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A warrior tells a fellow traveller his code. Reading time: 4 minutes. The Warrior Code The winds were strong outside this wooden shack of a tavern half covered in snow in the middle of nowhere. Those few people in it were trying to find warmth and refuge in the arms of good old moonshine. The storm was raging outside like a snow breathing dragon. It would not take moments to kill a fully grown man out there. And yet, there was a knock on the door. The owner opened the door to introduce this huge man covered in fur and reintroduce the cold chilly killer winds. Everyone shuddered and hollered at the owner to shut the damn door. The huge man shook the snow off his shoulders and walked to the bar. The owner put a glassful in front of him, which he gulped down in a single go and asked for a refill. The owner complied and went off to serve others. The man then took off the fur coat to reveal a long heavy sword tied to his waist, resting in its sheath. The sword of this warrior grabbed

A couple’s horrifying and yet unique camping experience. Reading time: 5 minutes. A Unique Camping Experience My girlfriend and I wanted to spend the weekend together, so we went to this beautiful camping site in the forest. We had set up our camp nicely by the sunset on an enchanting Friday evening. We also met other groups who had come there for the same experience. We lit a nice cosy bonfire, and I cooked our food on it that we had packed. We had switched off our phones, so we didn't have quite an idea of the time. We were just gazing at the stars in a beautiful, moonless night sky. We stayed outside the tent for hours, but then it got dreadfully quiet, so we went in. It was definitely past midnight because there were literally no sounds of the other campers. They must’ve gone to sleep by then. All we could hear were night bugs and slow winds. We were cuddling, trying to go to sleep when we heard it. “HELP!” We both sat upright, alerted, and listening; it was a blood-cur

A man meets an eccentric man on his way back home from the office, and he has what can only be called a mythical night. Reading time: 7 minutes. A Mythical Night There was something different about that night, something magical. John was on his way back home from work. He got off the bus and strolled towards his building. It was about half a mile from the bus stop. He was in his mind, probably humming a song when he bumped into this gentleman. “Oh, I’m sorry,” John apologised. “I didn’t see you there.” “It’s not your fault,” the gentleman clarified. “How could you have seen me? I’ve just arrived here.” “Okay, um—have a nice evening.” John started to leave, but the gentleman crossed his path. John got a little worried. “Excuse me, uh, Mr...?” “You can call me John.” "Oh, okay, nice to meet you, John," the gentleman shook John's hand. "My name is—well, I have many names, but you can call me Adam.” "Okay, can I help you, Adam?" “Yeah, I was just won

A nine-year-old kid learns to lie and eventually becomes the true god of lies. Reading time: 7 minutes. The God of Lies “Dad, why did you lie to them?" the kid asked innocently. The father did not know what to say. It's pretty hard to make a nine-year-old kid understand why you called in sick at work when you are perfectly up and running. “You see, champ, daddy wants some rest today, so he could work double tomorrow. If you see it that way, it’s a good lie. And, you get to spend all day with me.” The kid did not ask another question; He was trying to grasp the concept of a good lie. Poor kid would spend his entire childhood figuring this out. He would not get it until the day he would lie, himself, for the first time. The kid came back from school. It was a couple of weeks later. His mother asked him, “Did you finish your lunch, sweety?” He opened his mouth to say ‘no’, but what came out was, "Yes, mom." That was the moment. He learned that if lying can keep h

The first chapter of a space fantasy series, introducing the lead character Avadhaan. Reading time: 15 minutes. The Chronicles of Globozuria Chapter One - Avadhaan 1. He was walking on land that once was a paradise. Now, it was just smoke and dust. He was dragging his half-alive caricature amongst the echoes of death and destruction. This was once his hometown; he had grown up here. Now, there was nothing left but the ashes of his childhood. It had been long since the war ended, but nothing had changed. The soldier's army had surrendered, but the chieftain of the enemy army assumed command of the entire planet and ordered the survivors to be executed. He had been on the run ever since. The soldiers of the supreme leader had been looking everywhere for survivors. They had deployed killer droids. He and his comrades were hunted like wild animals to be killed on sight. While they were forced to run and hide, the innocent citizens were crushed under the supreme leader’s tyra

A series of paranormal sights and experiences at a boys' hostel, where my friend stayed. Reading time: 5 minutes. The Hauntings at a Boys’ Hostel My childhood friend went to get his diploma in electronics engineering. His dormitory was far out in the middle of nowhere. There were a few shops maybe, but that was it. It was easily accessible by bus, though. Maybe, that was why they chose that place; It was peaceful out there. Before you start joking, let me clear this out. The building was not built on any old cemetery or something like that. Actually, that's the reason I decided to do this story. Since the narrator is my childhood friend—actually, he's my oldest friend, that's why I trust him and these stories. His years there were all fun and games. He stayed drunk for most of those. There was nothing different than any other college dormitories, except maybe one thing. They suspected that it was haunted. If not the building, then the place. But, there was someth

A message from a scientist who worked on the nuclear tests of 1998 warning us about something his team discovered at the test site. Reading time: 5 minutes. A Certain Doom I am a scientist, and I worked on the nuclear tests in 1998. The Pokhran-II tests were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by India at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in May 1998. It was the second instance of nuclear testing conducted by India; the first test, code-named Smiling Buddha, was run in May 1974. The tests achieved their centre objective of giving India the capability to build fission and thermonuclear weapons with yields up to 200 kilotons. Pokhran-II consisted of five detonations. The first was a fusion bomb, and the remaining four were fission bombs. The tests were initiated on May 11, 1998, under the assigned code name Operation Shakti, with the detonation of one fusion and two fission bombs. On May 13, 1998, two additional fission devices were detonated. The Indian

The first chapter of a featured historical series Exodus: The Untold Chronicles. A story of a man driven to madness by a ghost town. Reading time: 5 minutes. The pages of history are often drenched in the blood of innocents. The injustice and tyranny of cruel rulers still echo through the dark and unlit corridors of time. One of them was Deewan (Minister) Salem Singh of my hometown Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India. Deewan Salem Singh is still infamous for his cruelty and his unquenchable lust. He used to be the army commander and the minister to king Moolraj of Jaisalmer. It was back in the early 19th Century. The king had retired, and Salem Singh had taken over the responsibilities. Instead of crowing the prince, Salem Singh tricked the king into making him the official or acting ruler of Jaisalmer. He had conspired against the prince and gotten him exiled. That was the time when his atrocities began. There used to be a haweli (Villa) about eight to ten kilometres away from t