Young Adult
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Voices in the Rain
Eira Sen Part 1: The Crackling The rain always came suddenly in her town, not like the timid drizzles that brushed over other places but like an argument with the sky itself. That evening, Tara was sitting cross-legged on the floor of her grandmother’s living room, tracing lines on her notebook when the storm struck.…
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Hashtag Hero
Ipsita Sharma One Kunal Malhotra sat at his cluttered study desk, a half-finished math assignment spread before him, the pages filled with doodles instead of equations. His hair was messy, his eyes half-closed, but the frustration boiling inside him refused to let him sleep. Tomorrow was another Monday—another week of endless homework, boring classes, and…
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The Midnight Cycle
Nikhil Varma 1 The night was hushed, the tech city’s towers glowing like watchful giants against the deep blue sky, when Vihaan Mehta quietly wheeled his bicycle out of the garage. The faint hum of air-conditioners and the occasional flicker of a neon sign were the only sounds breaking the silence. Vihaan, his mind heavy…
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Skyline Dreams
Niharika Gupta Chapter 1: Dreams Grounded Rohan Mehra sat cross-legged on the floor of his small Bangalore bedroom, his sketchbook balanced carefully on his knees. The hum of the ceiling fan above mingled with the faint noise of traffic from the streets outside, but he barely noticed; his world existed inside the fine pencil lines…
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Notes Between the Pages
Arunesh Roy The last bell at school had just rung when Ananya slipped through the crowded lanes of College Street, a place she often escaped to when the chatter of her classmates felt too sharp for her quiet thoughts. The street was alive with its usual symphony—hawkers calling out offers, the clatter of trams in…
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The Last Locker
Maya Kapoor The Key in the Notebook The day it happened was one of those sticky afternoons when the corridors of Crestwood High smelled faintly of chalk dust and disinfectant, and my hands were still ink-stained from the chemistry exam I had nearly failed. I remember because the bell had just rung, scattering students like…
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The Infinite Playlist of Ruhi Sen
Aanya Deshpande Part 1 – Rooftop Strings The city was heavy with heat that night, even though the monsoon had broken weeks ago. Ruhi Sen pushed open the creaky terrace door of their old two-storied house in Ballygunge, her guitar clutched tightly against her chest. Downstairs, her father’s voice still echoed from dinner, rising above…
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The Glass Horizon
Aaratrika Roy The evening the horizon cracked, the sea smelled like rusted coins and wet moss, and the sky wore the color of old bruises, and I stood on the seawall gripping my father’s compass like it might point me toward a version of myself that wasn’t stuck between everybody’s pity and my own silence;…
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The Secret Playlist of Juhu Beach
Sourav Moitra One Twilight always made Juhu Beach look like a painting someone had brushed in haste—the sky neither day nor night, streaked with orange fading into violet. The waves came and went with their tired rhythm, dragging along whispers of the city, mixing them with the smell of roasted corn and sea salt. Amid…
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Graffiti on the Metro Walls
Sayantan Bramha One The evening air in Kolkata’s metro station carried its usual blend of dust, damp concrete, and faint echoes of hurried footsteps. Soumya’s heart pounded as he stood with a spray can hidden inside his backpack, waiting for the crowd to thin. Riya leaned against a pillar, eyes sharp and excited, tapping her…
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The Last Bench Love
Mira Dutta Episode 1 – The First Bell The school bell rang with a shrill clang that sliced through the sleepy morning air of St. Paul’s Academy. It was the first day of the new academic session, and the classrooms smelled faintly of chalk dust, newly polished wooden desks, and the restless anticipation of students…
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Love, Chai, and WhatsApp
Amrita Pandey 1 It was late evening in Karol Bagh, the streets buzzing with the usual chaos of cycle rickshaws, honking cars, and the smell of samosas frying at the corner shop. Ananya Sharma sat at her study table, biology notes spread across her desk, highlighter uncapped but idle. Her phone buzzed with the familiar…