Fearful encounter - a 77 fiction

His badge announced to the world that he was a police officer.  Maintaining law and order was his liability. Hardened criminals were petrified by mere mention of him, such was his repute. Yet while climbing the stairs as the night darkened outside, his heart was throbbing in fear. 

How would he face her tonight? 
How could he have forgotten it was her birthday today? 
He dreaded facing the lady in question.
His little angel, his daughter.

This post is shared with 3WW and the words for this week are Darken, Badge and Liability.

 

Empress of the night

Humming soothing melodies

of fantasy and make-believe,

silky dreams she weaves

as gently the cradle rocks...

In the night breeze,

from the starry sieve,

fantasies drop like autumn leaves 

as enchanted pathways she unlocks...

Cleverly her spell, she casts

till the crimson dawn to last.

Scarlet dust, sun's chariot kicks up-

clearing the air of the magic afloat ...

The queen returns each night

bewitching the world with starlight,

 sprinkling reveries and slumber syrup,

sailing on yonder in her mystery-boat...

Picture is  from Google images

Permanence of change...

Smiles to frowns to sobs,

love to loss to renewed hope,

wheel of life revolves.

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 Eras of learning-

evolving for survival;

forgetting to live.

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This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is CHANGE

 

Pictures are from Google images

 

Blossoms galore!!

Petunias and yellow lilies

Nature has different looks for different seasons, but her spring look is by far the most colorful and anticipated of all don't you think? It is that time of the year when most trees come out of their wintry slumber and fresh tender leaves dot the barren barks and twigs. Though there are many flowers that bloom all year round, the blossoms in spring seem to have a special touch. Their fragrance and color palette adds to the joyous start of a new year. Okay not in the sense of the January-to-December calendar that we have adopted now but the traditional one which begins in March/April. The very first season as per that calendar is "Vasanth" or Spring. Isn't that a wonderful way to begin a new year , with fresh hopes and renewed vigor ?

Birds of paradise!!

San-Diego too is in the spring mode now and the trees are sporting their fresh look with different shades of tender green. At this time of the year, back in Bangalore the local markets will be flooded with a wide variety of flowers with the jasmine/mallige dominating the air with its fragrance. Of course there are other scented beauties too like Champaka flower, plethora of roses too that are part of the heady collection. The spring here in US saw colorful petunias and dainty lilies join the party that was until now limited to marigolds and the strange-looking but appropriately named "Bird of paradise" flowers. These flowers look like green cranes sticking out their heads with yellow crowns and a reddish beak. As for the marigolds, they are bigger than the lemon sized ones we see back in India, many of them are as large as a tennis ball. Couple of lanes across the main road from where we stay, there are hedges of hibiscus that bring back memories of how common a garden plant it is back in India.

Twinkle twinkle Blue-stars!!

Mammoth marigolds

Homely Hibiscus

 The one good thing about the housing complexes here is that they all have well maintained greenery in and around them with a variety of floral and decorative plants adding a touch of natural green and brown and rainbow hues amidst rows of concrete blocks. Imagine my surprise when the seemingly leafy patches at many points around our apartment complex broke out into blossoms of  a variety of jasmine. Their fragrance grabs your attention long before the tiny white stars catch your eye. If the warm sun wasn't a reason enough for me to enjoy quiet walks on a summer day, these floral delights ensure that I go out and stretch my legs. The walks are even more refreshing by the light of nature's white bulb up there in the sky long after the sun bids adieu for the day.

The priceless treasures of nature never fail to gladden the heart!!

Jasmine!!

Haiku inspired by the spring :

From bare to blossom,

tender leaves, colorful blooms

usher new season!!

Six word story - 1

Clever spider deserves applause. Silky finish!!

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PS : Six word story is a flash fiction using six words.

This post is shared with 3WW and the words for this week are Clever, Silky and Finish


Picture is from Google images

Betrayal

Star-crossed lovers meet ;

eyes betray secrets of heart - 

broken dreams, lost love.

