Temperature Tales - #ATOZCHALLENGE – T (2026)

 

Raksha stared into her laptop with the kind of brain fog that was comparable to the winter fog in her city. Everything was where it should have been, yet nothing was clear. Her focus was compromised today, with a fever that refused to subside even after an over-the-counter paracetamol.

Her failing health wasn’t the only reason why she opted to work from home. It was also the fog in the city that made life come to a grinding halt. Her body was wrapped in the same thin duvet she’d slept on in the summers. They were very comforting in the winter season.

Living alone in a new city was a weighty affair. To top it all, she needed to write an ad copy in the next half hour. The creative had to be launched and the client was running out of patience faster than the drop in mercury.

The phone kept buzzing constantly. One task wasn’t over and the next one was on its way. Her fever hadn’t allowed her to eat well and her sleep had also been riddled with restlessness. But deadlines wouldn’t hear any of this negotiation.

She managed to complete her work, and then in the five-minute breather she got, her mind raced to those childhood days when falling sick in your own home was a time when people gave you that extra bit of affection. Mum would rustle up tasty lemon coriander soup, and her comforting hand would rest on her forehead till it defeated the fever completely. In the loneliness of her home-office she sorely missed those moments. The fever seemed to be an even more uphill battle without her creature comforts.

“The copy is approved. Creative launching in 5.” These words sounded like music to her ears. Raksha said a silent prayer. She felt her mother being present in spirit, even though it had been two years since she had stepped into her afterlife.

“Oh my God! Wait!” Ritu, her colleague shrieked suddenly. “Oh God! Raksha what the hell did you do?”

This sudden reaction made Raksha go pale and numb. What had happened?

“The rejected copy. My rejected copy. You had the nerve to pass on the copy to the client? How could you”

“Ritu, I can explain. I am actually r-running a high temperature and…”

“No Rickshaw. You think you know better than the rest of us. So, you don’t need me to review anything for you.”

“L-listen, Ritz, I-I…”

“The next time you fall ill, just stay home.”

Raksha was almost on the verge of tears. Ritu wasn’t the kind who would take things so personally. She had no ego. So, what was this suddenly?

Suddenly, the video call erupted into laughter.

“Relax! We thought to play a prank to lighten up your sick day.”

“Oh-oh God! Guys, any disagreement with you all felt personal. I don’t know why but you guys feel like fam!”

“Bruh! Did you realise I called you Rickshaw. You broke down so easily, just like those mall road ricks. Hahahah!”

“Ritz, you are such a shock prankster.”

“Yes, babes. I’ve lived alone in this city and I realize what it means to not have family around during personal crises. I exactly knew what you were going through. Hey, you take care and rest well. And you’re a lucky devil! You mailed the client the rejected copy and the loved it! It did need a little smoothing around the edges which we managed. It’s never personal and that’s what teams are for.  We got each other’s back. And we all owe you one, when you’re back! We’re plotting a party girl!”

“You guys are amazing. God bless!”

“Peace, dear and you rest it out for the rest of the day. And you order yourself a lemon coriander soup.”

The last line left her delightfully surprised. Did her mother have a hand in what seemed to be a miracle-ridden day?

Are we ever truly alone? Our elders’ blessings and care always stay with us.