The Way He Left by Garima Chhikara, cold tea

An orange-polka-dotted butterfly approaches my almost-burnt toast. It moves in pauses, being careful. I don’t kill it or toss it. I just move the toast a little further, and then a little more, when it gets closer. That’s how he left. A man moves like that when he wants out.

About the author

 

Garima Chhikara is a fiction writer from Bangalore, India. A former product manager, she now writes fiction that explores emotional nuance, memory, and coming-of-age themes. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Forge Literary, Hobart, La Piccioletta Barca, and Halfway Down the Stairs. Find her at garimachhikara.com. 

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