Short Stories

In Kuzhali Manickavel’s imagining of the apocalypse giants fall from the sky, monsters emerge from the depths, and humans start scrapbooking the end times. This short story explores what happens when the world ends in slow motion, with a whimper rather than a bang, forewarned, heralded and entirely expected.

What comes after the end? In this short story by Michael Allen Rose, it is a frozen, lifeless, Sisyphean eternity, where two survivors are trapped in a vicious cycle of too little and just enough.

What happens when the voice that guides your every move goes silent without warning? Is it the end of the world or just a glitch? In this short story, Nandini Banerjee explores time, silence, surveillance, darkness, and the terror of making your own choices when you’re used to having none.

Sometimes the apocalypse happens while you’re not paying attention. In this story, Jeff Provine tells the story of one man’s experience the day a sudden microbial mutation changes the world.

Ashish Kothari shares his report from a unique gathering, the first in recent history, a meeting of South Asia’s rivers. This short story explores the trials and tribulations of the rivers, shedding light on the issues they face, individual and collective—from pollution and dams to humans warring over their waters.

In this short story, environmental writer & researcher Shrishtee Bajpai charts the course of the legendary Indus river. Written from an unique perspective, the piece explores the thoughts and stories tied to this water body, and the accompanying ecosystems. From the humans who journey alongside her to the many creatures who live within and beside her—the river has seen it all.