Chapter 1: The Exposition
It was a regular morning at the orphanage, as usual I came late to the class but
that was new that our Mathematics teacher, being to come secondly spoke, “Get in.”
At first, I was confused but later it sought alright. He then continued to bore us
with the concepts of algebra. "How can letters be used in Maths?", I thought to
myself. I sat beside my friends, smiled at them and took out my notebook. It just
left opened as I was rather talking. James spoke, "Have you heard of that old
mansion in the depths of the jungle behind our orphanage?"
"Is there a jungle behind our orphanage?", I thought, "Once or twice only I have
seen some bushes backwards".
James explained that the old mansion was a good spot for an adventure in the
weekend and have something memorable in the fifteens before three weeks.
We nodded. “Ok,” said I, “We shall meet at the gate of the jungle at half past six
with a torch and a bagful of eatables. Other essentials are at your will".
I and Vrock reached there. After a while of waiting in the post-dusk James came and
we strode towards the mansion. As we were going into the forest the darkness of it
swallowed us. The sky was over casted with dropheavens. Our hearts were beating but
walked further. The decision to quit came several times to me but I denied
everything as I would be called a kid if did such cowardly. Consequently, Vrock hit
a branch and began to run ran by us past him integrating it of danger. When caught
he slipped himself into a hole gathering us indeed.
We were filthy from head to toe and the torches in our hands were now non-working.
"Why you run?", I asked him. Both of us ignored him and tried to search for it. We
were utterly lost and had with ourselves no alternative to carry on. By then we
just wanted to escape from the jungle and the fun of the adventure was absolutely
curbed from our heads.
We just walked straightly in hope to get through the jungle but; unexpectedly, we
reached an old cemetery. It was completely ruined though the graves seemed new.
There were many statues of demons built over small pillars beside the grave.
Besides, we saw many bones and skulls looking that of humans. Silent breeze was
moving which terrified us even more. Out of nowhere, a warm wind whispered into my
ears- Hey kid, are you new here? I was shocked and hastily turned around screaming
and saw nothing. The scream shocked both of them in turn and hence, we began to
quarrel. Vrock hit James and he felled backwards tuning a candle stand. He
suspected that there was a small used candle. Fortunately, I was having a fire
lighter and hence lit it and attempted to explore the area. Upon the tombs, we saw
blood-red color and plenty of rotten fruits. Beside them there were spears dug in
the ground with a red-prered cloth tied around it; at the center of the cemetery,
we saw drawings of humans and mythological creatures painted with red and black
oils on the floor.
As we went to a corner, we were stammered by the sudden appearance of a filthy man
who stood before us, wearing a dirty, black coat around his neck like a cape. His
hairs were dirty and grey and his face illustrated in the dark cut marks that were
indelible and incurable. His face showed the desperate existence of something, or
someone...
His sudden appearance made us fell on the ground causing the candle to fade off.
The lighter gave us our lost hopes. Although the man seemed friendly on giving me a
hand, he was queer in his behaviour and dressing. He did not harm us but every time
rattled," Get away.......run away! You won't survive.... throw him....", and
fainted.
"Food", he said. We fed him some biscuits and water from our bags but Vrock refused
and said even to let him die and completely hated him. We told him to help the man
as it was our duty and it is in our holy laws.
"Holy laws.... I don't mind your foolish 'holy laws'." We ignored him and he too
separated from us, stand facing the other side. The man was back to normal, he
said, “You had help me so in return I would help you too, ask me one thing for your
own". I and James exclaimed to guide us to that old mansion, Vrock quietly said,
"Whatever". The man quickly and happily nodded and moved to a direction. On our
way, we asked him his name, "Karl", he said.
"So, Karl where are you from?", I said. He said that he was from a magical world to
teach mankind love and fraternity. Rather we merrily laughed at it, Vrock remarked
"You are a kid that you yet believe in God and fairy tales". No sooner did we have
stopped laughing than a snake attacked us. We were pursuing attempts to get away
from that creature when our new friend was bitten. He was fighting with life. We
were searching all around to get some aid but found nothing. Karl died in front of
us, the snake had gone too; we were frowning but there was an unusual smile on
Vrock's face that I suspected. Neither I asked him nor told it to James. We
struggled with him back to the cemetery scirching the blood on the uneven pebbly
floor. For all the way I observed him and found him smiling but not showing his
teeth.
We put him against a batch of pillars. We were just leaving when at last I checked
his heart rate and found something in his chest pocket. It was something like a
bracelet of twelve mukhi bastard cedar but broken. They called me and immediately
string I put everything in the bag. We continued our path everywhere was trees,
unabstractedly James saw a spider and ran blindly. Of course, we ran past him
unfortunately we fell off a cliff and rolled until we reached the bottom. I landed
on my arms crouching and spoke blowing out sand," Did you tell me that you want to
become a zoologist?"
"Not now", James said. Vrock pointed his finger and we were out of our argument and
saw the mansion when the rain fell and the thud of the lightning from behind the
mansion summit. We dashed off taking our bags on our heads across the barren circle
towards the mansion. The land had neither grasses or flowers too.
We were standing in front of the gate under the main visor supported by small
rounded pillars squeezing our clothes. When looked at the demon face above the
gate, James gulped hard. Our throats were starving for water, eyes too lacked
concentration and our body was indeed cracked. So, we sat down and opened our
bagpacks. That was the last chip that I ate. Now we had nothing to eat or to drink.
We realized that it was a big mistake of not informing either our teachers or
friends or anybody about our voyage. We cursed our decision.
We stood up and opened the door, our courage grew, silvered our teeth and we knew
it was the time for the test of our courage. We had the idea of the fear of a new
adventure.
