Poor Chicken

Seven billion years ago, they had switched on Deep Thought, the greatest computer that ever had been, and had asked him the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything. Deep Thought had told them that it would take him seven billion years to calculate it. Of course, seven billion years is a long time, but they had had no choice - Deep Thought was the greatest computer that ever was. (Of course, there was to be a better and a faster computer that would be designed later, but that is another story)

Today, was the day when the answer was due. Deep Thought slowly opened his greatest-computer-that-ever-was-ly eyes, and blinked.

"Do you have an answer?" They asked him.
Deep thought nodded silently.
"Tell us! Tell us the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything!"
There was an unnerving silence, followed by and unnerving whooshing of the wind, which continued till the unnerving silence resumed.
Deep Thought said one word, "Egg."

Hide and Seek

Sandeep ran into the garage desperately. Sheetal had already reached 84, all the others had disappeared, but he still hadn't found a hiding place. He pulled the garage door shut and turned to survey his surroundings.
The room was big, with a ceiling that seemed impossibly high. Giant cobwebs trailed from it, to the ground and swayed gently to an invisible draft. In the twilight, they looked vaguely threatening. The room smelled of dust and damp and the past. A dusty, cracked mirror reflected his face and the swaying cobwebs. The din from the roosting birds outside was suddenly silenced. Sandeep suddenly felt alone in the vast garage, filled with unwanted things. An invisible cricket chirped, making him jump. He couldn't see into the farther end of the room, it was bathed in shadows. He stared at it, fighting down panic. The next moment, he never knew if it was his own hyperactive imagination or something actually moved, but he wrenched open the door and ran our screaming. "Mummmyyy!"
Sheetal, who had reached 98, turned around in surprise.
All that evening, they danced around him, made clucking noises and called him "Chicken."

Chocolate-cake: Part VI

mama, chacha, sab tainat baithe. Honi toh ho hi gaya, cho' ghussa, hum sab usse pakadke laat ma'ne lage. Pados se bhi sab log aa gaye, au' woh lakdi bahut chilayee. Tab humne dekh ki cho' toh uska aashiq hai. Toh batao bacchon, cho' co late cake kya mila." "Aur tauji ko bhi laate khaake kucch nahin milega", kehte hue taiiji ne tauji ko maarte-maarte bacchon ko bhagaa di.

Chocolate-cake: Part V

Phi' nahin maana. Jald-hi usse pados ki ludki se ishq ho gaya. Abhi ludki ko sambhalne ke liye toh bahut paise lag jaawe, cahaan se laata. Ussi samay gaon mein cho'i hone lage. Kissi ko nahin pata tha ki cho' kaun tha. Ek din hum phasal bechke khoob saa'e paise leke aaye. Humme pata tha cho' ki gandi naza' hama'e gha' pe hi hogi. Sab so gaye, pa' hum, tumha'e

Chocolate-cake: Part IV

Jaise hi taiiji bacchon ko kaam ke liye bulayee, bacche pahunche tauji ke paas, "Tauji-tauji kahanee sunao". Tauji, bhi issi umeed mein ghante-bhar angrezi paper apne chehre ke samne pakde baithe the. Do secand mein tauji ho gaye shuru, "Bahut pehle bagal-waale gaon se ek launda aaya, iss gaon mein bassne. Toh humne bola kheti dekho, acchi aamdani hogi. Usne nahin ciya. Toh humne caha ducaan kholo.

Chocolate cake

Siphiwe and Haroon couldn't wait. Mother was making chocolate cake today. They had never eaten chocolate cake before; all they ever ate was dry corn bread sometimes.
The cake came tumbling out of the smoky fire, dark brown and crumbly.
The BBC reporter watched them as her photographer clicked away. Her article was on African families eating cakes made of mud, to stave off starvation.