweaty hand wringing its strap as she did. Her head and chest thumped alike as she ran her eyes around the strange surroundings. Though the school was pretty young, it was massive with a ground that could pass for a football stadium.Unfamiliar places and situations always made her feel uncomfortable. The never-ending stretch of grounds with no proper direction didn’t help either. Small, comprehensible pl

That day, there was an uproar in the Principal’s office, so much that the entire school kept mum and listened to the conversation.Mr. Ratan, Raj and the other parents could be heard roasting the Principal.“Who gave you the bloody right to lay hands on my daughter? Did I!!? This is NOT why I’ve sent my girl here. Get that straight!!! If you have any issues with her, call me up. That’s what I’m here for!!!” Mr. Ratan’s angry voice rang from the Principal’s office.“Teach your girl to behave and then maybe no would lay hands on her,” followed Mr. Shah’s response.“Teach your master’s son first. IF you have the spine! IF you have any bit of self-respect!” Mr. Ratan barked back.The victims of Sibal’s bullying episode – Punit, Ankita, Edwin, Bruno and Jyotsana huddled outsid

When Ankita got a grip on herself, she let go of Punit and trudged a bit away from them to be alone for a while. Punit watched her intently as she stood with her back to them. All of this felt unreal. The brutal assault Sibal and his cronies belted out on him, Ankita’s rampage on the bullies and now this... Something rolled over in his guts, infuriating him. His hatred for Mr. Shah had reached an all-new level. How could the man be such a coward, such a puppet as to punish the victims instead of the culprits, and that too, in the most painful and humiliating manner? It was then that he realized why his back hurt as if scalded with boiling water. Mr. Shah had whipped him like a horse. Anyhow, he was glad that she didn’t have to take that. Despite knowing that she was furious and needed time to cool off, he went ahead and joined her. Cautiously, he stole a glance before meeting her angry glare.

The bell sounded and Punit’s heart thumped hard in his chest. It was fight or flight. As far as ‘fight’ was concerned, he was outnumbered.In one quick move, he attempted to bolt through them to safe haven.They smoothly botched his attempt.“Whoa-whoa-whoa! Where do you think you’re going, huh? Huh!!?” Sibal barked at him while the cronies held him in place.“The bell... the bell...” Punit was sweaty and breathless.“The bell. What bell?” Sibal teased him. He was inches away from Punit now.“The bell. N-N-Need to get to class...” Punit struggled to stay calm.“Or else what? Hmm?” Without any warning, Sibal threw an ear-splitting slap and flung him hard against a wall.Punit collapsed to the floor, reeling from the collision.&n

Anki’s next meeting with Punit was, well... awkward. The very sight of him reminded her of all the rubbish that was floating around school which she bet he’d already heard of. She only hoped that she hadn’t done anything that made her look like a desperate lovesick looney to him. What if he really thought that I was so desperately crushing on him, bad enough to convince him to belt out a love song for me? Eww! Cringe factor, 100%!As for Punit, he’d heard it too and he wondered what her take could be. In fact, some of the boys and even the girls had already interrogated him, and he’d smoothly denied any such thing. But, coming to think of it, he already had a crush on her, he only wished that she never got a hint of it because what if she never felt the same? That could end their friendship and he really didn’t want that. Things were going really well as of now.He noticed that Anki too w

When Dev’s usual train pulled up at the crossing the following day, Bhoomika was in the backyard spreading wet laundry on the line. She peeked out from behind one of the sarees fluttering before her and eyed the door of the train, but he wasn’t there. Heart racing a little, she craned her neck further and scanned the windows, but he wasn’t there either. She stood there, waiting, hoping to get a glimpse of him and alleviate the fears that had been building inside her since last evening. But alas, despite the express train whipping past, and this train slowly chugging out, he was nowhere to be seen.With a sinking feeling, she retreated from view. There was a storm brewing in her mind. How come he never turned up today, could he be ill? Or, is he avoiding me on purpose?She was dead sure that he’d seen her getting hit by Anand last evening. Anand was one who never wasted an opportunity at that. He always made sure he put up an act before oth

