It was a lone evening, and we were on our way to the last few houses for the day.
To finish early, we decided to call one of our extended relatives — hoping we’d be free by 7, maybe 7:30.
We left the previous house around 6:30.
That house was alive — kids running around, adults in conversation, teasing, laughter, talks of marriage, plans, and maybe a child in the coming years.
They insisted we stay for dinner, but we politely refused — saying we had more houses to visit, and that we’d eat at home with my sister, the bride to be.
A few minutes before 6:30, we stepped out and decided to walk to the last house. It was just a few blocks away.
—
It was a four-storey house.
We rang the bell, and after a moment, a frail old woman opened the door.
Her fingers were curled inward, only the thumb moved freely.
Imagine holding the stem of a wine glass without your thumb — and then living like that every day. (Image at the end…)
She asked us to come in.
———
Her husband had passed away suddenly a heart attack, in the bathroom.
And now, she lived alone.
Her son and daughter-in-law had moved abroad. The decision was made quietly, and told to her only weeks before they left.
The grandchildren — the reason she woke up every day, went with them.
—
She walked us upstairs slowly, a slight limp in her step.
The house was big. Too big.
A sofa, a television, three rooms, a kitchen, and a balcony that opened to a park outside.
But it felt empty.
—
She brought a tray.
Two empty glasses. A bottle of cold water.
She asked us to pour it ourselves.
There was something in her eyes — something between hesitation and acceptance.
I poured the water, and asked if she’d like some.
She said she had already had water at 5. She wouldn’t need it till later.
We couldn’t drink either.
—
Her maid arrived soon after, and brought tea and some snacks.
Before we left, she spoke about her son, her family, the sweet noise that once filled the house.
Then she said,
“This house… it’s just four walls now. I feel trapped inside it.”
—
She picked up a the big box of bhaji (sweet)we brought
“What will I even do with this?” she asked. “I won’t be able to finish it.”
My mother smiled and said, “Slowly… you will.”
She smiled back.
—
She asked us to stay for a meal. We refused again.
A few more minutes passsed, and after she promised to come for my sister’s wedding, we got up to leave.
—
As we stepped out, something didn’t feel right.
And then she said it.
“They’ll find me dead someday… and even then, they won’t be able to come.
Someone else will do the final rites. Maybe someone my daughter in law’s brother who lives nearby…!
Because I know… they won’t be able to.”
—
Fin.
Her hand looked like this…!
A sad reality that I witnessed that day,
and felt like it had to be brought to this world…!
Keep your loved ones near and call your parents if you haven’t,
Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.
18/04/2026@Waakiye
Hey…
I hope all of you are doing well…!
It was a tough day at work yesterday,
As I had to stand on my feet all day and compete a job that required my regular interference as we are running against time here…!
it will be another couple of days like this and I’ll have to spend them on my feet, which will for sure hurt a bit this evening…!
Other than that,
All of the preparations are done just the essentials that are to be bought next week are left…!
Some of which can be bought on spot and I’ll confirm the rest this evening to a mithai shop in Pahar Ganj soon..!
only thing that will be left is paying the rest and picking up the boxes on the day of the function..!
(This is somewhere we see money is everything, you pay an advance and they will happily make anything/everything you want…!)
Coming back to the prompt
A random encounter that stuck positively…!
It was a cold winter’s night as I was returning to home from work…!
I had to take a detour and drive through todapur/inderpuri area,
The road that follows Pusa(IARI Indian agricultural research institute)
Also called dev Prakash Shashtri marg…!
—
I was travelling there on my scooty and it’s drive belt snapped in half mid drive;
Coincidentally no one was home and I was all alone,
as I pushed it for a good 10 minutes and looked for a mechanic but u couldn’t find anyone…!
So a Stranger,
A person sent from almighty came and asked me about what happened…!
On telling him about the belt,
he agreed to push me to the nearest mechanic;
which was a good four, maybe five kilometres away…!
So he put his feet on my scooter’s silencer and pushed me to the nearest mechanic,
before I could get off near the mechanic and thank him,
he drove off and raised his hand not above his soulder level and his palm facing inwards and he drove off away from me…!
it was one of those instances where I wanted to thank, but I couldn’t but I really did from my heart and wished his well being…!
