Idle musings

WRITER’S NOTE     After a long time, I have completed a story that has taken around 7 months to complete! Even by my own leisurely standards of writing, that is a long time! I request readers to let me know how you feel about the story. If the feedback is positive, I may write more. If the feedback is critical, I may write even more also (please don’t reduce the criticism for this reason!)! At 6800+ words, this may qualify as a long short story or a short novella!     When I read this story, I can pick out many points to improve. Still, I feel rather proud of this story. I hope you also like it. THE HEIR OF CHANDRANAGARA     The king of Chandranagara, the dark and strong Bhaskara looked worried. His long, bearded face with its narrow eyes and pointed chin showed the concern. His prime minister and friend the priest Govinda noticed it and contemplated on how he could find out what was worrying King Bhaskara. Govinda quickened his pace....

    A bright dawn broke over the village. The handsome and broad shouldered Nirmal had been up long before the sun rose, as was his custom. Today was an eventful day  : the day of his final race with Samarth. Nirmal and Samarth were the two famous climbers who had earned the admiration of all villagers. Among the two, Nirmal was the clear favorite of the villagers.     Their village was surrounded by hills. It was natural that the villagers appreciated mountain climbing and trekking. The village was famous primarily for its hills and for its climbers, who often set up races to climb the hills and return. The races lasted hours and beginning early in the morning, would end in the evening. The people of the village enjoyed the climbs and the races. A good race and a good climber could stop work in the village for a few hours easily ! To each villager, climbing was a natural progression from walking. Outsiders visited the village to see the hills and mar...