Draw the draft

“So, you’re covering my tab tonight, right?”.... In August 2024, Prime Minister Modi’s official visit to Kyiv went off without any significant incidents. He had held high-level talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but now, as Modi and most of his delegation had already returned to India, several of the administration’s public relations staff were left behind, wrapping up the last details in their hotel suite. “We’ve signed agreements with Ukraine in agriculture, infrastructure, and pharmaceuticals,” one staff member said, glancing at the documents spread across the table. “Sure, but those deals are just window dressing,” another replied. “The real goal was showing the world we’re not hostile to Ukraine. It’s all about the optics.” As the team mulled over their work, a knock interrupted them. The assistant manager of the hotel entered, holding a folder. “Here’s the final bill, gentlemen. We’ll need payment in U.S. dolla...

Perhaps, with enough determination and courage, he could overcome the challenges that faced him and achieve his goal..... The sun beat down on the small village in Tonga, its rays reflecting off the scattered debris of the volcanic eruption that had devastated the island. Thirteen-year-old Sione’s dream of becoming a rugby star seemed as distant as the horizon. The once vibrant community was now a shadow of its former self, struggling to recover from the triple blows of the eruption, the tsunami, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Sione’s mother, a woman of unwavering resilience, tried to keep her family’s spirits up. She prepared their meager meal, a sad sandwich made with canned meat and ketchup, the only food they had. “Eat up, Sione,” she urged. “You need to be strong to play rugby.” Sione sighed. He was tired of the same old food, the same old routine. “I want to eat something different,” he said. His older sister, a mischievous girl n...

With their hearts still racing, the team turned back to face the blaze, ready to extinguish what was left of the fire..... It was late on a Friday night, around 11pm, when chaos struck a small city near the U.S.-Mexico border. A fire had broken out in a four-story apartment building. Flames engulfed the structure as black smoke rose high into the sky. By the time the fire brigade arrived, most residents had already evacuated, standing helplessly outside, their faces illuminated by the blaze. The fire brigade’s commander, standing near the truck, called out to the crowd over the loudspeaker, holding a list of residents supplied by the ward office. After accounting for those taken to the hospital and those who had been out of the building at the time, the commander determined that no one was left inside. He instructed the platoon leader to cease searching for anyone else and focus on firefighting efforts. As the fire continued to consum...

And as they walked away from the ruined building, they knew that they would never forget the experience..... The elevator lurched to a stop, its lights flickering and dying. A collective gasp echoed through the confined space. Four souls were trapped within: an elevator salesman, a call girl, an elderly woman clutching a trembling poodle, and a drug-addicted college student. The elevator salesman, a man of boundless optimism, tried to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry, folks,” he said, his voice echoing off the walls. “We’ll be out of here in no time. Just a little hiccup due to the hurricane.” But his words fell on deaf ears. The call girl, her face etched with fear, clutched her purse tightly. The old woman, her eyes filled with panic, stroked her poodle, muttering soothing words. The college student, his eyes glazed over, mumbled something incoherent. Hours passed, and the elevator remained motionless. The air grew thick and stale, an...

He knew he would be involved in a cover-up that could have far-reaching consequences..... The shipyard in Huludao, once a bustling hub of activity, was now a ghost town. The slump in orders had forced many factories to close, leaving thousands unemployed. Among those affected was the factory manager, who had found solace in fishing. One day, his peaceful solitude was interrupted by a large black vehicle that pulled up to the shore. A suspicious official emerged and asked the manager to join him. To his surprise, the manager of another company was already in the car. “This is sudden, but we’re heading to Wuhan now,” the official in the passenger seat said, tapping his fingers on a tablet. He explained that a new submarine had sunk at a shipyard in Wuhan and their expertise was needed to investigate the cause. The factory manager, who had heard rumors about the shoddy workmanship at the Wuhan shipyard, suspected that it was likely an a...

Now, like everything else, they too would fade, leaving only memories of what might have been..... The Ukrainian military had set up a defensive position near Severodonetsk, and with Russian shelling intensifying, orders were given for the local residents to evacuate. Most obeyed without hesitation, fleeing the uncertainty of war for safer ground. But one family, living on the outskirts of the village, refused. Rumors spread quickly that they were pro-Russian sympathizers. Their house stood in isolation, surrounded by tall, radiant sunflowers that swayed in the breeze, a stark contrast to the dark clouds of war. A young officer from the Ukrainian engineering battalion, tasked with reinforcing bridges and clearing mines, was sent to the house to convince the family to leave. His first visit was cautious. The door was opened by a woman in her early thirties. She looked weary, her face lined not by age, but by the burden of loss. Behind h...

How had things come to this?.... The clock struck midnight as a motley crew of experts and officials from different corners of the world descended onto the quiet tarmac of Tel Aviv Airport. It wasn’t just the hour that made the night feel eerie. They were here on an unusual mission—a task that none of them had anticipated when they left their home countries. The mission: recover the communication devices used in the recent terrorist attacks. But this wasn’t a simple retrieval. No, they had to buy them, from Hezbollah, of all people. At the forefront of this group was Erwin, a retired European Union import and export control officer, a relic of an era when pagers were the height of communication technology. Thirty years ago, Erwin had tested pagers in a quiet office in Brussels. Today, his expertise brought him back into the game—only this time, the stakes were much higher. Alongside him stood Jean, a younger colleague from the same dep...