Another one would be a complete stranger,
Asking me about my well being,
while I was sitting waiting for the last train back from Shaheed Sthal station after securing some payment from a client and maybe it was showing on my face but as soon as I opened my camera app it looked like I was on the verge of dying…!
So he asked about me,
Where was I from and such things,
and if I was well…!
On giving limited answers and not revealing much about myself,
he sat next to me and I opened up to him,
it was a few months after a death happened in our family and that old person told me the genetic answers,
It’s the truth,
and we have to accept it,
and many other things…!
One of the last things he told me was that the person who I liked/loved who’s no more; They won’t be happy if i kept myself in this condition any longer…!
Those words hit hard and even if they’re no more,
and I was living without a purpose;
I found these strangers words like a ointment to my wounds…
And he too walked away climbing the stairs and by that time my train came too and I boarded it and reached home…!
Sometimes a stranger’s words do more better than anyone who is near and dear to us…!
G0d save all those who get out of the way to check up on the people who feel like they’re carrying dread in their eyes…!
Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.
Hey…
I hope all of you are doing well…!
A slow morning and I skipped my morning routine today,
I woke up thirsty at 5 in the morning and didn’t have any energy to wake up,
so I stayed in my bed for half hour dying of thirst…!
I got up eventually at 5:40 brushed my teeth and drank a whole jug of water and fell asleep again…!
I woke up yet again at 7:45 with my maid and after a span of 15 minutes I was woken up yet again,
because a person came in for the blood test of my sister…!
I sat on my bed and waited as they took blood sample and other samples,
And,
A QR code was brought my way,
and after scanning my Face ID the payment went through…!
I was told that I can go back to sleep again…!
like that was possible now…!?
😢
So I scrolled some and decided to read some pages of the book that I had on my side table…!
A person whom I found randomly on Ig and ordered a book from them,
their first book and I’ve loved it…
And,
as soon as I’m done with it,
I’ll leave a review…!
Coming back to the prompt
A decision made in the past that helped me grow…
There are a lot to things that happened in the past that shaped me into who I am today..!
There are friendships that I started that I have regret and they on their own fell off…!
There are relationships that I started and those broke up because I wasn’t in the right space to accept a person in my life at that time, making it one of those things that have a significant impact on how I perceive love and affection today…!
Because even to this day, when someone tries to come near me, my normal reaction is something of a defensive standpoint…!
and I often tell people I don’t feel like I was made to be in love or in general liked;
But being of help that is what I was made for….
and I hope I did that well..!
I had to cut off people who were spreading misinformation which came with tags that are associated with me or my name(They still are…)
But,
I don’t care and people already come with pre-formatted idea and their ideas break once they talk to me or get to know me more…!
A big decision I made in life is choosing to sacrifice my regular college life,
I spent those years learning basic things about my business and now it’s something that runs on my shoulders…!
And spending those years interacting with people and building my profile,
I got to spend what limited time I had with my father working with him and learning the skills..!
and until his end I was there with him and it made our bond deeper and brought more peace and joy in his life that his next generation likes to work with their hand and embraces the legacy that he built…!
A decision I made back then in hope that it made his life better and he was able to leave this world in peace and a sense of happiness…!
It feels like I’m going to burst out of my skin , If I don’t do something about it;
And, If I decide to act upon it someday, It will either be the end of a person, Or End of me in an essence…!
After spending a good amount of my time waiting for a product or even something that I was promised and it doesn’t happen;
It feels like I’m going to blow up and burst in a fit of anger…!
I’m meeting them after sacrificing my precious time, and I hope their’s is too;
Out of nowhere comes this delay of their arrival, Something that they promised in the first place, and to be there before me too;
And now; When they don't stand on their word——
There comes a sudden burst of anger, an uncontrollable one, That makes me feel that I have less worth, and pushes me to get up and walk away from this meet-up…!
I try to tell myself that they might be stuck somewhere, but, Another voice tells me that, ”They live here in this city and they must be aware of the time it takes and the place they chose, maybe it gets congested,
Plus, Being wary of it, they should have left earlier…!”
