Short Story: Water Under the Bridge by Mormee Mahtab 

In this short story, Mormee Mahtab captures a moment in our lives for eternity with simplicity and grace, adding layers to the otherwise banal existence of mankind.

The horns blared a few dozen times when the people gathering around the railing started to settle themselves around, all eyes on the white whale about to get off of the water.  The Sundarban MV stood in line like many of its counterparts at the Sadarghat launch terminal.

Maya and Animesh secured a small space by the corner and looked before them. The buildings appeared smaller and smaller in the distance as the launch tumbled across the water. One could see the algae-wrapped plastic bottles and cigarette buds floating in their blackness, moving away inch by inch at a hypnotic pace.  On the other side, the vast halls looked busy, young men looking here and there trying to find their room numbers or perhaps their family members. A Jhalmuri wala in a similar launch just across had finished making his first sale, while old men waited around flaunting their big bellies, puffing smoke in the air. The white whale was beginning to awaken.