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Short Stories




A Mere Mortal by Ramkumar Menon Tabor is old, helpless and all alone. He takes a journey through mystical paths and .... Read alo... [3,753 words]
Ed's Gift by Jeffrey (George) Winter An insignificant man imparts the truth of wisdom and peace. [1,308 words]
When I Lived In Sodom by Musau This is a story that tries to get under your skin but keeps you curious in spite of it. [2,472 words]
To Understand The True Meaning Of Meaning by Musau This is strictly for adult reading because of language and implicatio... [5,480 words]
Touchdowns, Dandelions, And The Hawk by Steven T Andy Clannons never wanted to go with his friend Sharon Hobaltz to one of ... [3,319 words]
You Are My Sunshine by Sue (Sooz) Simpson - [1,285 words]
White Icing by Sue (Sooz) Simpson - [1,385 words]
Until Tuesday by Alif Muhammad It is a work concerning a life that is altered completely by an event that reveals itself slowly ... [6,761 words]
Under The Whether by Sue (Sooz) Simpson - [1,626 words]
They Stole It From Me by Peter Izdebski A moment stolen; one which could have answered all that I needed to know; a moment which ... [960 words]
The Video Store Girl Part 1 by David MacDonald An employee at a video store meets a man who has different tastes in movies than sh... [3,786 words]
The Magic Mirror by Kurt Kitasaki A short story on the real priorities of athletes. [211 words]
The Joker by Sue (Sooz) Simpson - [2,032 words]
The Hour Of Its Birth Is The Hour Of Its Death... by Bruce E Losis Jr A short story... [667 words]
The Eleventh Child by Seventh Star Personal experiences from being the "baby" of a large family. [858 words]
Sunglasses by Fergus O'Ferguson The Sun can be hot. This might leave you feeling very cold. Sunglasses often help if your eyes are h... [3,311 words]
Scars On Scarlet by Andrea Diane Brown This is a short story I wrote on self mutilation. [804 words]
Part 4 Conclusion by David MacDonald The conclusion to The Video Store Girl. [3,679 words]
Part 3 by David MacDonald The Third part of The Video Store Girl. [2,934 words]
Part 2 by David MacDonald The Second part of The Video Store Girl. [3,994 words]
Once by Lawrence Peters For you. Always. [317 words]
Machines - A Short Short Tale by David B Doc Byron A freelance strongarm protects the tenants in his building. [499 words]
Life In Puerto Rico by Kelly McMonagle This is a short story about the three years I lived in Puerto Rico. [575 words]
Life Drawing by David MacDonald A woman, a model for a life drawing class, meets the man who drew her figure the best. [4,195 words]
Keep Your Enemies Close by Hope C Clarke - [3,437 words]
Handicapped - A Short Short Tale by David B Doc Byron An internet pornographer learns the errors of his ways. [554 words]
Ghost Town - Part Two by David B Doc Byron Lexxus Machine, the sorcerer who overlooks the ghost town, awaits the Darkman's arrival. [406 words]
Ghost Town - Part Three by David B Doc Byron Lexxus and the darkman finally meet on the streets of the ghost twon for the final show... [314 words]
Ghost Town - Part One by David B Doc Byron A futuristic bounty hunter seeks a legendary ghost town where a sorcerer supposedly can a... [527 words]
Genesis by B M Gerstenblith A symbolic parable, set in our time, meaningful throughout time, comtemplating the very end of time. [595 words]
Dinner Is Served by David B Doc Byron A small group of monsters gather at Dracula's castle for a Halloween dinner. [177 words]
Daynight by Adam Lear A world in which true destinies are unknown until just the right time. [4,128 words]
Darkness In Death And Dissolution by Norman A Rubin Retribution through the power of the judge of hell upon the act of murder. [2,447 words]
Contemplation by Musau This little story was written in rhyme over twenty years ago. Basically, the title sums it all u... [754 words]
Chipping Away The Truth by Jonathan McCullough I wrote this short story when I was supposed to be writing an essay for english. I woul... [1,217 words]
Bio Incubus by Michael S Upchurch A subterranean nightmare with catastrophic effects. [2,494 words]
A Tiny Mistake by Rachel V Hatch This is a funny, true story that actually happened to the author in her younger years. [205 words]
A Beautiful Thing by Ben Jonjak A girl picks a flower in a park despite her boyfriends objection and finds there is an unexpe... [996 words]
The Wildwood - A ''Short Short'' Tale. by David B Doc Byron After hundreds of years of being hunted for sport by man, wild animals p... [423 words]
The Red Moon - A ''Short Short'' Tale. by David B Doc Byron An ancient werewolf plans to plant hia seed in a new bloodline. [440 words]
No Good Bye by Rick Mantilla Just a story. [1,878 words]
Nasal Therapy by Michael S Upchurch Spooky story about a doctor's last day on the job. [1,657 words]
Interlude by Judith Goff Chance encounters can be dangerous.... [172 words]
Goldy's Last Goose by Gerald L Bosacker GOLDY’S LAST GOOSE (1666 Words) Bill Seeger sliced the home made bread carefully cutting... [1,681 words]
