Published on May 14, 2026

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THE LAST DAY

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date May 14, 2026

THE LAST DAY

The world as we knew it had come to an end.

There was a huge blow of dust that smacked into my face, in the middle of a dry field. The war zone. I held my rival’s collar in the air as I removed the knife from his back and tossed him onto the uneven, fallow ground. There was a grunt of pain, and even though I couldn’t see with the dust in my eye, I knew it was my enemy’s. After so many years of friendship and fighting, I felt he deserved a few last words.

“If only you had joined me from the start, we would’ve made a marvellous team, and all this would’ve never happened.” I gestured out to the large extent of a deserted field filled with bodies of dead soldiers.

“I- I-” He stammered as blood reached his lips and he was coughing.

I continued to speak.

“Look around you. There’s nothing you can do or save now. This is what you get for the pain you caused me. I took everything from you just like you took everything from me! The villain never wins right? Well, it seems you’ve failed this time.”

I could only see red now and my eyes burned, but even in his final moments, I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me distressed.

“You thought you could be the hero?”

“For- for a while,” He finally wheezed out,

“For a while, I thought you could be”.

It seemed as though he put all his energy into saying those 8 words, because now, he was dead.

The hero was dead. And I felt no remorse. There was a certain calm in the air.

I had won. My breath slowed down in relief.

It would all be worth it.

I looked around the war zone, the sweltering heat blazed down on all the destruction I had caused. All for what? I remembered the reason why I fought and started to run, to find her.

I reached the cave after what seemed like forever. The dust in my eye was replaced with sweat, running down my forehead. There was no one in the cave. Panic ensued as I looked around in search of my daughter. My only living kin. A decision was made for her safety that she would stay here, as I finished things off in the final stage of the battle.

Horror overcame me at the thought that I might lose her. I ran around in a frantic state.

The sun remained hot and the soldiers remained dead. I spent the whole day looking, until finally I came upon a stream. When I reached close to it, the stream appeared red. Blood red. Looking at the source of the stream, I rushed to my daughter. I kept her in my embrace as the sun set, ending the last day of my life. Her midriff bled as I wept on her injuries, in hope of them healing from my tears of guilt and regret. Her eyes were open and they wouldn’t close, as if she knew her death was untimely. There were scars on my body from the years of fighting but no scar cut deeper than this. I fought till the end of mankind,abused by power, all for her. Now, nothing else mattered except for the lifeless child I held in my arms. Thousands of soldiers had died in my hands, but my daughter is the only one I am accountable for. Humanity has fallen, yet I cry only for one death. None of this was required for our safety. I pursued immorality for my victory.

And yet, I was never the villain until now. I finally realised what I had done.

The world as I knew it, had come to an end.

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Boy

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date May 14, 2026

Boy

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

– George Santayana

It looked as if he were just moving into the flat. It was empty and free of furniture. In reality, he was leaving. There were several cardboard boxes placed precariously on a table, and in front of it stood Boy. Yes, he was commonly accepted as ‘Boy’, as no one bothered to remember his origin, or remember him at all. The only people who did visit his house everyday were the locals, who had come just to tell him and all his neighbours to make a move, followed by everyone’s confusion. He was a fresh-water-sailor in living alone and this was the first time that his life, or his country, had thrown such a calamity upon him, so expected as if an act of god.He had moved into a room shack, and now it had half a room and a large pile of bricks. A truly agonizing moment every hour, where the people of power and official word, fought for revenge like a game. The same guns which the poor thought as fortune and rare metal, were the regular household utensils for these people. Of course there were the people who weren’t involved in the turmoil, and didn’t want to be part, but as we know – whatever the uppers do, the lower ones will be part of it, at any cost. More than 80% of the population at the time, consisted of the peasants. Two months into the conflict, this was reduced to 30%.

But this didn’t matter, because yet with some of the poor alive currently, no difference was made in the perspective of the people who steered the world. I didn’t blame them. No one did. A country which fights first, has to be fought back at, during war, regardless of the setbacks and killings. The satisfaction of the people meant everything.

This is where the story of Boy comes in. But the difference was that he was seven, and had no idea about what a war was due to uneducation, but exactly knew how it felt. That day was his last day to evacuate, as the mk80 bomb series was being tested there. The military had chosen this area as perfect for this for the preparation of war, as the life meter showed the number ‘0’. No human life and no animal life (which they had ended in the previous testing). Of course there was Boy and a couple of his neighbours, but they didn’t count as their death wouldn’t leave a mark. Boy had no coherent plans. A half baked plan after another. It wasn’t until midnight, when he was on his move. He passed the abandoned and barren land where he had been living for all his life, and was very sad. But he didn’t really have a choice. He walked over several broken bricks and tiles, and came across several markings. He heard the sound of thunder. The blasting fire of the gigantic jets flying towards his direction! It was too late, and he started to run. He was deafened by the sound and eventually fell hard to the ground, tripping on a wire. He didn’t have any energy to get himself back up. There was pitch black everywhere and soon the world collapsed around him.

