When the steps decide between right and wrong

Mir Rehman walked inside his office room in the palace.

The rumors about the palace being haunted had led to a decline in visitors. But having worked as a Diwan for 38 years here, Mir rubbished such claims.

Of late his relation with Amir Ali, the last Nawab had become sour. Amir’s obsession with alcohol and women had been eating into the palace’s revenues.

When the steps decide between right and wrong
Photo prompt – copyright@soniasmusings

The creaking of the door made Mir observe Amir’s entry with another man.

“Anjan, finalize the hotel deal and give me the money.”

Anjan said, “What did you do to Mir who had threatened to inform the local police about your unlawful activities?”

“I killed him in his sleep and rolled his dead body down the stairs outside. The police and the local doctor helped me cover it up as an accident from tripping.”

But Anjan had turned pale on spotting a ledger in the air, held without any support.

Next morning, the newspapers carried details of Nawab Amir Ali and liquor baron Anjan Seth’s demises. Amir had a fatal fall from the stairs while Anjan had passed away from a heart attack.

For Mir Rehman, it was work as usual in his corner office room.

(199 words)

This is the first post written as part of the #MyfriendAlexa campaign as per my theme ‘Shades of Perception’.

For this challenge, I will be using four photos as prompts to weave two flash fiction stories and one real story behind the picture. Stay tuned to read the second flash fiction that I will write around the same picture in my next post. You could also consider subscribing to my blog if you like reading my stories.

I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter

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Author: Sonia Chatterjee

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.

69 thoughts on “When the steps decide between right and wrong”

    1. Thank you Varad. Of late I have started enjoying flash fiction and fiction both. Thank you for creating the fiction writers village group. I would have never known about FFfAW or Friday Fictioneers without it.

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  18. Absolutely brilliant Sonia. Chilling end!
    Look forward to your series. The premise that you have chosen is so interesting and intriguing. I am sure to have a treat here on your blog . Eagerly look forward to next post.

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  20. Wrong time to read this post, Sonia! And, you know, just sometime back I heard noises coming from god knows where so I looked around the house to check, with my heart thumping. And, now I had to read this!!
    I just hope hubby returns home soon now and I sleep peacefully tonight! 😛
    You bad bad girl! 😛
    ❤

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  21. Now that one surprised me – I did NOT see it coming! ::applause:: I have always thought that ghosts, if ghosts exist, would have little reason to be other than they were in life, neither good nor evil. It might be akin to having the power (and, dare I say, frustration) of invisibility. If it also came with the ability to walk through walls AND give someone a mighty shove, it could be fun.

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  30. Pingback: The steps that fostered a friendship for life – soniasmusings
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    1. This was a flash fiction that ended here. There are two more on this photo prompt – one fiction and another the real story behind the steps. You will find in the category of My Friend Alexa. Thank you for reading.

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