After having this bout with myself,
or
this voice of mine;
I come to a conclusion to wait,
and they appear infront of me,
as I’m waiting there;
And when they arrive, on seeing them all of the voices fade and a feeling of happiness takes over me;
Maybe it’s some evil from within that tries to push me in a wrong direction away from people and their company, Wants me to rot in my room all alone;
But, Not trusting it for a while Enduring it for a little while, it makes all of it worth it;
I’m making this post at five in the evening as I’m travelling back from distributing cards which we started from the day before today…!
We wanted to be done with it in the first week of April,
but,
The paternal aunt of mine who passed away on 1st April,
her terahvi(mourning ceremony) happened on 12th of April and we started to distribute them today as we got the delivery of bhaji yesterday evening I.e. 13th of April…!
We are already running against the time here,
but,
We also plan on sending a video message on WhatsApp to those who we cannot reach…!
Their bhaji will be waiting at home let’s not forget that…!
I hope we can get them delivered by tomorrow evening,
because there aren’t many to begin with,
and if I can make haste we can do it…!
(Fingers crossed 🤞 )
Coming back to the prompt
Something I learnt in high school
My high school life was a lot from the observant’s point of view as I looked at people and their behaviour and got a gist of how they used to work and think;
Thinking about things and people( well at that time my classmates);
It wasn’t just education that I learnt in my high school;
Within those 4 years,
from class 9 to class 12–
I leant more about people and the way they perceive the world and how they detach themselves from it…!
Basically high school is a huge platter and in it we get a whole lot of people and their different upbringing standards gives us to be a witness to it all…!
This observant nature boosted by a need to get answers out of everything;
The outcome of it being a person who loves to talk about things and explore ideas that otherwise might be considered good, bad or taboo in worst case…!
But being able to speak my mind on things that I like or even bring awareness to people around me is something that I have developed to love…!
And I hope I do carry that trait with me for the rest of my life…!
After spending the whole 10 hours yesterday shaving myself off to get a job done,
which was simply turning round blanks into required diameters,
But the sheer amount of material I had to hack off mattered,
some were a millimetre over,
some were at least a five or six millimetre over and I made significant dent on the amount by finishing off five sizes and the rest will be picked up yet again on Tuesday…!
About today,
I’ll be getting bhaji boxes delivered and I will give it to the people who live near me and a few of my friends who live near and try to give it to atleast one person who lives far…!
because from tomorrow onwards we will give it to those who aren’t open today…
Other than that,
it’s going to be a long day because we will go shppping too,
A few things that we have to buy for Milni rasam(A programme where the family of the bride and groom meet officially infront of the people and exchange gifts…)
Another jam packed Monday it is,
but only two weeks are left…!
🥲😅
Coming back to the prompt
Where do I see myself in 10 years
This prompt wouldn’t have come at a better time, As we are in this transition phase and my sister is going to be married off;
Giving me a lot of things to look forward to;
And,
At the same time they are telling me to get married too,
because it will be a lot of pressure on Mom
because she will be all alone within a few days as the guests will leave after the marriage;
Something that I’m nodding to right now,
—
I have no clue how any of this will come true…!
But we have hope…!
Pulling myself back to the question—
well I do plan on playing with my niece and/or nephew;
——
I do plan on having a ring on my finger too and the love of my life with me;
Waking up and seeing her face and thinking I wrote about this ten years ago and that day has come true…!(well not 10 years exactly, it can be a few years minus or plus too…)
And I hope,
I really, really hope that my mom is there to bless her grandkids and they get the love of her grandma even if I wasn’t fortunate enough to get it…!
🥹
I know I have chosen a better path for myself and am able to get what I want and the people who are around me are able to live a happy life because of that…!
because all those who are with me now,
I plan to take them up with me;
And all of those who didn’t trust me
or left me just because they thought all of this would go down in vain,
it becomes my purpose to shine infront of them…!
A life where all the levels and graphs,
were picked up and brought up by my sincere efforts and sheer dedication…!