Gazabelle's Last Spell by J Brian Chamberlin Gazabelle is an aging wizard who finds he no longer fits in the new ways of the world. B... [7,691 words]
Belt A Fat Comedian by Gerald L Bosacker While attending the University of Minnesota, I was side-tracked from academics by economic ... [2,333 words]
A Sandy Surprise by Sara Burling A young girl in search of something she lost long ago. [807 words]
A Funny Memory by Jacqueline Anel Sheppard Chris gets stuck in a tree... how do his sisters pull him out? [639 words]
Soliloquy by Judith Goff A woman seeking love, finds more than she expected. [173 words]
Zipperhead by David B Doc Byron A woman attempts to hide the fact she has a son who's tastes in food tend to lean towards... uh... t... [2,186 words]
Watching And Waiting by Sue (Sooz) Simpson - [1,253 words]
Tusk by Sue (Sooz) Simpson - [1,012 words]
Tiny Pink Pills by Sunny Ain't life a bytch!!! [757 words]
The Weapon Of Hope by Jeffrey (George) Winter When all else fails, there is hope. Three short stories reveals where lies ours. [1,385 words]
The Sacred Cup by Francis James Chudley A short story set in a magical world the story revolves around our young hero Lippin. I wont tel... [5,513 words]
The Day Of The Sun by Kelly Allen Well, let's see. I swear I was possessed when I wrote this... this is not how I normally wri... [861 words]
The Day I Was Destined To Fly by Francis James Chudley This is the story which goes with the poem Casualty. It is an account of when I h... [1,185 words]
Swimming Lessons by Alan Johnson A short story about the life lessons I learned at swimming as a young boy and how I applied th... [1,131 words]
Strawman by David B Doc Byron A scarecrow comes to life and desires freedom. [960 words]
Slug Jam For Grown-Ups by Rowan Davies Jessica is a perfect, pretty fourteen year old girl. After years of over-protection from... [5,502 words]
Redemption Part Two by David B Doc Byron An ex-hitman grows a heart. [203 words]
Redemption Part Three by David B Doc Byron An ex-hitman reflects back on his past. [683 words]
Redemption Part Four by David B Doc Byron An ex-hitman recieves an offer he cant refuse. [345 words]
Redemption Part 0ne by David B Doc Byron A hitman looks back on his past to realize he possess's something he didnt knew he had; a h... [869 words]
Our Friend Steven by John J Yezman My story speaks of the special relationship of three Catholic elementary school friends set i... [3,268 words]
My Uncle Louie, The Goniff by Norman A Rubin A humourous piece of a man who finds hard luck in the committing of criminal acts. A... [1,847 words]
Milk by Robert Hansford Everyday life isn't often easy, especially when you have a drug addiction, even if it only milk. [376 words]
Memoirs From The Row by David B Doc Byron A man in prison awaiting death reflects back on the reason he was doing time. Killing. [1,241 words]
Meat by David B Doc Byron A man loses his grip on reality after a tragic accident. [704 words]
Losing Control by Alicia Jones A girl's struggle to gain control of her life. [4,070 words]
Jingle Bell by Sunny Even simple liquieds have adverse effects on this universe. [537 words]
Her Name Is ... by Austin Oghenekevwe Osoroh Leoman Valloway It is a story centred on the emotions of a crippled woman; it is a perspEctive into the mind se... [1,245 words]
Headshot by David B Doc Byron A drug crazed lunatic on the run from the law hides out inside a wax museum. [1,055 words]
Hannibal, Revisited by David B Doc Byron Hannibal Lector recieves a very surprising phone call from an old friend. [515 words]
Grandma's Garden by Ken Whan Childhood. [1,937 words]
Go To Sleep by Michael S Upchurch A man with amnesia struggles to retain his sanity in his surrealistic world. [3,120 words]
Freakazoid by David B Doc Byron a man with a grudge becomes unhinged and plans to get revenge on the people who exploited his deform... [301 words]
Frankenstien by David B Doc Byron Two hitmen are in the process of disposing of a body, when the tides are turned with a twist endin... [880 words]
Feverblues by David B Doc Byron A small group of people left after a holocaust find ''alternative'' ways to survive. [1,333 words]
End Of The Search
Dolls by David B Doc Byron Dolls in a toy store come to life under a witches spell and wreak havoc. [1,226 words]
Devronne (Sample Work) by Jacqueline Anel Sheppard Devronne is obsessed in obtaining his deceased wife's manor and nothing will get in his ... [2,814 words]
Devo-1959 by David B Doc Byron A man attempts to teach his robot how to drive a car. [835 words]
Champagne Secrets by Sassy Writer The story of two star crosses lovers enjoying an evening of passion and love. [953 words]
Bloody Retribution by Rowan Davies A man avenges the death of his father. [493 words]
Ant's Fortune by Michael S Upchurch Vacationers have a big problem with an ant covered fortune cookie [2,326 words]
Another Dead Weekend by David B Doc Byron A bored man wanders the streets of his hometown looking for a way to cure boredom. [509 words]
Abra Cadaver by David B Doc Byron an evil ventriloquist turns a man into wood. [874 words]

