short story
-
Kris Kringle
There was a time when I drifted through the night sky in my sleigh, jubilant and possessed with a need to give. The children went to sleep on Christmas Eve with a smile on their faces because they knew I delivered what I promised year after year. Love beckoned me, and I chased her as… Continue reading
-
The Construct
We created The Construct in the year 2240 A.D. We cannot describe what it is because no amount of explanation will suffice. Nobody can see it, hear it, feel it, or even prove it exists, but it’s there. It took us almost a century to complete our work. We used the aid of psychologists, mathematicians,… Continue reading
-
Men of perdition
The clip found its way to YouTube, and my friends in college showed it to others on their phones as if it were a video of a back-heel nutmeg by Ronaldinho. I was guilty too, simply because I shared in the excitement. Many years later, it haunted me. He knelt, reading out something they’d forced… Continue reading
-
Humpty
Humpty sat in the refrigerator pondering and pondering, which is pretty much what eggs did. They were deep, existential thinkers, contemplating on good and evil, and the nature of man and man’s relationship to them. Humpty pondered on metaphysical things like the eternal yolk, the finitude of the shell and predestination. Why do some eggs… Continue reading
-
Closure
I met another version of him after three years: a different avatar. I wanted to meet him after reading one of his recently published poems. The tone of the piece showed a shift from his earlier work. His initial writing was effervescent, or like David’s psalms, began on a note of melancholia and then drifted… Continue reading
-
The clones
My friend Nathan works in biotechnology. He rarely speaks about his job, but four months ago, he asked me if I’d be interested in helping him with a project. I was a little reluctant at first, but eventually agreed. The project involved three clones of me. Now, I will not bore you with the details… Continue reading
-
The pugilist
I announced my retirement as a professional boxer today. I won fifty fights and lost only four, and my manager patted me on the back and said, “You should be proud of yourself, son. You owned this sport,” but I cried in the shower. I sobbed and screamed, “What a tragedy! What a fucking waste… Continue reading
-
Rambling
I was reading Thich Nhat Hanh this morning because Christianity never worked for me, and I can’t grasp the essence of Hinduism. I was reading his exposition of the four noble truths and the eightfold path. I was reading him because the positive existentialism of Viktor Frankl only gave me momentary catharsis, and nihilism is… Continue reading
-
I’ll be gone in the morning
He sits on the kitchen floor in the new apartment, holding a sharp knife. The refrigerator, sink, cabinets, and tube light indifferently look at him. They don’t care about what he’s about to do, but she does. She grabs the knife from his hands and backs away from his menacing stare. “This needs to stop!”… Continue reading
-
The Normans
We founded the Taproom of Norm a few years ago after watching the television show ‘Cheers.’ The character Norm encouraged us because he represented the quintessential, lovable loser. But our beliefs have changed over the years because some Normans decided on a more hardcore, puritanical approach. At first, we were reluctant to add to our… Continue reading
About Me
Ordinary Person is a guy who likes to write. He writes fiction, essays, poems and other stuff.