A life made to enjoy by those who are around me
I hope,
I’m still writing prompts and active here daily and every once in a while I come to post something that is appealing…!
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
12/04/2026 @Waakiye
Hey..
I hope all of you are doing well…!
After straying away from my routine after I picked up a suitcase wrong,
I was in my bed trying not to move,
because each movement caused more pain;
—
After two sessions of physiotherapy and another one on Monday,
I think I’ll be well…!
I’ve killed a few more tasks,
and we will get the bhaji on Monday and the distribution will start on the same day…!
Other than that,
shopping is done,
A few things might be left,
And,
that will also be completed as soon as we get boxes and I will tell my mom and sister to give them to those who live nearby…!
A packed week we have ahead;
—
I have to go to work today and finish a few tasks alone,
As my uncle and brother are going to the bhog of my paternal aunt who passed away on April 1st;
Coming back to the prompt
Five Things that bring me happiness..!
There are few instances of happiness in my life,
but,
I work hard on making it worth living,
First would be my family’s and my well being; they are my priority and anything/everything that I do is ultimately to their benefit, No matter the path I choose I see that it benefits them in the long run…!
My friends take a special place in my heart and whenever we get a chance to get together, we make it absolutely fun and something that we talk about every time we meet…! The last thing we did together was ice skating and that was fun and we got hurt; All three of us at the same time…!
A loved one; I wouldn’t say anything else but the fact that their presence makes us feel like we are special and I hope they feel the same way too about it…!
Morning walks and being one with nature is something that makes me feel happy and that feeling is elevated when I am visiting a place like a park or a place that is filled with trees and plants that makes me feel happy…!
The last or the first thing that makes me feel happy(the way you look at this list)and this life worthy of continuing is writing; Because of it I have been able to meet wonderful people and I’ve got a chance to work with some who I couldn’t even think of working with even from this country and beyond this one…!
Some things that bring me happiness and joy…!
Have forgotten to mention travelling and the love paper brings me isn’t that same for the all of us,
we forget to mention things that make us who we are and define our hustle isn’t it…?
Trigger Warning: This piece contains graphic violence, murder, references to child abuse, and disturbing themes including body disposal and psychological trauma.
It was a lone night, I was travelling all alone and before I could reach home, I got a call from my friend…!
It felt like either his life was in danger… or he had taken someone’s;
G0d knows what it was, but fear was resonating clearly from his voice—
Ravi— “I did it bhai… I found that man and I did what I had to…”
Me— “What are you talking about Ravi…?”
Ravi— “The same man… the one who brutally assaulted and k1lled that little girl from our vicinity—”
I cut him off.
The connection was poor. I told him to move somewhere open.
But my mind… it had already started running in all directions.
Ravi— “I found him… and as soon as I got a chance, I pounced on him… A fight broke out…”
“What happened next… Ravi?”
Ravi— “I knew he’d overpower me… so I took out the knife I kept on my waist… in case I ever needed it…”
My thoughts went to the worst place.
A brief pause…
“I had to, Waakiye… I had to do it…”
“She called me her brother… I watched her grow up… and I—”
He stopped.
I think her face came in front of him.
“Is he alive…?” I asked.
Ravi— “He was… gasping for air… when I opened his neck…”
“I watched him suffer… just like she would have…”
Silence.
“Where are you…?” I asked. “Send me your location.”
“Okay…”
The call ended.
A few seconds later—— I heard a ping on my phone;
Just a few minutes away.
————
I drove there. And I saw him.
Sitting cross-legged… right next to the body.
Staring at the blood-soaked sand beneath him.
“Ravi…?” No response.
“Ravi…!” Nothing.
“RAVI…!” On the third call—he moved.
He rushed toward me, collapsed onto me… and broke.
Tears; Shaking hands; A voice that didn’t belong to the man I knew.
“I just wanted to scare him… but it… it became this…”
“I had to k1ll him…”
“He would have escaped… hurt someone else…”
As I looked into his eyes— and then at the lifeless one behind him—
Only one thought came to my mind— I have to save him.
⸻
“Give me the knife.”
⸻
[END PART 1]
A story that expands beyond years and decades of built relationships,
