Ultra-Short Story

 He trembled in his heart, and called after years.

She said with quivering voice: "wrong number"

Abbu

"Abbu aap 20 baras hum se dur america main rahe, aap ko kubhi hum yaad na aaye"

"Beta yaad to har lamhe aaye magar tum logon ki kafalat ki zimmadari thi. Tum sab ki achhi taalim ke liye ye zaroori tha - aur wese bhi betiyon ka to baRa bojh hota hai"

"Magar abbu, baap ke us haat ki shafqat hum kahan se laate, jo chup chap bhi sir pe rukh diya jaaye, to aulad main saare zamane se laRne ka aik hosla aa jaata hai".

A short story

 A story we witness every day around us.

On "wapas aana"

"Aesa kiya huwa ke aik dam se barah baras ki judaii (separation) yun khatam ho gai"?

"Bus jab us ne phone pe thaki hui awaz main ye kaha ke - bohat thak gaya hun, wapas aana chahta hun - to barah baras ki saari nafrataiN, kadurataiN aur shikayataiN aik dam se dam toR gaiN.
Tum aksar kehte ho na ke - ' Har kisi ko zindagi main aik van-vaas kaatna paRta hai' - bas yun samjho mera van-vaas 12 baras ka tha"!

On ultra-short stories

"Agar bachpan ka woh waqt phir se laut aaye jab hum jungle main jaya kerte the to kiya karoge?"

"Main bapu ki kaati hui lakRian phir jungle main bhool aaun ga"!

9 lafzon ki kahani

Queen

"King or Castle?"
"Queen!"

Race

"Tum ne class ki aakhri bench pe bethne wale us laRke ko to dekha hoga, jo zindagi ki race main sab se aage nikal jaata hai - or phir aik din use aehsaas hota hai - ke kahin koi galati ho gai hai"!

Wrong Number

Someone emailed me following ultra-short story, after reading our previous musing on it here (with request to keep it anonymous

"Wrong number", Said a familiar voice.

On 'Ultra-short stories' - 2

On one of my previous post on 'ultra-short stories', (here) someone left a short but a powerful comment

~ my two words story "she lived"  ~

On 'ultra-short' stories

I developed interest in writing or reading 'ultrashort stories' when our tenth grade teacher gave us an assignment to write a "three words story" after giving introduction of allegedly six words story of Ernest Hemingway  - "For sale: baby shoes, never worn"  (there is a controversy about his authorship).  I remember my story was: "Main Insaan hun" (I'm a Human). Somebody forwarded this ultrashort story to me, and I loved it.

Wajah

Koi to wajah rahi hogi - ke woh shaks apna sab kuch chor ker - yunhi ghar se nikal gaya!

Hum-bister

Kuch log aik jumle main saari kahani bayan ker jaate hain. Jub Mazhar ki talaq hui aur aik din main ne us se poocha ke nachaaki ki bunyaadi wajah kiya thi to us ne jawab diya: "Jub mian biwi ke bister alag ho jaayain to ghar bhi saath nahi rehte" !

My 2 friends and Pakistan

Shahzeb don't want to go back to Pakistan because - he is from high elite class of Pakistan and did most of his school and college in Europe and USA and 'prefer' to stay in his comfort zone.

Aqeel don't want to go back to Pakistan because - he is from lower middle class of Pakistan, raised in slums of Karachi and 'prefer' not to go back to same poverty stricken land.

Baap

Kamine bete ke liye

aik 75 baras ki umar ke baap ko 

uth ker muaafi maangi pari

Perdes

"Kitne baras se hain aap yahan US main"

"Koi Chalees (40) baras ho gaye beta"

"Lagta hai aap ko america khub raas aaya hai. Aalishan ghar, lexus gari, adab kerne wali samjhdar aulad - yahan ki behtreen universities main -, din dugni raat chugni taraqqi kerta karobar, achhi sehat.. aakhir koi dukh bhi hai aap ko?"

"Beta pardes se bhi baRh ker koi dukh hota hai kiya! Ye sub kuch to aese hota hai jese baanjh zameen pe matti ka ranga rang gharonda".

12 kids

12 kids participated in the quiz. 

All did well so prize was given by lottery to one kid. 

11 kids lost faith to their hard work!

My Man

He was dying from terminal cancer. His wife was on his deathbed. She had tears in her eyes. She looked with sympathy at her husband, and he said sternly, "Don't you give that look to me."

She put her head on my shoulder when he died and said: "My man died"!!

*

Waitress Mom

Friends wonder about my heavy tip to that waitress in a Thai restaurant.

She came from Thailand to the USA five years ago. Both husband and wife work hard to ensure their kids get the best of America's education. They are sending their four kids (read again, 4) to the city's prime suburb private school, where each child costs at least a thousand dollars a month. They drive old cars and live in tiny rented houses to ensure their kids get the best education.

*

sonya ki kahani

Koi saari zindagi girta parta hai magar iman aur sirate mustaqeem ki daulat nahi milti. Aur kuch khushnaseeb sonya jese hote hain ke 21 baras ki jawani main hi, dayare gair main rehte, angrezi bolte, jeans pehnte, dukhon ke pahar jelte - us allah ke ho jaate hain. Sonya aur rabia basri main koi ziyada faraq thori hoga !