FIVE MINUTES

The clock on the wall shows 8:55 AM.

The second hand moves slowly, as if it knows something no one else does.

Five minutes remain.

Only five.

And yet, across the city, five different lives are about to change.

In a quiet neighborhood, a young girl named Aanya stands at a bus stop. Her school bag hangs loosely from one shoulder. In her pocket is a folded letter, creased so many times it feels soft. She has read it again and again, afraid it might disappear if she stops.

“Congratulations.”

The word echoes in her mind, louder than the traffic around her. No one in her family has ever gone to college. She imagines her mother’s tired smile, her father’s proud silence. Her bus arrives. She hesitates for one second, then steps inside. Hope is frightening, but she chooses it anyway.

Across the city, in a hospital corridor that smells of disinfectant and fear, a man named Raghav sits alone. His phone rests in his palm, screen dark. He has called everyone he believes in—family, friends, even God. Now there is nothing left to do but wait.

A nurse walks past without stopping.

The door to the operation room remains closed.

Raghav looks at the clock. 8:56 AM.

He tells himself five minutes is nothing.

But his heart knows five minutes can be everything.

On a crowded street corner, a street vendor named Salim arranges his food neatly. Business has been slow today. As he turns, he notices a small boy standing nearby, eyes fixed on the food. The boy says nothing. Hunger has already stolen his words.

Salim sighs, then packs an extra portion and hands it to the child.

The boy’s face lights up.

For a moment, Salim forgets his own worries.

Kindness, he realizes, does not wait for better days.

At a busy intersection, two people stand on opposite sides of the road—Meera and Karan. They were once everything to each other. Now, they are strangers who know each other too well.

The traffic light turns red.

They accidentally meet each other’s eyes.

So many words rise between them—apologies, regrets, questions.

But the light turns green.

They walk past each other.

No goodbye.

No turning back.

Some endings don’t need closure.

They just need courage.

In a small apartment filled with memories, an old woman named Leela sits by the window. Morning sunlight rests gently on her wrinkled hands. A framed photograph sits beside her—her son, smiling, frozen in time.

She whispers his name.

She always does.

Outside, life moves on. Inside, she holds on to love that never leaves. She checks the clock. 8:59 AM.

Leela closes her eyes.

And smiles.

The second hand reaches the top.

9:00 AM.

Somewhere, a girl begins her future.

Somewhere, a man learns how strong he is.

Somewhere, kindness fills an empty stomach.

Somewhere, love ends quietly.

Somewhere, memory keeps someone alive.

Five minutes pass.

The world does not stop.

But lives are never the same again.