A story in three episodes by Vagmi Shah, Class IX B
Episode 2
I slept like a log all night and woke up with the rays of the sun. I had had a good night`s sleep and was refreshed. It seemed as if even my hope and will power were regenerated. I washed my face in the basin. The bathroom was equivalent to the size of a big room. The bathtub was separated from the rest of the bathroom by a single pink curtain. The walls were covered with roses and vines. The door was of delicate glass. I descended to find something to eat. I had not eaten since noon yesterday and was ravenous. The kitchen was spotless like the rest of the castle. I took out a jug of milk and a handful of biscuits to go with it. It seemed as if the castle had been made specifically according to my needs and comfort. As soon as I finished my breakfast, I gathered my things for departure. As much as my heart was against leaving this comfortable abode, I knew deep inside that I could not stay here for forever. One day, I would have to leave; so, sooner the better. I trudged down the front steps and left the beautiful castle. Little did I know that I would never see that castle again.
That day, I followed my instincts and headed east. I did not know why or how, but that day I felt as if my senses had sharpened. I was able to recognise the distinct smell of sap. The brown needles were soft under my foot as I walked. The soil was moist. It looked to me as if the forest had experienced a heavy downpour last night. The forest was teeming with life. Everything was fresh. The wild flowers were blooming and the forest buzzed with the busy lives of the animals it had inhabited. There was an astonishing variety of species of both – flora and fauna. They were the rulers of this magical world of trees.
Plants and animals that I had never seen before, perhaps not even heard of, were right there in front of my eyes. The forest was filled with beautiful, fragrant and colourful wild flowers. The forest had come alive. Sunlight was filtering through the pine needles and creating a kaleidoscope of different greens. The trees were majestic and were standing serenely. Their branches were entangling with each other and forming a canopy. Ivy climbed up the trees like green snakes. Spongy mosses grew on rocks here and there. Wild grass, ferns and other exotic plants grew, whose names were alien to me.
There were squirrels and rabbits scurrying everywhere. A couple of reindeers were grazing and the chirping of birds was music to my ears. I stood there, enchanted by nature and continued to gape in awe at my surroundings. After a while, I broke out of my trance and shook myself. I had a destination to reach. I picked my way across the path that I had mapped out for myself in my mind.
I continued to walk at a steady pace. I did not notice that the number of living organisms was decreasing with every step I took forward. I reached a point where neither a single beast nor bird was to be seen. Unaware of my present surroundings and the silence that accompanied it, I continued to march along a little stream which had emerged out of the blue from the rocks. Despite the downpour last night, the sun was shining brightly now and everything was dry once again.
Abruptly, I stopped. I had heard the sound of leaves, dry and fine as parchment, cracking, as if someone was trying to walk very carefully so as to remain concealed. I stood still, listening and waiting for some other sound to come.
Silence.
I was very scared at this point of time and various terrifying images began appearing in my mind. I started to get a move on when I heard something. It seemed like a human voice. I again waited for the voice, just to confirm my fears. It came again. I was sure this time. Whoever was coming, was a human alright. I rushed forward to meet this person. The forest had grown denser in this region and the undergrowth blocked my view. As I could only see a part, I stood still and waited for this person to show. The voice seemed very near now. I turned my head towards the voice and I had just opened my mouth to introduce myself, when instead of words, a loud, ear-piercing scream came out of my horrified mouth. What I was looking at, was not a human body, but a lion`s body. A lion’s body with the voice of a human………
