KREST PUBLISHERS BLOG PAGE

Congratulations to Sarvasha on placing third in our first annual short story competition. Sarvdasha uniquely combined poetry and prose to write on the topic “A South African family facing a problem”. She is a 26-year-old civil engineer from Durban. Here is her hauntingly beautiful piece: “THROUGH DIFFERENT EYES” BY SARVDASHA SEWLAL Wind dancing against my face, limping carefully to my sleeping place. Not worthy of being called a home, for love is absent when a shelter is as cold as stone. The pregnant clouds speak to me, intense roaring warning me to flee. The calming smell of wet sand lingers in the air, so simple it is to forget and not care. A mouth as dry as leaves in the fall, limbs so weak, my own body I must haul. My broken leg is a lie, but no one hears my heart’s inner cry. My latest acid burn is for pity, as I try my luck in the Durban city. Half of my skin septic wounds, the rest resembling dried prunes. My image unbearable, I strike fear, my clothes barely wea...

Congratulations to Bonang Gauta, who placed fourth in our first annual short story competition. Bonang took us on the sweetest trip down memory lane when she picked the topic “Write about a unique house in your SA suburb.” She is a 23-year-old accountancy student at the university of Venda. She describes her writing style as ‘simple but captivating’. We couldn’t agree more! Here is Bonang’s charming story: “A VORTEX INTO PARADISE” BY BONANG GAUTA Growing up in dusty Siyabuswa, Mpumalanga was ordinary. There was hardly anything to marvel at or about. Everything about our middle-class neighbourhood was mundane. The face brick bond houses were mostly identical, apart from those that had a small lawn, a garden, a brick fence with steel gates, or any combination of those additions. The women gathered to gossip, the teenagers hung around the street corners and dated in secret, and the children played well into the sunset. Meanwhile,   the dads would sit in the house, mow the...

Congratulations to Yasthiel Devraj, who placed fifth in our first annual short story competition. Yasthiel chilled us and thrilled us with his story from the “Write about a unique house” topic. Yasthiel is a journalist and aspiring writer from Durban. He likes to present readers with “fresh perspectives”. We think he’s hit the nail on the head with this story: “A FLY’S LENS” BY YASTHIEL DEVRAJ “A little to the left, please, Luke.” “Here?” “Yeah. That’s good. Nice lighting in here.” I grip my hands with white knuckles, trying to conceal the silent tremors quaking through me. The Italian marble lounge glistens in every direction; gilded mirrors flow to intricate silk wallpapering, interrupted by gleaming white, granite countertops and lush suede sofas draped in lavish mohair throws. An electric fireplace stands below an oversized, curved television. This place looks pristine, unlived in. The display of wealth here borders on ostentatious, with modern designer finishes t...