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TITLE (EDIT)
End Of The Search
DESCRIPTION
An Indian Boy. Lost Childhood. Search for the bygone days. The search was on. Is Ramu successful ?
[1,202 words]
TITLE KEYWORD
Relationships
AUTHOR
Ramkumar Menon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I feel that pen and paper are the most powerful medium of expression and emotion.

"A pen can draw a face ... It can draw the mind as well..."
[June 2006]
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
ramkumar.menon@gmail.com
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (8)
A Mere Mortal (Short Stories) Tabor is old, helpless and all alone. He takes a journey through mystical paths and .... Read along, and you will know. [3,753 words] [Suspense]
A Poem For You (Poetry) A Poem from a Lover to the Beloved [253 words] [Romance]
As I Reach Home On A Rainy Morning (Poetry) The warmth of my home felt on a rainy morning. [378 words]
Decent Proposal (Poetry) No time to wait. I Love You. [193 words] [Romance]
Ego (Essays) How Ego can affect you? How could you communicate to avoid ego clashes? [2,617 words] [Motivational]
Its A Dog's Life (Short Stories) This story is a poignant description of relationships between human beings. The idea is brought out through an animal which plays a primary role in the story. [1,830 words] [Relationships]
The Butterfly (Poetry) A small pome [ funny one ] that I wrote at the age of 9. [37 words]
Twilight Dreams (Essays) A Common Dream..... [539 words] [Fantasy]
End Of The Search
Ramkumar Menon

                                              
Ramu sat on the stone steps by the river. He wore nothing but a dhoti tightly worn around his hips. His collar bones stood out through his tanned brown skin. He kept a palm to his face, supporting it , as his face examined the fresh water that flowed in front of him, lavishly embracing the bottom steps that stretched into the river.

The bhakti songs from the temple were ringing in his ears. But he didnt seem to hear them at all, except for a sparrow's voice that seemed to rythmically repeat after certain lines of the song. He felt that it was yet another part of the music .

It was nearing dark. So the crowd in the temple was increasing. It was time for deepaaraadhana - an offering to the God in form of 'deepams' or lighted oil lamps. The temple air would then be enveloped by the smell of oil and the freshly lighted lamps, and ringing of the bells.

Ramu looked back . He could see women and young children in groups, carrying 'prasadams' (Offered to Devotees as Gods Blessings) on neatly cut banana leaves, talking and smiling to each other. Some of the elders' group of men sat together by the Banyan. Some of them puffed away bidis , while others were loudly talking away on the day to day issues in the panchayat.


