This is me praying that this was the very first page, not where the storyline ends ~ Enchanted. Ajabdeh woke up to the knock on her door. She sleepily checked the vintage clock on the wall showing half past six, as she sat up to see the scattered half-packed things on the floor of her room. Ajabdeh grunted, removing the messy locks of hair falling on her face. She must have fallen asleep in the middle of packing, and now her shoulder hurts. The knock was louder as she staggered across the room and half opened the door to see the housekeeper standing there. “What is it?” She must have sounded displeased because the housekeeper stammered as she explained that the village Pradhan’s wife and a few other women were there to see her. She frowned, clueless as to what she could be needed for by these women. She instructed the housekeeper to keep them waiting as she hurried through her morning routine, put on a decent Kurti from the unpacked bunch and stepped into the living room whe...
“I wounded the good, and I trusted the wicked.” Daylight The sudden downpour prompted Ajabdeh to open the windows of her room as she smelled the petrichor and watched the leaves rustle in a dance in the torrential rain. It was a Sunday morning, and it would be two more days in Sarangpura. She was proud of how she conducted herself through these weeks. She was cordial and cold at the same time. She had considered everyone’s opinion and made some tough decisions. Just like leaders are supposed to. Although Pratap disagreed with her stance on hiring the Mishras, he respected her final call as boss. Something in that felt empowering to Ajabdeh. Although they had declined the offer from the Mishras for a Sunday brunch, they met the couple for coffee on Saturday evening. They even managed to co-exist without killing each other. This can work… Ajabdeh was confident of the bright future of the enterprise. A sudden change of wind direction snapped her out of her thoughts as she quickly cl...
“Life is a willow, and it bends right to your wind, they count me out time and time again…” ~ Willow. Pratap stared at the torn and wrinkled page taken out of a notepad that had scribbles from different pens on it. It seemed like an old list of books, ones Ajabdeh read and liked. He could not help but get curious. Was Ajabdeh making a list for him all this while? He knew asking her would result in animosity; even if she was doing that, she would never accept it. But a part of him felt happy that she did keep making her list. Another part of him was guilty that he did not. He cleared his throat, staring at the woman across the table in the library, going through his hurriedly made list. The evening breeze was cool, and that had prompted Ajabdeh to open the large windows beside which they sat. The tree outside rustled in the wind, and the only sound inside the room was that of the multiple whirling fans. “Umm… I was not able to read much while I was away…” He tried to sound as norma...
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Last updated: February 4, 2026.
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