Shatru Sesham: Sequel of Baahubali ✔️

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Narasimha, Bhavani and Dilipa reached a creaky, old suspension bridge made up of wooden rafts and ropes. The condition of the bridge was very bad. It didn't look as though it could withstand the weight of all of them if they crossed at the same time. It seemed as though it would collapse any instant.

"Is there no other way except this?" Bhavani inquired turning towards Narasimha and Dilipa.

Narasimha shook his head, "This is the only route connecting these two mountains. And the Buddhist Monastery straddles on the plateau of the second mountain to the other side. We are in the last leg of our journey. We have to cross this bridge one by one. You go first. Then Dilipa and I will cross after you."

Bhavani slowly crossed the rickety old bridge on her horse. She safely reached the other end and signaled to Dilipa and Narasimha to start crossing. Dilipa went next. The bridge held on for the second trip too. Now it was Narasimha's turn to cross. The ropes of the bridge were badly straining due to the traction. Midway through, strands of the ropes started splitting and the bridge became highly unstable. Narasimha's horse started galloping as an instinctive stress reaction increasing the burden and strain on the already weak and fragile bridge. Narasimha was unable to bring the scared beast under control.

The bridge capsized into the steep valley leaving Narasimha and his horse precariously dangling with barely a foothold on a steep ledge fifteen feet below the place where Bhavani and Narasimha were standing. The legs of the horse were broken because of this fall. Fortunately, Narasimha escaped with a few scratches here and there on his body.

"Are you alright, Narasimha?" His terrified friends shouted as they threw a few tree vines down to help Narasimha climb up.

"I am fine. Only my horse is severely injured. Both of his back legs are broken. He will never be able to recover completely", he replied.

Narasimha clobbered up using the vines. Once he was up, his friends asked, "Shall we go?"

Narasimha turned backwards to look at the poor wounded animal still stranded on that ledge, "But the horse? He brought me till here. I can't leave him like that. He will surely die."

Bhavani turned to Narasimha and said, "I know you are very compassionate and soft-hearted. But it would be impossible for the three of us to pull a lame and wounded horse so high up. We might have to abandon him wherever he is."

Dilipa patted Narsimha's shoulder and said, "Yes, she's right. Even I hate what I am telling you to do. But it is literally impossible. Come let's go."

Narasimha went in slow steps behind his friends. His mind knew his friends were right. But his heart refused to accept it. The horse started frantically neighing and making vain attempts to stand up. The horse realized that they were leaving him there. Narasimha beheld the wordless reproach in the eyes of the lame horse, 'I brought you here but the minute I needed your help you are abandoning me.'

Narasimha wrenched his hand from his friends' grasp and said, "No, I am not coming. Would you two have abandoned me if I was in the place of that horse? No, you would have saved me at any cost. Then why such different standards for a horse that helped us throughout our journey? Shame on us if we can't stand beside a mute animal who can't speak for himself."

"But, friend. What you speak of is impossible. Three of us just cannot pull up the horse. To make matters worse, he is lame", Dilipa said.

Narasimha said, "Who said we are three? Look we are five."

"What?" Both Dilipa and Bhavani exclaimed in astonishment.