Welcome back to Worlds Without Warning. This week, Jon Negroni reads aloud “A Little Something” by Vaidhy Mahalingam, which is a literary fiction story about an Indian immigrant trying to build his American Dream one meticulously inspected borehole at a time. When a building inspector’s exacting standards make him wonder whether the man might be waiting for “a little something,” memories return of the bribes, bureaucrats, moral compromises, and carefully maintained principles he thought he’d left behind in India.

You can find the written version of this story right here.

About the Author

Vaidhy Mahalingam came to the USA from India for graduate school, completed his PhD in Naval Architecture, and had a 29-year career in the tech industry. In retirement, he spends his time cherishing moments with his family and putting into words the stories that have lived in his thoughts for years. His short stories have been featured in Arkana, Pembroke Magazine, Solstice, MudRoom, The Temz Review, and The Write Launch.

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About Cetera Magazine

We publish original short fiction every Thursday. Our stories span literary fiction, speculative tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and weird fiction. All written without AI assistance and curated by editor Natalia Emmons.

Credits

• Author: Vaidhy Mahalingam
• Narrator: Jon Negroni
• Editor: Natalia Emmons
• Artwork: Jon Negroni
• Music: "Magic Escape Room" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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