For years I have lived in the bright and mischievous world of children’s stories, where imagination reigns, endings are gentle, and even the shadows carry a glimmer of hope. This collection of short stories for older people is different. My first attempt at writing for adults, and I must confess, I am nervous. My stories are not bound by a single theme or style. They are simply fragments of thought, born out of stray moments, quiet reflections, or sudden sparks that demanded to be written down.

There is no grand design here. Some pieces may make you pause others may leave you puzzled, and a few, I hope, will move you. They are eclectic, random, perhaps even unruly, but they are honest.

I have chosen to share these stories here, one at a time, with a few words about what set them in motion. That way, you can meet them as I once did, in their raw immediacy, unpolished by expectation.

If you find something of yourself in them, or if they stir even the smallest echo in you, then my nervousness will have been worth it.

I’d be delighted if you left a comment and shared what the stories made you think or feel.

Affectionately,

Dheera