The seen and the unseen

CHAPTER 5 - phargadh forest

 CHAPTER 5 - phargadh forest

I climbed in the bus, believing that the world will spin; I'll fall into some black hole and disappear for life. Thankfully, and to my surprise I reached our rappelling spot- safe, sound and alive. Aksha was uneasy the whole way too. She was concerned about me. Frankly, without her having constantly distract me, this journey would have been damn scary. The rappelling point was a few minutes’ walk from where our bus was parked. There was a small river, which we were first supposed to cross, midair, with the help of a rope, and guidance of course. Once we crossed it, the other activities followed, but we couldn't see the other end.

It was first John's chance for the river crossing and abseiling. He fastened his safety belts and started his adventure. It was chilling yet enthralling to see him up there. I could hardly wait for my turn!  "I'm so scared guys, I think I'll puke up there" Khushi whispered. Aksha immediately started telling her about all the enthusiastic details. They were supposed to get Khushi excited, instead it only made her nervous and she ran back into the bus. Aksha and I exchanged looks, and she followed her to convince her.

"Miss Khushi please come forward. It’s your turn" Kumar sir called. I went stiff for a minute. I couldn't tell him what just happened. It could mean trouble for both Khushi and Aksha. So I decided to lie. "Sir, actually Khushi forgot her purse in the bus so she has gone to get it." He looked more annoyed than I expected him to be. I suppose my group was slowing down the trip a lot of times.  "Sir, Khushi and I could exchange places, I'll go first." I suggested. I'd hoped I could make up for my earlier delay. But Kumar sir disapproved at the same instant. Instead, he sent Adhiraj. Couldn't He just send me? Anyways, thankfully in about five minutes, both my girls were back while Kumar sir was busy with the setup for the next student. "Mission accomplished!" Aksha said giving a radiant winner-smile. I quickly gave them an overview. Aksha was a little mad. She wanted to see Adhiraj doing his turn, but she was glad they weren't in any trouble.

"Sana, come forward." I was really excited to go, but the moment my name was announced, my anxiety kicked up. Sweat started dripping my forehead. My friends smiled at me, showing they were pretty confident I could make it. This gave me a boost. I moved forward.

The guides fastened the security belts around me. The descender was tied on the harness at my waist, which was a friction hitch device. "When you get to the other side of the lake, there will be another guide who will help you get down. There onwards you will climb down a small hill in a similar way." Kumar sir's instructions were clear, straight forward and so low that only I could hear his voice. I clutched the rope with my gloved hands and started moving forward. It was really exhilarating. I dared a peek downwards, knowing I was never afraid of heights. It looked beautiful! In an upside-down way, since I was upside down, but this was going to be a memorable experience. I could tell.

Just like sir had told me, the other guide was standing, ready to put me down. As my equipments moved back for the other students, I moved forward to spot the hill. Sir had asked me to make it downhill, so I started going in that direction. I was hoping Adhiraj will be there, but maybe he was fast and went down the hill already. Well, I was on my own then.

The Ground was a little moist. It made getting a grip difficult. My fears came true when I slipped over a pebble making the hill a bumpy slide. It hurt, real bad. But at least I cleared a big patch faster. There were supposed to be other students here but I was alone. Maybe I took a wrong turn somewhere. According to what sir said, to the right there was supposed to be a waterfall. My GPRS tracker said the same. Hoping that the others were there, I took off to the right. It was a relief seeing the waterfall. But alas, no students. However there was one face I knew, the face that I could identify anywhere, the face I’d seen on the night that still haunted me. It was Dravya.

"I told you Miss Sana. I told you not to come here. I told you about the dark forces. Don't you love yourself enough to stay alive?" Well, Dravya was wrong this time. "I'm not technically in the forest. Just it’s outskirts. Our group is hiking and trekking and stuff." To My surprise he gave me a bitter laugh. "You Are in the midst of the Phargadh forest Miss Sana."

His words sent a chill through me but I didn't believe him. But unfortunately my GPRS tracker agreed with him. It showed me a waterfall right in the center of the forest. No. This can’t be, I said to myself. Not again. I wish Aksha was here with me. She could wipe away all my tears without letting me know how bad I was crying. If John was here he'd change my mood within seconds. But I was alone, alone with Dravya. I realized I had to snap back to reality. He sensed my mood and offered me a gentleman smile. “I can’t change the fact that you’ve risked your life, but I can definitely help you with the way out. Follow me.” “Thanks Dravya” I said but didn’t move. “Can I ask you something?” I asked. He was in a tux similar to what I’d seen him wear last time. “How is it that you’re in the forest every time I’m here?” He chuckled. “Are you under the impression that I’m following you?” I didn’t have that in mind for sure. I replied, “No, I was just curious. I’m sure it was a co-incidence, but aren’t you afraid? You warn me not to come here, but you linger here all along. How come you’re not scared then?” He gave me another quick chuckle, like he was laughing on some inside joke. “Uhm” He hesitated for a minute and then replied with “I live here”.

“Here as in the forest? What are you, Mowgli?” I didn’t mean to make it rude. It was more like a snide comment. He didn’t seem to mind, so I didn’t bother apologizing. We started walking. “No, I’m definitely not Mowgli” he said, still laughing. “I’m not sure whether you’ll believe me.” He now had a serious tone. “Please tell me Dravya.” He was making me really curious. He peeked at me analyzing if I was serious and finally gave in.

“We’re the guardians of the forest. We’re humans that nobody outside our little world even recognizes. We stay here to save any humans that wander off in the jungle. We want them safe and happy in their own lives.” His voice was so heavy with emotions. He spoke every word distinctly. He looked at me trying to judge whether I was buying it. Somehow I did trust him. Every word that he said, every sentence. His voice and expression said it all. He continued, “The humans need to be safe and away from even the knowledge of what exists here. Ignorance is bliss. These dark forces are bad enough. With science and technology, it can go up to heights you cannot even imagine. Some things are better unknown.”

“What is it? What’s the secret of this forest?” He looked at me sternly and said, “Like I said, it’s better unknown. It’s a secret hidden for the best.” Somehow his denial was only half-hearted. It was like he wanted to tell me. I pushed him on the topic a little. “Come on please? I promise I won’t tell anyone.” I tried making a puppy face, and I suppose it worked. “Fine I’ll tell you. But you have to keep that promise.” I agreed. I only stopped when I saw where we were going. “Are you crazy Dravya?” I screamt out loud. He was walking right towards the waterfall. I was in no picnic mood. He gave me a look that said ‘Can you handle it girl??’. I crossed my hands and looked at him a little angrily. He replied, doubtful if I would listen and said “Behind the waterfall is a cave that links the jungle to your highway.”