That evening, dinner was exceptionally silent for Anand and Bhoomika. Not that they shared any conversation otherwise. They hardly spoke to each other. And even when they did, it was barely a handful of words, only because it was absolutely essential. When in close quarters, there was always an air of unrest, of uncertainty.Anand was unpredictable. One could never figure out when he’d snap and for what. As of now, it was so quiet that one could even hear their fingers touching their dinner plates.Anand tore out a piece of the roti, dipped it in the sabzi and stuffed it into his mouth. Visibly, it looked appealing to anyone, but he never appreciated it. “The curry is good,” he said out of the blue, surprising Bhoomika enough to make her steal a glance at him before returning her gaze to her plate.He studied her fiddling with her food, rolling it several times in the curry before putting it back on the plate

As Dev’s train pulled into the crossroad that evening, the beautiful mouth-watering aroma of a delicious curry floated in through the bars, one that immediately reminded him of home and of his mother’s cooking. His taste buds tingled as it strongly brought to mind that divine, crispy, goldenbhatureand tangy chole masala he had two weeks ago when he had visited his mom. There were many households in that area and it was hard to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from, that is, until, the train stopped right across Bhoomika’s house.The white lights from her kitchen’s veranda shone like crystal specks in his eyes as he caught sight of her in the garden, picking on fresh curry leaves and cherry red tomatoes.He wondered what she could be cooking as he lingered on how the setting sun cast its orange hue on her hair, making it look like smooth, polished sheets of burnt copper.He noticed that s

Bhoomika felt terrible. It was a common emotion post their never-so-pleasant sessions in bed. For one, no matter how hard she tried, she could never respond in the way he wanted.Anand was always rough. And he expected her to be as wild. Being sore and hurt in places after an episode of ‘making love’ wasn’t something that was new to her. At times, she felt that he wanted to prove something. She just couldn’t figure out what.As of today, Anand was being a sourpuss like always. Their session didn’t last long. He did what he wanted and slipped out of bed without a word. Wearing the worst scowl humanly possible, he cleaned himself up, put on a shirt and stormed out of the house without a spot of breakfast. He didn’t really like her food anyway.It stung her every single time. Did I do something wrong, she always wondered? Yes, she concluded. They’ve been together for seven long years, and it’s entire

“What? What is it?” asked Kamal curiously and followed his gaze to the backyard of the house across.Standing on the kitchen veranda and checking herself out in the mirror was Bhoomika. She looked beyond ravishing in that jet-black salwar she was in. The fabric hugged and defined the curls and curves of her elegant frame. Flowing down her shoulder was a crisp red dupatta with a generously printed border.Flashing his pearly white teeth, Kamal turned back to Dev who looked completely lost.Bhoomika tossed her luscious mane, allowing the sun to comb through her rich, copper strands.How can anyone be this beautiful,crossed a thought in Dev’s head. It took him a moment to realize that her amber orbs were already locked with his chocolate brown ones.Through the noise, there was an air of dead silence as they searched the depths of each other’s soul through their eye

Bhoomika raked her wet hair before the mirror in the kitchen veranda. She’d just finished her morning shower. It was a routine that she stuck to religiously. In a way, it helped her to relax.Despite the mirror being smaller to the one inside, she preferred it over the other, mainly because there was plenty of light outside compared to the dark and dingy room. She also felt more secure. Her creepy husband, Anand, had the bad habit of sneaking up on her almost all the time. She loathed him for that besides a lot of other things. The very thought of him led her eyes to rest on the purplish bruises around her neck, that of fingers. The night before, he had strangulated her to the point of death.***Flashback***Bhoomika struggled hard, fighting to pry open Anand’s iron clutches around her neck, wheezing through the tiny gap that was left in her throat. The pressure built to dangerous levels so much that her

They reached Maya’s house and paused outside her gate. Liam turned to face her. “So remember what i told you. Whatever happens, don’t be afraid. He or anyone else gets the better of you only when you are afraid. So don’t be.”She wasn’t sure how to muster the courage he was talking about. Perhaps, that was the secret of his stoic demeanour? She also wondered if he applied the same to his life, thinking how his father always got the ‘better of him’.Maya rang the door bell and Liam stood closely behind. On the second ring, the door was answered by Manoj. The concern on this face was very far from genuine. “There you are! Where have you been? Your mother was worried sick! I looked for you everywhere, you know? Can’t you at least keep us informed if you have any plans of your own?”Liam’s eyes shifted from Manoj to Maya, catching a subtle cringe in her hand.Liam intervened. “Actually Mr. Suri, it was me. I needed some help on our project and Maya was kind enough to stay back and help m

