Winning Entries for the Short Story Competition

 

Thought Lantern recently organised a Short Story Writing Competition on the theme of Bookstore. Here are the best winning entries from the creative writers. 

We want to congratulate our winners - 

1. Dr. Romila Chitturi 

Short Story - 

Title - The Shared Margin 

The smell of rain and old paper always drew Nilesh to "The Last Chapter," a cramped bookstore in Bengaluru. At 55, the silence of his home was a heavy shroud, one he only shed among bookshelves. 

He was squinting at a spine when a woman nearby chuckled. "He kills the protagonist in the end, you know. It’s merciful, but heartbreaking."

Nilesh turned. She was elegant, with silver-streaked hair and eyes that held the quiet resilience of someone who had walked through fire. "Loss usually is," he replied softly, noticing the bare spot on her ring finger that mirrored his own.

"I’m Vidya," she said, smiling. 

His eyes widened as he looked from her to the author photo on the jacket he held. 

"You’re V. S. Rao. I’ve read everything you’ve written since my wife passed. 

You... you make the grief feel less like a ghost and more like a companion."

Vidya’s smile was bittersweet. "I wrote them to survive my husband's absence. It seems we’ve been talking to each other through these pages for years."

In the golden glow of the shop, the decades of loneliness didn't vanish, but they suddenly felt shared. 

2. Kiran Rao

Short Story -

Title - The Last Bookstore

It had been nearly twenty years since Nihar had stepped into a real bookstore. The thought returned while he approved the digital invite for his own e-book launch - animated cover and livestream link.

The last bookstore he remembered stood preserved in a different light. He had gone there for a signing by the writer whose books had shaped his inner world. The event had been crowded, though not for the reason he had imagined. A glamorous celebrity guest drew cameras and chatter, while a wealthy sponsor attracted smiles of networking.

At a smaller table, slightly apart, sat the writer. Nihar walked up, nervous, clutching his copy. They spoke over paper cups of tea - about the book, about writing, about the solitude it demanded. The writer signed slowly, gratefully. By evening’s end, the crowd had thinned. Nihar was the only one left to walk him to an autorickshaw.

Years later, when Nihar sent him an invitation to his digital launch, the reply came from a stranger. The writer had passed away months ago. Nihar attended his launch that night, smiling at screens, while a single signed copy lay beside him.

He realised then: The last bookstore had not closed. It had moved into a bitter-sweet memory.

3. Dr. Tania Bhadury Bannerjee 

Short Story - 

Title - The Bookstore 

For decades, Ramesh's bookstore near Jougram Railway Station had been a quiet haven amid the clamour of trains and travellers. Shelves groaned under yellowed novels, textbooks, and forgotten poetry, but lately, losses mounted. Footfalls dwindled as smartphones devoured pages. Today, Ramesh shuttered the dream—his son Somu eyed the spot for a sizzling local eatery. "Books are relics, Baba," Somu had said. Heart heavy, Ramesh tallied the final ledger as dusk painted the station in twilight hues.

Rising from his creaky chair to draw the iron shutters for the last time, he paused. Footsteps echoed. Rahul, the lanky Burdwan University student who scooped up second-hand classics weekly, burst in, breathless.

"Uncle, don't close yet!" Rahul pleaded, eyes alight. "The shop's dying here, but books aren't dead. Run it from home—an online store! List on apps, deliver via post. Students like me crave your treasures. I’ll help set it up!"

Ramesh stared, the weight lifting like fog from the tracks. A new ray of hope pierced the gloom. Tomorrow, shutters would seal, but his story? It was just beginning—digital pages turning in the glow of a screen.

4. Poornima Sivaraman

Title - Memory of a Bookstore

In our younger years, I did not have the chance of visiting any bookstore, as my father could not afford to buy books, even though I loved to read all sorts of books, maybe more romance. My uncle who used to read a lot, shared his books and at my fag end of life, when I watch many boostores, sprucing up all over and when I enter the bookstore, I get fascinated by the orderly arrangement to display the all generated books, so meticulously being kept on various shelves with the names, Literature, Mystery, Children's books, I wished my first book, as an Author to find a place on any ‘ Book Store.’

 

I would stand and watch the 

‘My Collection of Stories for Children’ is being picked up by many children, and after seeing the apt illustrations inside the book, request their parents to buy my book. Did my face shine, and a smile flow? Yes, and what else does an Author need in life?”

hopped from one bookstore to another. In Pune recently, I entered ‘Cross Words’ after many years and was astonished to see the number of new books on the shelves. I bought Sudha Murthy's books.