micro-fables

There was a time when I wrote fables. Not your usual fairy tale nice happy ending fairies and witty animal fables, but a different kind of stories. For a few personal reasons I have stopped writing them for now. There may come a time when I will want to indulge in short story snippets in the future and am pretty sure the day is not far, but that is not what I want to talk about.

In the meanwhile, back in 2009, I started doing this strange thing on Twitter called “fables” or since Twitter restricts characters, I called them, appropriately, ‘micro-fables’ . I enjoyed them immensely(as did many others who were kind enough to follow me there or write to me on my other blog). There was a challenge in creating a short sometimes cryptic, sometimes funny, and sometimes just plain crazy and sometimes quite hard hitting, 130 odd character stories. Little short bursts of words that carried some message for folks to read and enjoy. Like a snack bite. Just enough to chew on and the right size of mind time to occupy.

Reading through them, I realized how much fun it was, and am beginning to start them off again on Twitter, which I will be posting here, for prosperity.

I had all these from 2009 on my other blog, and am moving them here for awhile.

This is how I described my micro-fables:

Working on 132 characters (or less) filled stories that have at least one character, a beginning, a middle and an end. They could carry humor, wistfulness, angst, happiness, fun and even hope. They do write themselves in my head as and when they decide, so check back when you can and if you’d like.

May 2009

  1. A big exam tom. If she failed, she had 6 more months. If she passed, dad had an NRI groom ready. She decided to sleep some more. #fableabout 23 hours ago from web
  2. she performed. he walked out abruptly. she festered the whole evening. he really only had a bad case of the runs. #fable 10:40 AM May 27th from web
  3. He searched hard for birthday ideas. Knowing Ms knowitall couldn’t be surprised, he left her. At least she’d be shocked, he settled. #fable 7:59 PM May 26th from web
  4. He was always touching her hair, face, clothes, caressing, sometimes more firmly than necessary, polishing. She was a trophy wife. #fable 3:18 PM May 24th fromTwitterFon
  5. the list was growing larger by the minute. Pondering over them for a brief minute, she tossed it into the trash on her way to bed. #fable about 24 hours ago from web
  6. Slipping on his lucky pink boxers and secretly memorizing all the #cornypickuplines on his twitter feed. he was now ready to party. #fable 3:34 PM May 23rd from web
  7. every time he wanted the house cleaned, he would sit glued to the computer. In natural anger, she’d clean while cursing. He’d grin. #fable 7:43 AM May 23rd from web
  8. he didn’t buy a bottle of water outa spite. instead he paid more & bought coke. 10 tsps of sugar wasn’t gonna hurt his diabetic gene. #fable 7:28 AM May 22nd from web
  9. he shrugged his shoulder. she banged the door. it’s unfair that he created a louder clamor within her. senseless laws of physics. #fable 10:12 PM May 21st from web
  10. flowers in her hair. the heady scent a bare lace on the stench. some preferred their ashes in water, she was partial to jasmines. #fable6:20 AM May 20th from web
  11. They stood neatly, row after row. In order, making perfect sense. His voice shook the array, words now just letters scuttling away. #fable6:10 PM May 19th from web
  12. He read better than listened so she slipped it in her list. milk, eggs, kiss, tea, apples. the cashier’s lips were bruised all week. #fable 5:25 PM May 18th from web
  13. mom told her not to say much when there’s nothing to say & the one time, she chose her words, with thought, they had to be moderated. #fable 7:16 AM May 18th from web
  14. a suprise party in her honor. she was surprised. guests in turn were surprised by her announcement of the surprise baby due. #fable 11:24 PM May 16th from web
  15. She flirted with the gorgeous Italian in the crisp white shirt, he settled into his chair deeper. Now the damn flight was delayed. #fable 5:21 PM May 15th frommobile web
  16. He was thrifty, yet when he scribbled the words “Bye” on a post-it and stuck it on the mirror, she rejoiced. She enjoyed being right. #fable 11:47 PM May 14th from web
  17. if only you’d read the words the way she arranged them. Neat, in peaks and valleys, not flat. Like they don’t have any character. #fable 11:54 PM May 13thfrom web
  18. He snored and she tossed all night. Dawn broke, and he woke up refreshed though unfortunately, on the wrong side of the bed. Again. #fable 9:36 AM May 13th from web
  19. she licked her fingers one at a time. Digging deep into the icecream, smugly, she sucked on the drip, adding one fat cell at a time. 11:47 PM May 12th from web

