An exceptionally gifted painter lets his art consume. Buried in work and wealth he trades his creative freedom for popularity and wealth, a jail of sorts, as what once freed him now becomes his cage.

His wife, Shanti, suggests a vacation to the picturesque village of Manipur Inside a solitary cabin under a banyan tree, the painter becomes mesmerized by a blackened mirror. But can he accept what that mirror truly reflects?

"The Blackened Mirror" is a short story taken from the collection "Chance Meetings" by author Madhu Bazaz Wangu.

Here's what the critics say:

"The story hangs like a bead on a japa mala - for the reader to touch and be touched by the transformative power of storytelling." -Milczar

"A beautiful, lush, lyrical story. The rhythmic language transports and transforms..." -Kathleen Shoop