I heard the birds chirping. The sound was so clear. It seemed like it was coming from just a mile away from me. And what is it? Sounds of dry leaves rustling and branches of bamboo creaking were producing incredible instrumental music when a cool zephyr passed through them. Additionally, some microsounds of insects whizzing were also proving an amazing tune in that bird song.
"Was I dreaming? But why my body was shivering with cold.”
“Ouch... my leg's hurting, "
My closed eyelid squeaked, and my brows drew together. Just like a drunk person, My eyes were still closed, and they were struggling open. As my brows were so heavy to be lifted.
I was partially awake, remembering last night's terrifying nightmare, in which everyone betrayed me, so I hurried away in the unknown jungle.
I let out a yawn. A pleasant smile formed on the corner of my lips. With closed eyes, I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank God, it was all just a nightmare."
Gradually, all these white sheep of thoughts were started running through my head one by one, And God knows, when I fell asleep again while counting them.
Suddenly, I remembered I had to finish my office duties early. So I could make time for Grandma's birthday surprise. That notion had barely awakened all of my dozing senses. My eyeball moved under my closed eyelids. And my head slightly rolled over right-side.
Instantly, A delicate beam of sunlight slid onto my eyelids. Thus, I had to force myself to open my eyes. So when I rotated to the right, the muscle in my right arm tinged, and that pain was impossible to ignore. It made me jolted awake. I was thunder bolted as well as disappointed After what I had discovered.
"Ohh no."
I grumbled under my breath to myself. As I became aware that the previous night had not been a nightmare, but rather a reality. I was truly lost in the woods. The sea of deep green plant life was teeming with vegetation and fauna. I saw the dappled light was coming from the canopy of the trees to meet the fuzzy grass on the lush forest ground.
However the worst part was that when I found myself injured and falling unconsciously into the chasm throughout the night. And I was a psychopath; thinking that I was comfortably enjoying sleeping in my en-suite.
Silly me.
I rubbed my eyes, brushed away the leaves and dusts on top of me. Then I attempted to stand by grasping the long, solid tree trunk. However, due to my left leg injury, it was hardly supporting my other leg.
Yesterday night, I was completely infuriated and furious with the situation that I forgot, I could also feel pain as humans. Now, this is the punishment for my emotional hangover. I even felt bad for those wildlife creatures whose sleep I had disturbed in that emotional anger mode. I looked around, a few parts of the place had slightly covered with plants. Nevertheless a little far away from the chasm where I had fallen, was caked with dense trees and plants. Sunlight sometimes appeared when branches moved with the wind. But in the morning, it wasn't too dark as the indirect light made it visible.
I was so enraged and enraged by the circumstances that I forgot I could feel pain like humans. This is now my punishment for my emotional hangover. I even felt sorry for the wildlife critters whose sleep I had ruined in my rage. When I looked around, I noticed that the area around the deep hole where I had fallen was densely forested and overgrown with wild plants. Sunlight would occasionally shine through, only when the branches moved with the breeze. However, it wasn’t too gloomy in the morning because the indirect light still made it apparent.
The place was breathtaking, and the flora and fauna created a piece of excellent tuneful music that made me blissful. It was delightful to my ears, and the incessant buzzing of dragonflies and cicada screeching made me forget about my previous anxieties, and I began to enjoy living in the wonderful present moment.
The air was chilly, but it was healing, not just for my injured leg or arm, but also for my wounded emotions. My foot crushed some plants while walking. That crushed vegetation were releasing an enchanting fragrance into the air, which captivated me.
The overall atmosphere was marvelous over there. Although, There was still a scary side to this jungle. Luckily, I hadn’t encountered that side yet.
"Lucky me." I said.
I had lost one of my shoes when I fell in the pit. So I flung another pair aside and went barefoot on the ground. As My feet made in touch with the ground. I could feel the gratification of joy in my heart with every contact of my feet on the grassland. I was out wondering and admiring the beauty of nature, when I heard a voice coming out of the bushes. I looked around to see what was going on. However, no one was present. I know, the place was mysterious, and I was just a visitor in the woods.
So I kept walking, oblivious to what was going on around me. I took a break after a few kilometers of walking. I heard a burbling sound coming from a short distance away, so I approached, and the sound of running water became louder. Well, I was glad that the small amount of effort with my wounded leg took me to the destination.
