Shailaza's Blog

Tag: #RomanticFiction

  • THE TIME KEEPER’S POEM: Chapter Thirteen: A New Ally

    THE TIME KEEPER’S POEM: Chapter Thirteen: A New Ally

    Shanaya Mehra was a whirlwind of energy, laughter, and quick-witted remarks—traits that often exasperated her mother and endeared her to others. At seventeen, she had inherited Astha’s sharp mind and love for words, but where her mother was reserved, Shanaya was unfiltered, never hesitating to speak her mind.

    It was on one such afternoon that she ran into Arin Verma for the first time. She had just returned from a study session with her friends, her backpack slung over one shoulder, when she spotted the new neighbor locking up his apartment.

    She tilted her head, studying him with open curiosity. “You’re the new guy, right? The editor?”

    Arin turned, momentarily surprised by her directness. “That’s right. And you must be Shanaya.”

    Her eyes lit up. “Ah, so Mom told you about me. Don’t believe everything she says—I’m far more brilliant and much less of a troublemaker than she claims.”

    Arin smiled. “Duly noted.”

    Shanaya fell into step beside him as they walked toward the elevator. “So, since you’re an editor, that means you’re good with words, right?”

    “I suppose you could say that.”

    “Great,” she said, grinning mischievously. “I need a teammate.”

    Arin raised an eyebrow. “A teammate?”

    “Scrabble. Mom beats me every single time. It’s infuriating. I need someone who can match her brain and give me a fighting chance. And since you literally work with words for a living, I’d say you qualify.”

    Arin considered this. He had never played Scrabble before, but he understood the mechanics of language better than most. More than that, he found himself intrigued by Shanaya’s vibrant enthusiasm.

    “Alright,” he said finally. “I’ll be your teammate.”

    Shanaya pumped a fist in the air. “Yes! Finally, I have a chance at victory. This is going to be legendary.”

    As they stepped into the elevator, Arin glanced at her, a quiet curiosity growing within him. He had spent all his time trying to understand Astha, but perhaps the best way to do so was through the people she loved.

    And Shanaya, with her infectious energy and unfiltered thoughts, might just be the key.

  • THE TIME KEEPER’S POEM

    THE TIME KEEPER’S POEM

    A New Online Novel by Shailaza Singh

    PROLOGUE

    The world Arin Verma came from had long abandoned the chaos of human emotions. Efficiency, logic, and precision ruled, governed by the Time Keepers—an elite order that monitored and adjusted the flow of time across civilizations. They were the silent architects of history, ensuring that the past remained undisturbed, the future untainted. In their world, there was no space for love, passion, or art—these things were seen as relics of a primitive age, distractions that clouded judgment and disrupted progress.

    Arin had always been the perfect Time Keeper. He had trained since childhood, mastering the delicate balance of time manipulation, able to navigate its endless currents with precision. His duty was to archive and preserve significant moments of history, ensuring that time remained untouched by interference. Yet, despite his success, a quiet hollowness had always lingered within him, a sensation he was never able to name.

    Then he found the poem.

    It had been buried deep within the archives of a dying Earth civilization, an unremarkable entry amid countless historical texts. He should have overlooked it, dismissed it as another meaningless fragment from a world that had long since faded. But something made him pause.

    The words were simple, yet they struck him like a wave crashing against stone:

    What we yearn to find, does it yearn for us?
    What we dream of, does it dream of us?
    What I seek, is it my seeker too?
    If that is true, will I ever meet you?

    The moment he read it, something inside him cracked open. The words pulled at something deep within, something long buried by the rules of his world. It was as though the poet had reached across time itself and touched the very core of his being. For the first time in his existence, Arin felt moved—a sensation foreign to him, yet impossible to ignore.

    Who had written these words? Did they understand the ache that now burned within him? He had to know. A search through the archives led him to a name: Astha Mehra. A writer from Jaipur. A poet. A woman from Earth’s past, from an era long before his own. She had lived, breathed, and written those words, never knowing they would find their way to him. The realization struck him like lightning—he had spent his existence preserving the past, but never had he stepped into it for personal reasons.

    Until now.

    His hands hovered over the time coordinates. The elders would never approve of such a mission, but they had no reason to suspect him. He was one of their best.

    For the first time, Arin Verma was about to break the very rules he had sworn to uphold.

    And he had no idea what awaited him on the other side.

    …To be continued in the next post

    This online novel with all its chapters is an original copyrighted work of the author Shailaza Singh. All rights reserved.