Back at the National Army centre, the reports were good! All of the newly launched mk80 bombs were working perfectly fine and people were clapping. It was even in the news that day and you probably went through it, proudly. Their country had finally reached the position of strong army, and that’s all that matters.

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Perfect

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date May 14, 2026

Perfect

There was a café on the beachside. He was fixated on the water.

“Ohh? You’ve never met anymore more beautiful?”

He hesitated, “Nope.”

“That hitch says otherwise.”

“Okay there was one girl…”

“Talking about another girl on a date? How cruel.”

“C’mon Bella, you brought it up!”

“I’m kidding dummy!”

She took a sip.

“Why orange juice?”

“Yeah, anything wrong with it? Or did that ‘one girl’ do something more hardcore?”

Her words irritated him.

“Ignoring the fruitphobic tendencies…tell me ‘bout her.”

“About who?”

“About that ‘one girl’”

What would he even tell her? No. The better question was how much would she even understand?

“I met her on a beach just like this one…” And she was beautiful.Her dark hair had flown in the wind, her green eyes called to him in a sweet lullaby.

That girl, oh she was perfect.

He turned his head to see Bella but she wasn’t there anymore there was someone sitting on it though, swinging her legs. He had look down to see her pout. She looked exactly like Bella.

“You promised coffee!”

“Coffee? You’re just a kid.”

“C’monnnn!”

“Absolutely not.”

She winced, then her face lit up, probably with an idea he would hate, “I’ll tell mama..”

“What?”

“I’ll tell her!”

“You’ll tell what to your mama?”

“That you were talking about ‘that girl’ again.”

“WH-! Ugh! Fine!”

Some battles are simply unsurmountable. He plopped the cup on the table.

“This is low caffeine!”

“Deal with it.”

“Ughhh! Fine..It’s still coffee I guess. Thanks.”She took fast, hasty sips, “You were saying?”

“What now?”

“about that girl…”

“That girl…”

He had met her at the most tumultuous time of his life. And she was here. On a beach like this one, carefree and enjoying her days.

Their eyes had met briefly and it was electric. The way she smiled, her hair that threatened to cover her beautiful face.

She really was perfect.

Then with a click of a glass his attention was once again diverted. It was annoying, obviously. He had to scold that little girl or- “You were saying?”

A young woman sat in front of him. She was swirling a glass of wine. “Geez, what are you teaching her now?” A familiar voice called out to him, “Talking about nonsense again, you never grow out of it.”

It was Bella. Her face was different though, she looked…older. He reached for the mug on the table to divert himself, but stopped at the sight. There was a ring on his finger, and his hands…

They were wrinkled. His entire face was.“And look here when I’m talking to you! Won’t you even apologize?”

He finally met her eyes, “Sorry ‘bout that.” Were his only words.

Silence.

The haughtiness evaporated.

A calamity took hold of her. There was a long pause followed by a choke, then the tears didn’t stop.

“You finally paid attention to me… ”

He froze.

He wasn’t prepared for this. The second he talked to her, and this happens. He didn’t plan on making sweet talk; besides, the young woman was already embracing Bella.

He stood up and rushed out of there. They would handle it themselves.

He ran to the beach. The winds blowing like it had on that day. The sun kissing his face like it had lit hers.Yet, there was no one there.

All except a single woman. She had dark hair that flowed in the wind and green eyes that still called out to him like a lullaby.

She turned to him, flaunting her summer dress and sticking her tongue out.

She had not a single imperfection on her face. Not a single wrinkle.

She looked exactly the same as she had on that day.

She was perfect.

But that was the problem, wasn’t it?

She was still perfect.

Too perfect.

For she wasn’t real in the first place.

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Wonder

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date May 14, 2026

Wonder

I wonder every day, if I can time travel? Go to space? What not?

Turns out I am not the only one. Are you out there too? Thinking about the same?

Wondering?

You know the feeling, the instinct, that something is happening…Going to happen?

I had that too…sadly, on a good sunny Sunday morning.

The whole day just went around by me, being worried, scared, precautioned, observative and all the other intense words I have learnt in my English class.

The night time is the worst when you have such a feeling. Anyways, I get ready to sleep after praying to God (a little extra that day) and its 2:12 am and I feel someone is staring at me. I open my eyes and something weird is there. My heart, my brain everything stopped working for a second with idiocy. I screamed so loud. The creature turns on the light and it’s my sister. Wow!

