"As a kid, my mind would never wonder about stars, space, and universe, but when it came to people, my curiosity would suddenly blossom into a plant from a sleeping seed in the back of the brain."The above lines from the story "A Tribute" from this collection aptly summarize me as a kid, as an adult, and as a writer. When looked carefully, I found that people who brush past us daily and the trees and plants who stand and wait, offer a fitting opportunity like books to contemplate on various facets of life. Then, there are some special people and trees providing unique and extraordinary experiences worth putting in a book. The stories have recollections, humor, irony, nostalgia, and old acquaintances with a fresh perspective. Some inspirations have been drawn from my life's journey and would resonate with your world as well. "A Mango Tree in the Courtyard," "Reunion" and "Once Upon A Time" would take you on the wild, rough roads of childhood playing hopscotch or lazing around in the company of grandparents. "A Dream in a Dream" is an ode to nature. The story: "A Tribute" has an old, benevolent acquaintance and "The lost Ring" is laced with humor. The stories are presented to you wrapped in some hard facts sprinkled with some glitter of fiction. The second set of stories: "On the Darker Side," are thrillers manifesting in ordinary situations around ordinary people. I Don't intend to scare you but the characters would make you relook at your folks in a peculiar fashion!. Half of the stories in the collection have women as a central character which I did not realize until I penned them, and I am glad I did. The unsure wish of childhood started materializing six months ago when I closed all other options only to let in the ideas. To my surprise, ideas did accept the invitation and started visiting me more and more as I showed up every single day ready to receive them. My dear readers, I am placing my produce into your hands: something I cultivated toiling behind a screen for hours since the last six months. The array of memories and emotions revealed through the daily people in ordinary situations are something that you would love to soak in after braving the traffic and challenges of present times. Every reader, after all, was once a child!