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Blank eyes, bleeding heart 

hurt picking up shattered shards - 

broken trust mirror.

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This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is BETRAYAL

Ball of life

White, brown and golden

huddle up, future unknown-

new life in a shell.

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Painted balls of fun,

seek the joy that is hidden-

treasure hunt is on.

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This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is EGG

Pictures are from Google images

Homecoming.

"Oh I just love this heavenly aroma", Garima murmured to herself as the rain drops pittered and pattered on the hard ground. The smell of the first rain of the season meant respite from the sweltering heat that had been pestering the city for months now. Back from college after a busy day of lectures and labs and assignments, she nestled herself in her favorite spot by the window of her room from where she could see the neighborhood park. As she sipped her cup of steaming hot coffee, she noticed a tiny little puppy dripping  wet and shivering, trying to shelter itself under the slide in the children's play area. Wait a minute!!  Was it Snowy, her Snowy that was out there in the cold? No, it couldn't be... How she wished it was... 

It was during the summer vacations years ago that a game of hide and seek resulted in the Garima and her friends finding a litter of puppies in the backyard of the dilapidated house they had nicknamed the "Haunted home". While some of those tiny bundles of joy found love in her friends' homes, not everyone was lucky. Some of them had to put up their pups for adoption after being denied permission to keep a pet. Garima was thrilled when her parents let her keep the white little pup that she had brought home. Of course the permission came with a list of do's and dont's regarding the pet-care and house-rules. Garima and her kid brother Karan were excited about having their own pet and didn't mind abiding by the new rules. With soft white fur, the tiny little pup found itself answering to calls of Snowy. Even their mother grew fond of the cute little pup and would unfailingly put in extra milk into Snowy's bowl every morning. Soon Snowy became an integral part of the family and a vigilant guardian of the house. Evenings had a "Play with Snowy only after completing homework" rule. In fact the "Snowy" card worked like a charm, Garima and Karan would finish up all their tasks without a whine. The weekends meant Garima, Karan and Snowy were lost in their own magical world. 

Two summers after that, Divya Aunty and her baby stayed with them for a couple of weeks and for the first time Snowy was locked up in Garima's room for the benefit of the baby. Snowy was very understanding, not barking much and forgoing his usual fun games in the living room. Garima and Karan did play with Snowy but only in the confines of Garima's room. Snowy longed for a good game of chase in the park. And when they returned home after having dropped off Divya Aunty and her baby at the station, an excited Karan let out Snowy from the room. Within moments, Snowy sprinted out of the house, on to the street where a rash driver trampled her adorable little Snowy under the wheels of his monstrous SUV. She remembered how heartbroken she was that fateful day 10 years ago, just a helpless spectator. Karan and she had buried Snowy in the park wrapped in Snowy's favorite purple colored patch quilt. They had never spoken of another pet after that. And today as she saw that tiny puppy, memories of Snowy came back and she just rushed out of her room to knock at Karan's room. Both of them rushed out of the house into the downpour like kids who had just finished their last day of school. Snowy was coming back home...

This post is shared with 3WW and the words for this week are Helpless, Trample and Vigilant

Picture is from Google images

Crossover

Crossing made simple-

from anger to affection;

walk on bridge of smile.

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Rainbow lies yonder,

silicon valley beckons,

golden gate of dreams.

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This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is BRIDGE

Pictures are from Google images

On the run...

One of the many typical sights in the US of A for me has been seeing people out on a run at nearly all times of the day and even night. Some of them are plugged in to some music while others have a water bottle attached to their belt. Some run with their sunglasses on while some run wrapped in layers and layers of clothing irrespective of the weather. Another strange thing I have noticed is that people run in almost all weather conditions. Be it a sweltering hot day or a really chilly evening, run they will. And no its not just the fitness crazy new generation but even elder folk, men and women alike who are out on the run. So its age no bar, time no bar and weather no bar activity.

