Snow arrived early that year, not with drama, but with persistence. It softened Srinagar until sound forgot its own confidence. Footsteps learned caution. Voices lowered themselves without instruction. Woodsmoke curled through narrow lanes and lingered, carrying with it the smell of pine and damp wool and meals stretched carefully across days. The city seemed suspended, held between beauty and an ache it did not care to explain. Dal lay still beneath the pale sky, its surface accepting snow without protest, as if it had been practicing restraint all along…
To read the full story and 19 other short stories in this series click on the links below:
This story is a part of the book “Lives Between the Dates“, my first printed collection of short stories, bringing together twenty well thought moments from twenty well known lives across twenty Indian cities. These stories do not revisit achievement. They enter the quieter hours around it. The hesitation before action. The doubt behind conviction.
Rooted in real places and shaped by history, this collection gathers the unrecorded moments that define a life more truthfully than any monument.
If you have found something here that stayed with you, some of my other books are now available in print and digital editions. They gather longer journeys, quieter questions, and stories that continue beyond this page.
Weekend Stories by Trishikh 
What a beautifully evocative opening. Your description of the snowfall in Srinagar feels almost cinematic, yet deeply intimate. The way you describe the snow arriving “not with drama, but with persistence” immediately sets a quiet, reflective tone, and the imagery of softened sounds, cautious footsteps, and curling woodsmoke draws the reader gently into the scene.
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Dear Vermaji, thank you for receiving the opening with such sensitivity.
Snow in Srinagar rarely arrives with spectacle. It settles patiently, almost insistently, until the entire city begins to move differently. Sounds soften, footsteps become careful, and even woodsmoke seems to curl more thoughtfully into the air. I wanted the snowfall to create that quiet enclosure before the story begins to unfold.
Your noticing of that persistence means a great deal. Sometimes the most powerful atmospheres are not dramatic but gradual, shaping the mood of a place without announcing themselves.
I am grateful that the scene felt both vivid and intimate to you. When a reader can step into that softened silence and walk a few careful steps through it, the story has begun exactly where it should.
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Your description of the snowfall is truly mesmerizing. The way you portray Srinagar wrapped in that gentle, persistent snow makes the scene feel incredibly alive and serene. I could almost sense the softened sounds, the cautious footsteps, and the quiet curl of woodsmoke in the cold air.
You are absolutely right—sometimes the most powerful atmosphere grows slowly and quietly rather than arriving with dramatic flair. That gradual hush you created feels like an invitation for the reader to pause, breathe, and step gently into the world of the story.
It’s wonderful how your writing allows the reader to experience that intimate silence and walk through it alongside you. When a scene can evoke such calm, reflection, and vivid imagery all at once, it truly shows the beauty of thoughtful storytelling.
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Thank you Verma’ji, your words never fail to add such deep lakyers of conversation to my stories, and they certainly give me much encouragement to keep on writing them.
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Thank you so much for your kind and generous words. I’m truly glad if my thoughts could add even a small layer to the conversation your stories create. Your writing has a quiet depth that naturally invites reflection, and it is always a pleasure to read and respond to it.
By the way, my latest book “Chala Chal Rahi” has recently been published. Whenever you have the time, I would be truly grateful if you could take a look at it and share your thoughts or a brief review. Your perspective as a thoughtful reader and writer would mean a lot to me.
Many thanks again for your encouragement and support. It always inspires me to keep writing
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Thanks Verma’ji, I have already commented on your book a few days back. It is really amazing to see your work in flesh or rather in ink and paper.
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Thank you so much.
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🙏👍
Aum Shanti
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Thank you so much…🙏🏼
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Saving this one for later. Perfect for some Sunday relaxation
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It’s just an intro to a larger story, but I am sure that you would love it.
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I just read it and you age right. I did love it. It drips with spiritual devotion.
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That is true, it does bends towards spieituality, infact many of my stories have a spiritual undertone, even when it is not very apparent.
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That’s what makes them all special and soothing.
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