At half past eight each morning, before the traffic on DN Road had gathered its full-throated impatience, the old stone building inhaled. Bombay House stood in its Edwardian solidity, grey and composed, like a man who had seen empires arrive in carriages and leave in motorcars. The brass handles on its doors were cool with the memory of dawn. Security guards exchanged nods, clerks adjusted their ties, and the first files of the day began their silent pilgrimage from desk to desk. If one listened carefully, beneath the hum of elevators and the crisp percussion of leather shoes on marble, there was another sound. The soft scrape of claws. The faint chuff of breath. The patient waiting of eyes that trusted the building more than most humans…
To read the full story and 19 other short stories in this series click on the links below:
This story is part of the book Unknown Companions, my second printed collection of short stories, bringing together twenty quiet encounters between well-known Indians and the animals who moved through their lives.
These stories do not revisit achievement. They turn toward the smaller presences history rarely records: a dog waiting at a doorway, a bird crossing a garden, a stray who appears at an unexpected hour. In such moments, reputation falls silent and a different kind of companionship becomes visible.
Rooted in real lives and shaped by the quiet crossings between humans and animals, this collection gathers the unnoticed companions who stood briefly beside lives that history remembers for other reasons.
If you have found something here that stayed with you, some of my other books (collection of short stories, novels, and more) are now available in print and digital editions. They gather many unique journeys, quieter questions, and stories that continue beyond this page.
Weekend Stories by Trishikh 