“The red stiletto heels will look gorgeous on your feet Ma’am.” the salesman at the shoe shop was eager to close a sale deal before calling it a day.
Tshering looked at the case that boldly displayed 12000 INR. It had been nothing less than a dream to own the pair. She glanced at the cheap black heels purchased with her first salary at just 1100 INR from the local Shillong market.
Pic courtesy -Yinglan
Seated on the shop bench, Kodor fondly looked at this girl who had been employed as his house-help two years back. A freak accident in the city lake would have killed his mother hadn’t Tshering dived in to save her. As a swimming coach, he had spotted her talent and immediately taken her under his wings for training. He proudly beamed at the National level swimming champion today as she proceeded to pay the bill for those red heels.
“Coach, shall we leave?” Her voice broke his reverie.
It was already time to head towards the State conducted felicitation ceremony for their contribution to sports.
An alumnus of Presidency College (Kolkata), Delhi University, and XIME (Bangalore), Sonia Chatterjee holds two post-graduate degrees in Chemistry and Management and an MFA in creative writing from Writer's Village University. With eight years of experience in the banking sector as a Branch Head, she took a sabbatical from the corporate world to start her blog soniasmusings.com. Her blog consistently featured in the Top Indian Blogs list from 2019 to 2024.
Her articles have been published on various digital platforms such as Women's Web, Youth Ki Awaaz, Tuck's Magazine, and Period Magazine. She was invited as a speaker at the Breaking Barriers, Kolkata 2018 event by the Women's Web, at the Women Writer’s Fest, Kolkata, 2020, and the Crime Writers Festival, Kolkata,2025.
Sonia has written two detective thrillers titled ‘Deal of Death – Introducing Raya Ray’ (2019) and ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death – A Raya Ray Adventure’ (Vishwakarma Publications, 2024) and a non-fiction book on true crime titled ‘The Sanyasi Who Became a King’ (Sristhi Publishers, 2025). Her book ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ was shortlisted for the PVLF Awards 2024-25 in the Best Fiction Category.
Sonia lives in Kolkata with her doctor husband and nine-and-a-half-year-old son.
View all posts by Sonia Chatterjee
You penned it beautifully in just a few words Sonia. Somehow, this reminded me of my mother who was a state level football player but could not play further because of some family reasons, despite being selected at the National level.
Hi Surjodoy, I love picture prompts as well. Don’t they just unleash the creative cells in a writers mind? I’ve recently taken to fiction and flash fiction. You will find them under the category writing challenges in my blog. Pl let me know your thoughts after reading.
Hi Surjodoy, thanks for reading. I love picture prompts as well. Don’t they just unleash the creative cells of a writer’s mind? I’ve recently taken to fiction and flash fiction posts. You will find them under the category writing challenges in my blog. Pl let me know your thoughts after reading.
Thats an inspiring story Sonia
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Thank you Bhagyashree
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Lovely and inspiring story of a girl in fewer words. Well done 🙂
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Thank you Ramya
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I loved the short story with a twist in the end. Good one Sonia.
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Thank you Deepa.
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This was a challenging prompt but you have woven a beautiful story around it.
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Thank you Aparna for the encouraging comment.
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Good deeds, like their bad counterparts, do come back a full circle. Good, positive take Sonia.
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Thank you Varad
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A nice story with an unexpected end, Sonia! Love to read your stories!!
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Thank you Anshu
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Very inspiring take.
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Thank you Anurah
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*Anurag
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Lovely story Sonia.
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Thank you
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You penned it beautifully in just a few words Sonia. Somehow, this reminded me of my mother who was a state level football player but could not play further because of some family reasons, despite being selected at the National level.
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So glad to hear about aunty and that could relate to this tale. Love and hugs.
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Inspiring indeed, nicely written.
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Thank you Iain
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How wonderful for her that he discovered her! Great story!
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Thank you.
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I was hooked with the red stilletos. What a lovely story that was !
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Thank you for reading Sunitha
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Nicely done dear Sonia😊
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Thank you dear
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Hi Surjodoy, I love picture prompts as well. Don’t they just unleash the creative cells in a writers mind? I’ve recently taken to fiction and flash fiction. You will find them under the category writing challenges in my blog. Pl let me know your thoughts after reading.
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A very interesting and inspiring story that was. Loved it.
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Thank you Sudha
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I love picture prompt fictions. Maybe some more from you?
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Hi Surjodoy, thanks for reading. I love picture prompts as well. Don’t they just unleash the creative cells of a writer’s mind? I’ve recently taken to fiction and flash fiction posts. You will find them under the category writing challenges in my blog. Pl let me know your thoughts after reading.
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Great theme.
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Thank you
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I could read your writingd forever.your words are engaging and rich,never a dull moment I experienced while reading your works.
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Thank you for reading and sharing such an encouraging feedback.
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Your writings are always one of a kind Sonia didi.Keep writing.
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Thank you dear
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