Finally, I ended up at a tiny waterfall. Some of my sized stones were placed in the lake's corner, where the waterfall water was combining with it. Walking on top of those stones felt like the quickest way to get to the lake, even with my wounded leg.
I strolled up surreptitiously on one of the stones with my healthy leg, gently crouched down on my knees to endure the pain as little as possible. I leaned down and splashing the water on my face. Every drop of the cascading water refreshed my entire core. I was already tired, so I sat on a large rock near the waterfall, where the water was almost peaceful and unwavering.
I closed my eyes, took a few long breaths, and softly exhaled, but the lethargy did not leave me quickly. Although the environment was serene, my mind carried me back to yesterday's anguish, and the desolated thoughts encompassed me completely. I bent over the water to see my reflection in it. I began to ponder on all of my suffering and asked myself,
"Why is it so hurting?"
I was throwing a tantrum on myself. And suddenly I screamed and jumped back on the rock as I spotted a strange figure in the water. Exactly opposite where I was set. That scared me. I looked around anxiously.
"What was that?" I murmured.
I I raced and hopped out of that stone, neglecting my damaged leg, and held a thin, dry log in my hand to shield myself from whatever it was. I was trembling with fear. The dry log vibrated constantly, as my hands were shivering with unknown anxiety.
I asked with a shaky voice.
"Wh…..who... is... there ?"
In a flash, something, ahhhmm… I mean someone appeared in front of me, hanging upside down on the branch of the tree beneath which I was standing. I wasn’t able to see his face perhaps I was scared to death at that time or because of his face was obscured by a mass of hairs. He spoke in a deep broken voice.
"The real question is.........."
He didn’t even finished his sentence but His sudden entry chilled my blood and I felt on the ground.
He took a pause. He slid the curtain of the hairs over his face while hanging on the tree. And his yellow gollam like eyes showed up. He leaned forward near my face, squeezed his gaze and continued
"........Who are you?"
He spoke and pointed one of his knotty finger toward me. And The curtain of his hairs once again hide back his face, as he moved one of his hand to point out over me.
I was all taken a back. And I thought he was going to harm me. So I dug my face under one of my shoulder and shielded myself with my quivered hands. I didn’t understand what to do. So I just started bagging him.
"Please, leave me, leave me. I didn't do anything?"
He came down from the tree, stepping on the ground with his thin feet, and answered while rolling one of his clow-shaped hands in the floor-touched greyish beard, as he was curved down from his back.
"Who's leaving and who's staying? Who knows. We all are just a God's puppets. Only He has to make decisions." He guffawed.
One of his missing front teeth was visible when he started laughing hilariously.
I couldn't figure out what was going on or what he was trying to express. I wasn’t sure, but his response did not correspond with my apologies to him. Or might be, I was not in a frame of mind to understand what he was trying to say to me. So I kept bagging in a shaky voice.
"Please, don't kill me."
And tears rolled down from my cheeks.
once more, He jumped on another branch of the tree and sat down there, just like money.
"Ahhh...who's going to kill you? Me or someone else?”
“One day, everyone is going to die. It is all part of life."
Crow's feet appeared near his old deep eyes sockets when he once again laughed like a madman.
He plucked a fruit off the tree where he was seated and started munching on It. He also offered me a bit of that strange fruit . But I shook my head in denial. Because first of all, he was a weirdly looking elderly peculiar man. God knows, he wanted to kill me by feeding me that poisonous fruit. Second, his teeth were very monstrously huge and filthy. And when he took a bite, his saliva was stuck on the fruit, when he offered me that half eaten fruit.
I grumbled,
"Gross." I murmured to myself.
Even, He had carried a long wooden staff with some kind of bells fastened to the top. When he shook his stick after every conversation, the bells rung.
I took a sigh of relief as he went away for a while. But he came back quickly with some unfamiliar leaves and plants in his hand.
I got scared again when he held my injured leg. And started smelling like a dog. Then he smashed forcefully those herbs with both of his palms, and he began applying them on my wounded leg.
Initially, I didn't understand what he was doing. But later I noticed, he was trying to help me. His kind gesture gave me little relief that he was not there to harm.
Although, He was the polar opposite of his outward look. I thanked him for his aid. But then I went quiet for a bit. As I thought, there was no reason to be sympathetic to anyone. Who knows, this could be an another forgery.
He sensed something. So he asked,
"On what world are you lost in?"