Ramu felt lonely. After all, it had been 4 years now. 4 years of solitary life, 4 years of tears and fears. His achan and amma had gone somewhere, or to 'Kashi' as elder kunjoonjaamma would tell him.
"kuttye, they will be back some day", th elder lady eould console him as he would break into tears some times.

The tears gradually gave away to a kind of stubborn silence, when Ramu would slip away from the crowd, watching the families from far distance. His inner mind was still not ready to accept the fact that he would have to live without them for the rest of his life-- For that was the truth. They were dead. Dead as a rock. The river had washed them away into its depths long back.. And it was said two bodies were discovered 5 days later from 'chettappura' a place around 2 kms from here.
But ramu knew nothing of it. The bodies found a place in the municipality cemetery . Ramu's search was still in the run.

The drumbeats were audible at a short distance , as the 'thayambaka' beats reverberated in Ramu's ears and heart. He closed his eyes for a minute and tried recalling his better days. The days when achan would be back home from work, with a surprise snack every evening, while the smell of freshly prepared tea would be emanating from the kitchen. Achan would lift him high into the air, and swing him around, taking him for a trip around the world in his arms. Amma would soon join them, her saree smelling of firewood and sweat for all the hardwork in kitchen, and soon there would be a clebration of words as each of them talked about the events of the day. Ramu would relate his daily 'encounters' at the Govt LP School at 'Kottapparambu' ,and how he made friends with shyamu, with whom he had fought a few days back and had broken his newly bought watch give to him by his uncle from AbuDhabi. He would not forget to mention about 'Chaachi teacher' as he lovingly called her, for he was her favourite, and not a day wouild pass without her giving a daily dose of groundnut toffees to him. Amma would be a bit annoyed at the kitchen, for a month had passed since achan had promised her a new Gas stove. It was high time she got relieved from the smoke and dust.
Those were joyous days.


Three loud beats woke him up from the dreams , back into the conscious nightmare. The 'Tayambaka' had ended, the drummers were leaving. The Sun was now a thing of the past, as the dark skies had already made it surrender. The moon looked more like a field knife that day, as it stood silent at the conquest.

Ramu looked at the other bank of the river. It was isolated. It is ,and will be. For that was the place where the offerings and mortal remains of hundreds of souls amassed. The charred bones, the crushed hibiscuses and other add ins would be floating at its banks, holding onto each other. These were not what Ramu had seen , for he had never been there, but was the view related by Chandru the boatman, who used to run a boat service to the other bank till few years back. After the minister visited the temple, it gained popularity, and henceforth, devotees started pouring into the newly divinified temple for 'poojas' and 'karmas'. It was even said that the river had a history of the 'holy washing' of the corpses of hundred of soldiers who fought for their homeland against some other foriegn kingdom, which nobody ever knew the name of, or rather wished to know.

Somehow, Ramu felt different about the place. For it was always with him, when he was lonely. In its silence, it wept with him, felt for him, and consoled him . He felt that the other bank, with its sedate feel, and a solitary look was much better than the noisy bank on which he sat right now.

He looked back at the temple. It was almost isolated now. The last of the devotees were making their way towards their homes, where their families awaited them for dinner , and later some good sleep.

Hey Ramu, arent you going home? ' He heard a voice from behind.
It was 'Sivan thampuran', the temple poojari.
'If you dont mind, you can have some dinner with me. I have the nivedyam with me as well. ' He smiled, as he climbed down the steps , towards Ramu.

Ramu looked up, sayng nothing. He had staid quite for so long that his lips and toungues seemed to be tied up. He just raised his eyebrows to say something.

Sivan sat next to Ramu. He looked into his eyes. They were red and watery , but still resisted the outbreak of any tears. He placed his hand on Ramu's shoulder and waited for him to say something. But Ramu said nothing. He was looking at the other bank. Sivan stood up. Without saying a parting word, he left.
'Better leave the poor soul to himself' , he thought, as he too made his way home.

Ramu closed his eyes. All his past revolved around him. They seemed to swallow up his present and future. Sweat drops started trickling down his temple, as he found it had to control himself from breaking down.

Ramu stood up. ' No more tears, no more fears' , he thought to himself as he walked down. He wanted to get to the other bank. The temple, the drums, the people , all of them were so far from him. He no longer belonged to them. He sped his way down the steps. For he wanted to reach the other bank. His search had ended.....


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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2002 Ramkumar Menon
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
September 2002
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2145
 

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