Once Upon Whatever

Short stories about ordinary people, strange situations, questionable conversations, and whatever else my brain decides to cook up.

  • Why Small Talk?

    Daniel has one simple assignment: talk to three strangers and get their numbers. For everyone else, it’s a social exercise. For him, it’s an unnecessarily complicated survival test. … More Why Small Talk?

  • Migraine.

    The migraine began near the starters. Not an actual migraine. Mrs. Verma. “Arjun! Long time. What are you doing these days?” “Same job. Still in Bangalore.” “Oh, nice. My son is in Canada now.” Arjun nodded. Nobody had asked where her son was, but Canada had apparently entered the conversation anyway. “Very good,” he said,…

  • The Alignment Meeting

    A quick call. Eight thousand rows. No logic. EOD. Rahul begins to suspect the pigeon outside his window has made better career choices. … More The Alignment Meeting