CALAMITY
It was the summer month of June, which is yet cool to feel the hotness of the picture depicted by the calendar. It was regular to find this kind of calendar at every cabinet that consisted of the printed promotion of the company with the tempting picture as per the season of the month. And here is the picture of the dead heat, with the glaring sun behind the dry tree. Though the 12 months of the calendar consisted of 12 pictures, this one is interesting, even intricated to me. Reminding the dreadful trip to the Deciduous of the Deccan Plateau.
It was an old saga. I was in my early youth with warm blood. We were a group of five youngsters that went on hunting in one of the most chaotic Indian forests in the Deccan plateau. It was 12:00 pm in the morning weather was hot, with the heat usurping every minute. We had our guns in hand entering the ruthless forest.
The land was dry with the shrivelled leaves that under every foot made the creepy sound. We were cautious and excited to locate the animal before it located us. It takes a half-hour for us to have the first shot up, that is, weak chinkara having two horns on the head. The prey was weak but still tended to boost morale. In another two hours, we shot out the seven animals making to call the haunting off with the time to enjoy the lunch of these animals haunted by us.
Sitting near a tree, we prepared the roaster and the beer bottles. Spending an hour eating the roasted flesh and the child bear, we finally have the lunch and this time to move back to walk ten miles to the way home. Partly energetic and partly drunk, we conclude the lunch with the cigars. Roy and James were collaborating the roaster, and we were collecting the other things to move back.
‘Henry, you did pretty out of my expectations.’ Said Roy to me, appraising my three animal shots.
‘Thanks, buddy.
But Buddy, your expectations can never reach my courage.’ I replied to the fellowmen.
‘Yes, I also admit that. This man was really audacious.’ Said Oliver having the cigar in the mouth, completing the sentence ‘Much more than the Rony.’
‘Praising a cobblestone as if a gold.’ Rony murmur looking out from me.
‘Oh, Rony
What cobblestone man. Do count today’s score 3–0. Don’t you feel shame telling it?’ I blurt, suddenly standing.
‘Oh, this is just today, lad, neither you stand nothing in front of me.’ He replied
Though this way gruesome truth. But as it comes to my pride, I would not take myself back. And so blurt harshly to him. Making him stand as well
‘Oh, you lad go on and kill these small animals, either an infant buffalo or chinkara. If you wanted to show bravery, seek to the harsh tone of the forest and do let us know how audacious you are by visiting that cave on end.’ He ended with pointed towards a cave at the end.
The end seems to be frightening as the smell coming was not any pleasant, but that does not mean me to insult out in front of my colleagues who then sang that in the whole university. And so I replied.
‘So what, no big deal.’
‘So, prepare your gun to haunt the animal of the cave.’ Rony replied
‘I guess the cave would be empty.’ Said Liam interfering in between
‘Then, more great. Just prove your audacity by visiting the cave.’ Rony said
‘It seems the Liam right as there seem no traces of the recent eaten flesh or blood outside. So, either the animal was dead or unprovocative. This was sufficient to make me show my courage.’
The provocation with the lite intoxication and the heam warmness in the blood lead the unwanted interference. I prepared my gun and visited the cave, with others also waiting outside for any mischief.
Likely the forest, the cave was also shrivelled, but unlikely the forest, the cave was super dark. I took the silent steps inside that in-depth started to sound as in the cave the sound was reverberating.
All of a sudden, something winces. I felt something responding in the dark. The cautious steps started to be withdrawn. The dark was shaping something material, something naturalistic & something horrific. I gulp the saliva to see the green eyes and fire out towards it that shots nothing, making me turn the body and trigger it to run.
‘What what happened’ few shrieked in the group with all of them running, seeing the prodigious animal but animal, that’s the tiger knows its target and not distracted from chasing me. I was in the fight or flight mode that even led to slipped out the gun from the hand and just letting me run. Then, there is a gunshot that I felt made some help, but the gunshot was that far that made the ruthless cat not worry about it. I keep on running. I know that was the worst decision that I made out of the situation, but the time is not to regret it, there is other best from running in front. I started to make the twisting turn, whether round the tree or going around the stone, not following a straight path. Just like my confidence, the sun was also shattering in the sky, mingling with it to connote the evening though several guns fired can be heard that appease me of my life. And I continued at my work, which seemed to be effective. It seems the animal was a few farther, which makes the moment to trigger this confusion more. I continue to change my direction till I vanquish from his sight. I knew this was the home of that animal, adding which the tiger has a prudent nose to smell the human flesh, so it’s not very far that he reached me again. And so, in that time, I have to reach the group and get the arms. I was turning out to look into every direction which pertains to be the same, the same creepy forests all around, with the abundance of heat and my body feeling the dearth of the water. I have to pick up a way, And I choose one that most certainly let me back to the group. It was just I had taken a few cautious steps towards the direction that I heard another roar of the tiger, the same large and nearer, but he was not in front nor to any side, make sense of certainty that he was behind. But this time, I would not make a mistake to run again as the area in front was clearer, and I in no cause able to bluff the animal again. I inhale deep, with rotating very slowly, seeing the animal also silent, though I felt this as a silence before the death. Rotating around, I took a few steps back without the eye contact that was what taught us before being allowed to enter. Suddenly my foot slipped out, and the tiger made the great leap over me. It was chaotic to see the animal or death that close, but I did not lose the nerve still. And suddenly something happened that the tiger looked towards the sky in the right direction. Just like insanity hits him, he roared and ran in the opposite direction.
It was calming to see the nerves back, but it was chaotic to think as to what makes the tiger to run like insane. The same thing that also made the gunfire stopped. I stood on the foot and looked more closely to the sky that was already turned to the dark.
There lays the smoke to the sky with the heat also growing, even in the dark and what witnesses the next is the chaotic yellow flash which was sufficient to make me out to run to save from the calamity of the wildfire. The probable cause of which would be either discarded cigarettes thrown by any colleague due to the sudden tiger attack or might be the gunfire that was fired to frighten the tiger. But this was not the time to think about it.
It was in a few seconds that the smoke almost turned the environment with the flames clearly visible. I chased, chase for life from the death. A death that was more draconian. From one to another to another, it captured trees to trees. I was running, but it was of no use as my body could now feel the heat that the fire was coming nearer and nearer, making finally to fall to see the death. It was just the five meters that the flames farther that there comes the drop of hope, sweep from the sky as a way of rain. Following a thunderbolt and flash rain. I got up again and ran out, hoping the rain would make the wood wet and so not be able to ignite. And that happens that saves me for this day to remember that night.
Sitting in the air conditioner cabin for writing on the global warming issue, I removed my coat and turned the air conditioner down, feeling how minuscule incident shows the larger nature's calamity that was again caused due to the intentional or unintentional human meddling.