Of course hubby and me too are part of this "run of the mill" crowd now. For someone who hasn't really run much since high school,  if you discount the sprints to catch the bus that I saw fleeting past my stop it was very difficult to start with. In fact I could hardly run for a few hundred meters before my breath caught up with me. However with time and an unrelenting hubby behind me, my stamina seems to have increased and I can now jog for up to a mile before I feel I need to take a breather. Though running on the treadmill gives you the workout, nothing can beat the feeling of fresh air flooding your lungs as you stretch your legs. 

On weekends, we generally head to the nearby community park and jog around the play field there. The community parks here are a world of their own, more on them some other time for I don't want to digress now. While wintry months made us cherish the few minutes of warm sun as we ran, the onset of spring made us yearn for some shade. And so this weekend, we literally hit the roads or rather the footpaths along a road that boasts of scenic beauty. The last time we went that way, I could hardly run much and ended up walking for most part lagging behind my runner hubby. There is a railway track that runs in the valley where our running route is located. Hubby had seen a jackal near the bushes by the track on that occasion. This time I in my new improved avatar managed to run/jog up to the halfway mark of our running route albeit lagging behind slightly. With the spring having arrived now, our scenic route was simply splendid. It was a delight to run along a path where the air was rich with the scent of fresh pine interspersed with delicate fragrances of colorful springtime blossoms. There were even rows and rows of jasmine shrubs, slightly different from the kinds we find back in India but the fragrance was unmistakeable.

While I was busily indulging my senses with the lovely sights and smells, I saw that my hubby who was quite ahead of me had halted his run. Thinking that he was waiting for me to catch up, I quickened my run and joined him only to find him halting me and shushing me. Puzzled as I was, I could only stare in disbelief when he pointed to a slithery creature that lay ahead across our path. It was a snake with sandy-brown and greenish body, nearly 3 feet long, that had decided to stop by and say hello to us. It paused a while before coming out of the bushes completely onto the footpath. And then it raised its head oh so slightly trying to sense the air around it, raised its tail which I now noticed was like a carved toy and as if answering my doubt, the tail began shaking and gave out a rattling sound. We had bumped into a rattle-snake that had decided to take a midday stroll. Once it crossed over and slithered away into the bushes we cautiously resumed our run. The return from the halfway mark saw me running/walking my way back. I guess I still have a long way to go before I can say that I run. I am working on it. Unfortunately not carrying my phone meant I couldn't take any pictures of our surprise encounter. Nevertheless the run on the canyon road on that special sunday will remain etched forever in my memory.

Facing fears

Heart in mouth feeling;

admitting one's failings, faults -

true daredevilry.

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Braving queer, wild world;

voicing against violence -

Fears faced and conquered.

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This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is DAREDEVIL

 

April ode - part 3

Some more Haiku inspired by the  April A2Z heights challenge at Haikuheights.
The prompts of inspiration are : Morning mist, Nightingale, Owl, Pariah, Qutub minar, Rosemary and 
open prompt : Postage stamps

Start of a new day,

dreams of past night float around

as sun kisses earth.

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Bound in golden cage,

silent echoes resonate-

lost song of freedom.

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Burning midnight oil,

eyes radiant with wisdom,

owl awaits daybreak

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Colors accepted -

world with rose tinted glasses,

yet no place for gray.

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Kingdoms rise and fall

iron and stone stand silent,

time-worn spectators.

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Aromatic leaves

rooted in mythology

flavoring food, lives

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Sticky paper bits-

marked to travel far and wide

collector's delight.

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Pictures are from Google images

Whale ahoy!!

Having read Moby Dick in my schooldays and seen whales only on TV, I was like an excited schoolkid on the day we headed whale-watching. With my in-laws here on their maiden US visit, hubby and me had chalked out a long list of to-do's and the first item on our checklist was whale-watching. The giants of the aquatic world travel each year from the icy cold Alaska to the warm Californian waters during the winter on a familial journey. The females in the herd give birth to their calves and return with new-borns after they grow strong to their homeland in spring. San Diego is located in the migratory path thus offering us a chance to catch a glimpse of  these gentle giants. We were told that the best time for this would be mid January to late February but the whale-watching season is from December to April.