After a lot of fighting with each other I finally got ready to sleep again but the weird feeling just doesn’t leave me. I felt like someone was staring at me again and I open my eyes and again someone’s there. I assume it’s my sister again, throw a pillow at her and turn the other ways and see my sister in the bed next to mine.

So, who was that??

I was really sleepy to think about who or what it was so, I slept…

But I regret it now because I got a dream, just that, not exactly of me…It was like watching through the eyes of someone else… I don’t know whose eyes was I seeing through because I felt short (really short), confused and weird.

I started getting the dreams every day. The place is like earth but weird and better.

Greener, I guess.

I will be very honest. I liked the dreams. Sometimes I’m sleeping on grass and seeing the starry night, sometimes I’m in a field full of different flowers, sometimes I’m having fruits…I don’t know…The world just felt peaceful and better when I was asleep, dreaming.

I started wondering about it every day. One night though, the dream was scary. It was all dark. I felt scared and then I get hit by a pillow thrown by me.

I did not sleep that night. That’s kind of obvious.

It’s been a month and I didn’t forget about it, and, I did not have weird dreams, nothing.

Then on a sunny day, I came across a book in my library on loopholes in the galaxywhere people can travel from different time periods and places. There was also a paper with the steps to make a loophole machine written. I obviously wanted to make it and come to know how did I see myself in the dream? What happened that night?

It took me an entire month to make it and thankfully my father helped me with it although he really did not believe it. It didn’t work as he said but I really wanted to time travel!! I checked the machine again and again…tried to do random stuffs and I don’t know.

The next day, somehow the machines lights were on. It was working!! I got ready and I went to see what happened that night, whether it was actually me seeing me. Turned out, it was the time travelling me who was hit by the pillow. The dreams, still a mystery.

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𝖲𝗉𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date May 14, 2026

Spellbound

I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.

– Emily Dickinson

It was a warm autumn evening in Edinburgh, one that reminded Ruelle of the older days.

She wrapped her scarf tight and left her cabin. A gust of wind whirled in her face, making her shudder. The book in her hands was as heavy as lead. She clutched it firmly, her fingers digging into the leather binds. Ruelle bit her lip, her mind running, her pulse racing. She shook her head, staring at the trail ahead of her in a feeble attempt to clear her mind.

A few minutes later she was surrounded by what felt like a thousand trees, leaves fluttering and swaying before falling leisurely towards the ground, reminding her of the serene sentiment of snow. Rue inhaled the sweet, crisp scent of autumn air and admired the reds and oranges of mid-November around her. She tucked her hair behind her ears, smiling when a maple leaf pitched itself on her head.

Her thoughts faded out to whispers as she stood in front of a magnificent library, eyes widening at its glory. A large, woodlike structure with two tall towers on opposite ends, long strings of pale yellow lights hung loosely around the pillars. Its embrace looked mystic and melodious. A slight fog clouding the windows blurred the colours of the books indoors.

Rue took a tentative step towards the cottage as the vast sea of leaves crunched under her boots. She gazed at her reflection in the door, at the piercing green eyes staring back at her. They resembled the fresh green grass of a meadow. Not unlike the first breath of spring after a harsh, bitter winter.

She shook her head and creaked open the wooden door.

Ruelle held her breath, the sweet, aromatic smell of sandalwood and old books making her head spin. A small chandelier hung low from the ceiling and delicate, enthralling lamps lit the rest of the bookstore, luminous and dreamlike. Intricately carved bookshelves stood in long rows across the room, alluring, like a spell.

The tainted sound of leaves whistling and wind blowing harshly made way to comfortable silence as Rue shut the door behind her. Faint traces of ancient dust in the air landed on her lips. Her breath caught in her throat and she trembled slightly. Was it from the wind? She hesitantly grabbed a book off one of the shelves, an emerald green hardcover, fragments lined with gold. A fading page slipped out of the binding. Ruelle blew on the book, coughing when a layer of dust soared up in the air. She opened it to a random page and a line of text caught her eye.

“‘How can you not the language of poetry.’” know the arts if you are them itself?’ he exclaimed.

‘Our souls, you see, speak’

Ruelle read the words over and over. Until she felt a dim spark in her heart. Her eyes gleamed in the moonlight and she gave a slight smile. Rue turned the book to the first page and began reading. She read until her breathing slowed. Until her heart stopped pacing.

Until she couldn’t remember time and memory and everything except the enchanting stillness of words and pages and the minutes fading away as quickly as they’d come by.

Outdoors, dawn swept over the burgh like a warm blanket coaxing a young child to sleep.

The sky sparkling with a million stars, winking down at passers by. And as Ruelle sat on her chair, knees close to her chest, gazing into the night sky, she realised she had found home in a place she never expected. She was spellbound by literary captivation.