When I was in college, I first read William Somerset Maugham’s short story, “The Luncheon.” The story revolved around a poor writer who fell prey to a so-called lady of taste. She kept ordering expensive dishes while pretending she only eats lightly. Ultimately, the writer had to foot the bill...
Episode-5 Last The wind howled over the Arctic like a living beast. The cargo plane trembled as it cut through the frozen clouds, its metal wings coated with frost. Below, the world was a white desert which is silent, endless, and deadly. Rayyan gripped the edge of his seat as...
It was a bright Friday afternoon in Chittagong. The sky looked freshly painted after a morning drizzle, and four best friends — Saif, Sumon, Sayeed, and Sanjid were racing their bicycles down the narrow lane behind the school. The air smelled of wet earth and laughter. “Last one to reach...
It all started on a foggy Thursday morning when the sun looked more like a pale coin trapped behind silver smoke. At Northwood High, the talk of the day wasn’t about homework or football, it was about the sky. Strange lights had been seen above the old observatory hill. Violet...
(After Episode Five) The Awakening The dawn that followed was unlike any other. The sky still trembled with fading storms, yet the valley below shimmered with light—soft, silver, alive. The giant Sentinel, Theta, stood motionless at the cliff’s edge, like a mountain that had finally decided to wake. Steam hissed...
The rain had just stopped when 15-year-old Hamim ducked into a narrow alley, shaking water from his hair. The sign above the tiny shop flickered in blue neon: “Timekeeper’s Treasures – Books, Relics & Oddities.” It looked like something from another century. Inside, the air smelled of dust and old...
Arman sat still in the third row, staring at the chalkboard. The faint squeak of chalk from the last lesson still echoed in his mind. Mr. Shafiq, the new math teacher, had been different. He didn’t use textbooks. He didn’t give homework. And today, before leaving, he had filled the...
Hafsa, who was twelve, and her little sister Anika, who was ten, sat on the rocks near their small coastal village, watching the Moon shimmer on the water. “Do you think the Moon ever gets tired?” Anika asked, her dark eyes wide. Hafsa smiled. “Tired of what?” “Of hanging up...
The wind on Pluto didn’t behave like wind on Earth. It wasn’t air, it was frozen whispers of nitrogen, gliding over the icy plains like ghosts. Beneath that twilight sky, where the Sun was just a pale star, Captain Lyra Vex tightened her magnetic gloves and stepped onto the deck...
It started with a whisper. Every afternoon, the yellow school bus rolled out of St. Gregory’s High School like a loyal old dog, carrying its usual laughter, backpacks, and the dull rhythm of a thousand ordinary days. But one day, something felt wrong. When the bell rang that Thursday, Rafi...
Welcome to our exciting new quiz challenge! Email us your answers to [email protected] , and you could see your name in print in the January’26 issue, alongside the correct answers and our heartfelt congratulations. Happy quizzing! 1. The country known as the Land of Cakes is a. Scotland b. England ...
For fifteen-year-old Sabbir, the nightmare began when he saw the cracked wall of his school. “The cyclone’s gone, but it’s not over yet,” he whispered. His best friendsTuhin, Misha, and Asif met him near the broken jetty, their faces pale but determined. They had survived the storm, but the real...
Close your eyes for a second and imagine this: You wake up, put on your sleek VR headset, and suddenly you’re standing in a glowing city where the roads sparkle like glass, the buildings float in the sky, and your best friend—who lives on the other side of the planet—is...
It is autumn; not without, But within me is the cold. Youth and spring are all about; It is I that have grown old. Birds are darting through the air, Singing, building without rest; Life is stirring everywhere, Save within my lonely breast. There is silence: the dead leaves Fall...
WHERE are the tidings of union? that I may arise– Forth from the dust I will rise up to welcome thee! My soul, like a homing bird, yearning for Paradise, Shall arise and soar, from the snares of the world set free. When the voice of thy love shall call...
Dear Friends, Assalamualaikum. Hope you are keeping well. We are seeing Gen Z is making huge changes in countries where there are fascists. They are making their own footprints. But there is another generation in the making and that is the Metaverse generation. The Metaverse is no longer the stuff...
The Peace Found in Gratitude The Prophet Muhammad (saw) says, ‘Those who do not thank people do not show gratitude to Allah.’ (Tirmidhi, Birr, Hadith No: 35) One night, while praying, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) wept so deeply that his tears soaked his beard and fell upon the ground. Seeing this, Aisha...
Upholding Goodness and Resisting Evil “You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.” (Surah: 3, Al-i ‘Imran, Verse No: 110) A Muslim should strive to be a good person, a truthful servant of...
When you imagine life in the universe, what comes to mind first? Maybe aliens with big green heads, or colonies on Mars with red deserts stretching for miles. But what if I told you that the real secret hideouts of alien life might not be red and dusty—but white, frozen,...
The shard on Rayyan’s nightstand pulsed like a living thing. Each glow came with a faint sound: ‘thrum, thrum’, like the heartbeat of something vast beneath the earth. Rayyan couldn’t sleep. His mind raced with Liana’s words, the image of his own Echo smirking back at him, and the chilling...
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