So there we were with the Sun shining bright on on a fine Saturday morning ready to board the aptly named cruise boat "Adventure Hornblower". Ours was a morning cruise and at 9am we were waiting in a long queue ready for a taste of  the ocean. The cruise departed at 9.30am and soon we could feel the cool breeze from the Pacific while we sat on the deck soaking ourselves in the sun and the spectacular view of the city skyline behind us and the cool blue ocean all around us. It was time for some marine-lingo. Starboard meant the right side and port referred to the left side as we sailed forward. The captain was pointing out key landmarks as we left the dock and entered the ocean waters. Most of them were military establishments, so we saw the hangar that housed tens of hornet jets.

First up we saw lots of floating pillars that were bobbing up and down in the ocean. The captain as if answering  our doubts announced that these were put up there for the convenience of sea-lions. Sure enough we spotted many groups of sea-lions getting their daily dose of vitamin-D atop these structures.




 Then we saw groups or should I say schools of tiny dolphins swimming alongside our boat. Now most of the passengers were excited about this sighting while the captain calmly announced that these were common dolphins and there were hordes of them out there and they could easily out-swim our cruise-boat at her top speed.

As we went farther from the land and into the ocean, the captain and his crew asked us to join them in trying to spot a whale. Now there were hundreds of eyes eager to be the ones to sight the giant mammal first. And we all rushed to the right side I mean the starboard when the captain shouted "to your 3'o-clock". Sure enough there it was in a distance, a huge shiny black body. We had spotted a fin-whale, the pic we managed to click does not do full justice to the mammoth marine mammal, but the whole experience was breathtaking. The captain first spotted the whale by observing its spout,  and then assuming that it will linger in the neighborhood for a while, our boat decided to do the same. And so after waiting for nearly 20 minutes we all got to see this whale surface and spout before disappearing into the ocean.

 

Thereafter it was time for us to head back to the dock with the hope of sighting some more magnificent marine life. On our way back we saw plenty of dolphins that kept diving around playfully and a couple of birds helping themselves to fresh lunch. As we neared the dock, we saw some more sea-lions grunting out their goodbyes. What we saw next was an active submarine of the US Navy. The captain of our boat radioed the submarine and conveyed his appreciation for their dedication and the work in safeguarding the interests of the nation.

  The 3 hour cruise was over and it was time for us to return from the cool blue ocean to the land that lay ahead of us. The skyline of the San Diego city was waiting to welcome us back from the whale watching tour. The tour typically offers sightings of  humpback whales, gray whales, fin whales sometimes even the largest mammal on the earth, the blue whale apart from bottle-nosed dolphins. It was definitely a very memorable cruise and a great start to the vacation :)

April ode - part 2

I know the title says april ode while the post is for May, but these Haiku are inspired by the  April A2Z heights challenge at Haikuheights. So I think its only fair that they be noted under "April ode"
The prompts of inspiration are : Grasshopper, Hunter, Incense, Jasmine, Koi pond, Lily, open prompt : Yoga

Still fiddling around,

(c)old lessons gone with the wind-

fabled grasshopper

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Mind's eye wide open 

heart throbs wildly, pace quickens-

hunting for lost love.

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Seeking divine help -

fervent prayers in fragrant smoke;
faith, hope swirl around.

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Scent of the heavens
silken soft petals unfold;
Behold jasmine bloom.

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Color riot breaks -
 glistening playground beckons,
delightful waters.

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Gracefully she smiles,
elegant and diva-like-
pristine white beauty.

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Ancient wisdom heals
soothes, strengthens frail mind, body-
timeless breath of life

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Pictures are from Google images