Liam's flushed face radiated heat from his training session, his head still pulsing with the rush of blood. Typically, he would have dismissed the curiosity to check on people crying for whatever reason, knowing he couldn't solve everyone's problems. Yet, this time, the voice struck a chord, familiar and unsettling. With a painful grunt, he rose to his feet and staggered toward the sound's origin, moving like a rusted machine in need of oil.He followed the voice to a clearing where Maya sat, huddled on a park bench. He stood nearby, hidden in the shadows of the trees, pondering what could have led her to this state.His initial impulse was to approach and ask, "Are you okay?" Yet, he knew the question was futile; it was evident she was far from okay. He speculated whether her distress was linked to her father, but he couldn't broach the subject with her.Maya sensed a presence looming nearby, as if she were being watched from the shadows. Startled, she opened her eyes and peered into

NEXT WEEK: Maya walked briskly down the hallway of the college, her steps echoing against the tiled floor. It was sometime around the first half, and she decided to stop outside the admin's office to check out the notice board, hoping for any updates or announcements. As she scanned the notices, one in particular caught her eye - a yellow-colored sheet titled "Attention." Curiosity piqued, Maya leaned in closer to read the contents. That's when she noticed Liam, standing inside the office, engaged in a conversation with the administrator. Liam's usual stony demeanor was evident as he listened to the administrator's reprimand for not paying his college fees from the last semester. "I will pay, I just need some time," Liam's voice was firm, but Maya sensed an underlying tension in his tone. The administrator's response was skeptical. "But that's what you said last time." "I know," Liam replied, his expression unreadable. With a sigh, the administrator relented. "Take your time. B

Maya stood at the stove, carefully stirring the dal, her mind lost in a world of its own. The kitchen enveloped her in its familiar warmth, occasionally punctuated by the gentle sizzle of spices. In the adjacent room, her mother lay in bed, an unchanging routine they both had grown accustomed to. But then, a nostalgic aroma drifted into the kitchen, pulling Maya back into the past. It was the same scent that used to fill their home when her real father, Sanjay Sharma, was alive. The memories rushed back like a flood - the laughter, the outings, and the family dinners at the Chinese restaurant, indulging in sweet corn chicken soup, chicken fried rice, and Gobi Manchurian. Her heart ached for those times when they were complete, united, and happy. But life had taken a different turn, leaving her with a stepfather, Manoj Suri, who was nothing less than a nightmare. Just then, the front door creaked open, and Manoj entered the kitchen, carrying takeout bags. He looked oddly content wit

Maya watched as her mother’s nurse exited the front door, and she closed it behind her. She walked down the hallway towards her mother's room, but her eyes were drawn to Liam's house across the street. A loud, constant thud had been echoing from his house for a while before it finally stopped, and Maya couldn't help but wonder what was going on. She strained her ears to listen for any other sounds, but there was only silence coming from the house. Maya's eyes shifted to Liam's bedroom window, which was partially covered by a thick curtain. She could see a faint light glowing through the fabric. Suddenly, the hammering sound stopped, and Maya's heart sank. She couldn't hear Liam's father anymore, and her mind immediately began to wander. Was Liam okay? Was his father hurting him? The sound of a distant car engine broke Maya out of her thoughts, and she shook her head. She didn't want to think the worst of Liam's situation, but the constant noise and her own fears were getting the bes

Liam walked out of the principal's office; his eyes fixed in the distance as he tried to process the suspension. As he walked past Abby, she looked up at him in awe, impressed by the way he had stood up for Maya. But Liam didn't even notice her, lost in his own thoughts. Just then, Maya burst out of the office, her eyes searching for Liam. "Liam!" she called out, her voice shaky with emotion. He slowly stopped and glanced at her; his expression unreadable. "I'm sorry," Maya spoke after a lot of hesitation, wringing her hands nervously. Liam was a little surprised but did a good job at hiding it. He didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue. As they stood there, some students passed by and commented on Liam's fight with the jocks. "Dude, you were so cool!" one of them said. "We didn't know you could do that," another added. “You were a beast, man!” one of them exclaimed. "Jake deserved it, that guy's a total jerk," said another. Liam didn't react to the comments,