Oranges (from A Clear Blue Sky)
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one…
And thus begins the short story, with words from John Lennon’s Imagine. Grandpa narrates the story of a land named Imagine (probably not for the first time) where everyone was fine and dandy. But one day, a stranger comes to town and begins spreading rumours and pitting the villagers against each other. The people of Imagine place their trust in the stranger’s words, and don’t think twice about believing the baseless lies. Along each side of the river, they build walls to keep people from crossing over to the other side and vice versa. Will Imagine ever be the same again?
Vikramaditya's Throne
Upa's father is kidnapped from a small village he is working in. Upa and her mother, to distract themselves after receiving such a shock, head to Upa's mother's grandmother's house in a small town. They befriend a stranger with a very long face who goes by the name of Rumpy. He tells them the story of Vikramaditya's throne. King Bhoja tried sitting on the throne but each time he did, the statues around him warned him that he could only sit on the throne if his deeds and kindness were at par with Vikramaditya's. He fails each time he tries to sit on the throne. Vikramaditya's Throne is a humorous and interesting retelling of stories from ancient times, with every character magically coming alive through the storytelling, appealing to Upa's young imagination.
Vikram and Vetal
The story revolves around the legendary King Vikram and the Vetal, a vampire like character. King Vikram promises a saint that he would bring Vetal to him. The vampire agrees to go with the king but lays down certain conditions. One is that the king should carry him on his back and the second is that the king should not talk throughout the journey. As they make their journey, the vampire narrates a story. At the end of the tale, Vikram is compelled to solve the puzzle, thus breaking his silence and losing Vetal.
