Tringg-Tringgggggg! Anna wriggled in bed hoping the ringing would stop. When she eventually answered, her maid was calling to inform she wouldn’t come to work, as rains had flooded her house. Sulking, Anna slid back under the duvet, wishing she also could stay in. Having moved to the city few months back, Anna lived alone and worked with an advertising firm. Unwillingly assisting colleague Mary on a presentation for high-revenue client Mr. John, Anna worked late and hardly managed a few winks. The fact that she wasn’t part of the …

I always feel sad when I see some poor dumb animal, or bird, lying in the road after being hit by a car or a lorry.
I am, sad to say, frequently harassed by the countless birds that sometimes seem intent on committing suicide as they glide across my path. In my case, I have room to maneuver as I don’t drive a car. I spend most of my traveling time on a bicycle, either shopping, riding over rough terrain or just plain racing along the county roads, chasing tractors and …

Watching Cartoon Network in his hall, Madan Razdan-an 8 year old boy was dreaming again. He called himself the biggest fan of Superman and aspired to be a superhero himself one day. The noise from outside did not distract him from watching his favorite cartoon. After all he was used to his home called KASHMIR- A place where militant group attacks and civil protests were not rare.
Madan was a normal Kashmiri kid. His cheeks as pink as native apples ,he went to school with his mom. His mom held him …

“Do you speak Spanish?”  Christina, the nursing home administrator asked at the end of the interview, as I was applying for a position as a social worker
“Yes, I do. That’s my native language.” I proudly replied.
“Great! We need help with a Hispanic resident. No one speaks Spanish here, and we have problems communicating with him.”
The exciting news was not only being offered the job, but also the mission of assisting José, the Hispanic resident.
Someone I can speak to in my native language, I mused.
I met José, a thin man in …

“I want to die!” the little boy told me, tears streaming in rivulets down his chubby cheeks.
It’s not often that children step into the path of an oncoming bike, holding out the palm of their hand as a traffic warden would.  Having been a Social Worker for several years, I thought he had run away from home after a hiding.
This was not the time to offer platitudes. I hugged him, and rummaged in my backpack to get him a tissue.  I also drew out a bottle of orange juice, which …

Summer vacation had been half way through by now. Just another month and all surrounding hills of their town would be desolate again. With all campgrounds empty, life would be boring again for 18-year old Ron.
So, Ron had just persuaded Erin to take a stroll into the Fairyvalley. Erin was only 15, but there was something about her. He couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but it was something mysterious. They were just chatting a bit when they took the path towards the valley. Erin found the situation quite exciting. She felt …

Ten year old Christina is again in a fight with a boy. He is winning hands down but then an unabated kick from Christina between the legs ends the fight instantly. She decides to go back home but not before making her daily stop to the mall, to stare at the little Guitar with a $25 price tag. Upon reaching home she peeps into her Brother James’s room. He was not in, but his personal diary was. She picks it up and opens the bookmarked page when James whacks her …

Rebecca’s first year of life was spent in the doting arms of her paternal grandparents as I went back to work.  How many pictures of Rebecca with her papaw playing, cooing, and smiling from ear to ear on his lap are immeasurable.  She talked more about her papaw than anybody else, he even taught her how to write her name when she got older.
When Rebecca was 4, at a family reunion, some cousins fiddling everything bluegrass introduced her to the violin and the music.  Soon she was mastering her own …

“Mom, where are you taking Solomon?” Kentray asked as his brown eyes filled with tears.
“Kentray, we’ve talked about this. You know Solomon is very sick. Every day it’s harder and harder for him to walk. He’s old, baby.”
Kentray threw his arms around his dog’s fluffy neck. “I can carry him! Or I can put him in the wagon when we go for walks. He’d like being pulled around.” Solomon licked Kentray’s face. “See?”
“No, baby. He needs to go. You don’t want your dog to be in pain, do you?”
Kentray gripped …