I replied with gloomy and hopeless eyes.
"Nothing. it just my past hurting me so bad."
I said and looking down. He whacked my head with the upper thick side of his stick.
"Ouch…….”
“HEY. I JUST THANKED FOR HELPING ME. NOW WHAT IS THAT FOR?"
I yelled at him. While pressing my head with my hands.
He replied after shaking his stick. The bells jingles.
"Hmmm.......the past ........ always hurts."
I asked with ill-temper,
"Yeah, but why do you hit me? it's paining."
He answered,
"Who cares? It's a past. Whatever is passed. it was past. "
I was rubbing my head where he had hit me. And I replied,
"Well yes, but it's still hurting in present."
He replied again, jingling the bell with shaking his stick.
"Ha ha, haaannnn.... The pain....."
" But you can't always cling to the same thing. It is gone away. So, why be concerned about today by remembering yesterday? Why not strive to live in the wonderful present? And draw a favorable conclusion from it?"
Again he swung his stick to hit me. But this time, I bent down. So he missed it.
He replied with excitement laugh.
"Ha... ha.... learned it."
I grinned and replied,
"Definitely. Your stick hit harder. And I have seen 'The Lion King movie' from where I had learned it."
In that movie, that Old hag was always carelessly throwing his stick on everyone's head. Well, it was undeniable, that old man was one of my most favorite character from that movie.
"Movie? what was that?" He scratched his head.
Ohhh... I forget he was living in that wilderness, and based on his appearance, I doubt he had any idea of television or so.
I sighed and replied,
"Nevermind. it was past, whatever you understand, keep it. If it was not understood, then let it go."
And I started laughing. Perhaps that old man didn't like my humor, but at least I could laugh in this worst condition, though.
"By the way, what are you doing in this forest?" I asked.
He leaned over me and touched my forehead with his stick and replied,
"What I am doing is not important. What makes you come here that should be your question."
I got frustrated now.
"Oh, can't you give a damn straight answer to any of my questions? Why do you make it too complicated to understand? Or do you always talk like that?"
He ran and stood on a big stone,
"Everything seems complicated in the beginning, just like this jungle. But once you start walking, Once you begin finding the ways. Solutions automatically starts appearing in front of you."
Again, he continued his speech while coming near me and whispered into my ear.
"Just learn how to see the answer. It's always inside of you."
Then he returned to his place on that big stone and sat quickly in meditation posture like a monk.
His talk was really deep. And definitely, whatever he said was meaningful. So I continued conversations with him,
"Well, I am here because I left home. I just ran away. And I still couldn’t accept that everything was fake."
He came down from the stone with the help of his stick,
"Everything in this world is an illusion at some point."
He answered and started ringing the bell and rolling his stick into the air.
When he moved his stick, the walkway in front of me, which was densely forested with heavy trees, plants, and a waterfall, vanished into a thick mist. I couldn't see anything there. While moving the stick in the air, he spoke,
"See...... What you can see?"
I replied in panic.
"What is this? How can it possible? Where does this mist come from? Should we run? Is……is there fire in the forest? But I couldn't smell smoke. Then what is this? "
He asked,
"Did you know what was there behind this smog?"
I squeezed and squinted,
"Well, definitely, I can't see through it. But I already knew that it was a waterfall behind it."
He asked again.
"Are you certain?"
And again, he rolled his stick into the air. The bell jiggled and the heavy mist transformed onto a desert. I was startled, and my jaw dropped in shock now.
I stumbled while asking,
"How? how did that happen? Are you a magician or something?"
He insisted,
"See carefully."
I didn’t have any other options and it was really strange. But I tried to cooperate with him.
"A desert?" I replied.
"Else?" He asked.
"A cactus, sand and mirage….." I retorted,
He stopped me there,
"A mirage. It looked like water. But as much as you go closer. It will disappear. it was just an illusion."
"Yeah, I know the concept of mirage." I replied.
Before I finished my sentence, he again rolled his stick into the air and that desert turned into green land and many rainbows visible in front of me. He asked again.
"See carefully, What did you see?"
I was stunned, but I replied,
"Rainbows. But how?"
He replied,
"A rainbow looks like a wonderful creation of nature. But you can't touch it either. It is also an illusion. Everyone knows it. However, everyone loves it."
My mind was bogged. So I finally asked him,
"W……..Who are you?"