June 2009

  1. Shuttles cross space and come back in one piece. Flights disappear off the radar. Little ironies of life.10:32 AM Jun 2nd from web
  2. Swedish wife nagged him daily about not getting enough sun. He bought her a one way tkt to Kolkota. Both lived happily ever after. #fable
  3. The mp3 player, then the digicam. Now the shiny lamp. His luck was changing & he used the genie to make everyone else see it too! #fable
  4. T-storms, tornadoes and a flash flood were brewing outside her window. Having thrown them all out, her mind was now calm. #fable
  5. The clips, pens, post-its incl colleague’s coffee mug packed in the box, she walked out the door. How dare he slurp loud! #fable
  6. Mojito: minty concoction of clear liquid capable of resurrecting senses. To be sipped slow or chances of the reverse happ is high.9:52 AM Jun 7th from web
  7. she sobbed on stage. everyone thought of her as a dedicated actress, living her character. stendhals’ syndrome was a boon all along. #fable
  8. foodies clamored for her recipes. a TV show was in the offing. her mil arrives. she settles for being a sous chef. #fable9:12 AM Jun 8th from web
  9. ..but I love u, she said, he panicked ‘i don’t want u to’. ‘How novel” she thot “like this charcoal ice cream am finishing!” #fable12:59 AM Jun 9th from web
  10. she had it with the gigglers & called them over. the noisy cricket team had a cheersquad at the grounds far away. she slept. #fable.7:18 AM Jun 9th from web
  11. the suspicious husband sat to listen to the bug he planted on his cheating wide & heard this: #fable – 
    http://tweetmic.com/p/os68v…
    12:32 PM Jun 9th from web
  12. She was a performer, by day & night. The mask came off with him, a breather. The sight scared him one day. The mask stays. #fable8:10 PM Jun 9th from web
  13. they still fought over silly things. mom blamed the teen hormones, while it really started with her waxing the daughter’s arm. #fable
  14. He took snaps, hauled stuff in and out and stood in the corner smiling. His daughter’s bday was grand. #fable.4:49 PM Jun 13th from web
  15. After watching ‘Taking of the Pelham’ she swore she was going to stick to moving above the ground. Subways were for the rats. #fable12:27 AM Jun 14th from web
  16. She tried unsuccessfully to cut lose the social networks suffocating her. It was easier to change her name instead. #fable6:32 PM Jun 14th from web
  17. All thought she had removed all traces and was free. CT scan. He was deeply lodged, inoperable & unaccessible. #iremember #fable1:16 PM Jun 15th from web
  18. The juggling of chores endlessly chafes even a bots joints. That’s how she got arthritis. At least the pain’s explicable. #fable8:46 AM Jun 21st from web
  19. The ones who make a diff, go in 3′s. I pooh-poohed it till the news came crushing Ed, Farrah and Michael within 24 hrs. #fable.6:09 PM Jun 25th from web
  20. her world was crumbling into pieces & all he could think about was his cell phone wasn’t charged. What if he had to call 911? #fable11:26 PM Jun 25th from web
  21. In the hallowed halls she stands, the ghosts of the past watch and applaud her. the living dead however couldn’t care less. #fable12:05 AM Jun 27th from web
  22. The words came crisp, filling bytes, the bite in them however was dull. She jumped with joy for not feeling much. #fable10:26 PM Jun 30th from web

***

July 2009

  1. entertaining extended family during holidays is like playing chess. a different game with each, at the same time. #fable11:05 PM Jul 5th from web
  2. greasepaint on her face, she waved “bye twitter”. they laughed at her solo act. only she knew, she was retiring for good. #fable6:29 PM Jul 9th from web
  3. Many voices hitting high decibels. Information, quips and buffoonery. On demand, anytime. Comfort in silence: missing. #fable8:29 AM Jul 18th from web
  4. She would’nt agree when sane. So when she ranted and screamed, he found his escape. It was a trick, she realized too late. #fable10:14 PM Jul 18th from web
  5. he nudges her from the bed. she mutters “what? it’s Sunday.” he says “in the world we live in, it’s Tuesday. work beckons” #fable3:33 PM Jul 21st from web
  6. ..and retail market comes to a full circle. #Zappos and #Amazon meet and the 24 in the middle get lost in the jungle. #fable7:17 PM Jul 22nd from web
  7. she stared at the num on the phone willing the thumb to touch it. It did and then her tongue was heavy as lead. #fable1:02 PM Jul 23rd from web
  8. “I can see thru the front you put on. we are going to be brave right? who knows, u may dance even better.”: he was right. always. #fable2:43 PM Jul 23rd from web
  9. not trusting her failing memory, she filled pages with an urgency. memories were all she had. like hell she’d give those up. #fable9:30 PM Jul 25th from web

***

August 2009

  1. Her blog, a page turner. He was on page 78 and just 2 years in. he didn’t know tho’ that the rest 35 could be crammed into1. #fable9:32 AM Aug 5th from web
  2. He said “it’s not u, it’s me” laughter poured all around. It was really her, not him.#fable
  3. The cage rattled and the twittering started. She thought: They must be chicken. He wrinkled his nose: A spring chicken! #fable8:29 AM Aug 14th from web
  4. loneliness was a state of mind. it was heavier with her presence next to him. letting go of her hand was a matter of time. #fable7:08 PM Aug 17th from web
  5. tweetotaler: one who keeps track of the number of tweets everyone else makes ;-) #fable 7:22 PM Aug 17th from web
  6. “it was online, never would I dream of meeting her!” He defended. Wife agreed. No girl in her right mind would. #itsnotcheating #fable7:22 PM Aug 24th from web
  7. seeing the fine culinary display the new husband beamed: “She loves me”. really tho’ she was just bored outa her mind! #fable23 minutes ago from web

 ***

…And a fresh start again now : July 2011

  1. a lineup. she couldn’t place his face. “but he’s been foll u for years”. “on twitter? How’d I know, the pro pics are stamp size #fable July 20th
  2. ‘I want to Plus you!’ she laughed. He refused on a tangent. She wanted to multiply their smiles infinitely. She now stood negated. #fable July 20th

 

 

 

 

 

 

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