The Red Moon

Tarun let out of a sigh of frustration. He was late to his first class by ten minutes - he knew Prof. Nathan would not let him in, and there was no point trying and getting humiliated. Tarun was both happy and sad - he would not have to sit through the boring lecture, but he would have to catch up later. He went to the cafeteria and bought a cup of coffee, and decided to head to the kindergarten section, hoping to check up on his four-year-old sister, Sasha. He knew that his older sister, Diya, would be busy with her 11th-grade classes. Tarun was the middle child, now in 7th grade. He was happy with his status - he enjoyed the double-privilege of bossing around Sasha and being doted upon by Diya. Tarun, Diya and Sasha had loving parents. They were a typical middle-class family - but with an extraordinary secret. The secret was Little Sasha's superpower. She was born with indestructible digestion - she could eat anything, and her body would digest it, no problem. Tarun's ...

Maya stared down at the sheet of paper in front of her. There were more tear stains on it than words. She crumpled the sheet and threw it into the trash can and let out a frustrated scream, trying to let go of her angst in the process. Her father rushed in on hearing her cry. Maya looked at him with defeated eyes and said “I cannot, dad. I cannot write anymore. This is it. My career ends here.” Her father sat down next to her and held her until she quieted down.  Alan McLean had been her favourite author since childhood. It was his books that had opened up the world of reading to her. It was his books that had kept her awake at night. It was his books that had inspired her to become an author. Maya’s mother had died when she was young - she was an only child raised by her father. With her father often away at work, Maya had a lonely childhood. Reading and writing were her defence mechanisms to loneliness, and it had worked out quite well. She had grown into a successful autho...

Twenty-two hours of labour and the baby still hadn't come. Danny was anxiously pacing around, considering his options. He and Raila had not been able to agree on a name for their child. He repeatedly mulled over the options in his head. And that's when he heard Raila scream. The baby was out, he could hear the cries. Danny rushed into the delivery room and felt himself jump back in horror when he saw his offspring. Its eyes were red, as red as the blood in between his unconscious wife's legs. It was a girl, just as he had hoped. But it was one of them. Danny had not anticipated this. For a moment, he considered killing off the baby at the first chance he could get. But what would he tell Raila? That he had murdered her long-awaited baby? His baby? No, he could not do that. He decided that he would have to wait for Raila to regain consciousness. The world was populated with the Virtuites and the Malefites. The Virtuites were the ones with blue eyes. The good ones. The on...