At around 2 AM he was awoken by the sound of Shahidun’s sniveling cries on her prayer mat. As grating as it might have sounded, he felt grateful for it to have woken him up.

Here is a list of 5 short and swift books for fellow bookworms (people who would much rather stay in than socialise) to nestle in with on this Eid day. 

The youthful adventurers in the story spare no effort in unravelling a mystery that proves as elusive as the unyielding strands of jilapi, while also exploring deeper, sweeter themes such as friendship.

Reya looks out the window of the bus, the glint of sunlight falling across her oval face makes her olive skin shimmer.

This is the first time I let you in, but you’ve already made yourself at home. You are bumbling around in my kitchen, as though you have been making me tea for a lifetime.

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 11 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Resist

Set in 1979, this is a story of monsters—the ones who prey on the vulnerable, the ones that exploit our weaknesses, and the ones that we elevate to positions of power.

“Stop mocking me, Atif! I am telling you there is something here.” 

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 6 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Relief

The top selections in poetry, flash fiction and artwork for Day 5 of the Sehri Tales challenge; prompt: Deny

Umar stood in line with all the patience in the world. He could smell the anxiety and fear in the air. The room was filled with people once glorifying death and taking pride in solitude, now filled with panic in the face of reality.

Weaving the grand themes of politics and history, the book is a revelation into how the ordinary lives within a country are buffeted by constant changes.

The voices–the wails that had called me here–were emanating from these very graves. 

How do you think I feel every time I find you hovering over the door to my classroom? Like when you’re the only passenger riding up a lift, and then it suddenly stops.

The only way they chose to do this was probably written or imprinted in our genes–a wild frenzy of carnal expressions filled their faces.

Lighting struck everywhere. Amidst the enchanted woods, the howls of wolves echoed with a joyous "Awoo!".

We will chase after stringless kites, Down the road

The sudden appearance — and the equally sudden disappearance — of a middle-aged woman named Eli Kaizer, who claimed to be a time traveller, has caught the attention of not only our city, but the entire world.

That was the first time in my life I’d smelled charred meat. I could tell it was different from the kind you’re supposed to eat, and my mother had to hold me as I threw up violently on the side of the street.

Surveying the decorated wall now vibrantly alive with Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter characters, Sarah allowed herself a satisfied grin.