“There is an isolated village that sits in a rugged valley. We can easily capture it and make it our base,” whispered the man cloaked in mystery.
“Where is it?” Boss enquired.
Its north of our location, close to the Pamir knot.
“Then it will be barren, cold and utterly inhospitable.”
“True, but there’s a thick forest all around it. As if the Gods have blessed it.”
“Vegetation? What kind?”
“I see Red rhododendrons, in full bloom. Pine woods in their rich emerald cloak, and some Chinar too!” said the man animatedly.
The static on the radio indicated the call was over for the time being.
The majestic mountains were covered in a mantle of snow. Only the isolated village, lay wrapped in its green blanket, at the bottom of the valley. The icy cold aquamarine water urgently splashed over boulders as it ran past. The man wrapped his rough loi, closer and pulled his cap as low as possible.
Through his binoculars he took one last long look, scanning the terrain, the forest and the peaks gently holding the secret village.
“Who are you?” asked a calm voice of a young girl. The magical silence of the mountains was gently shattered.
“I am a traveller… child,” murmured the man, taken by complete surprise.
“Put your bag down, and hands up. Quickly!” she continued.
The man was baffled. He had not seen any one guarding the village, nor did he see any one coming or going in the last couple of days. An occasional goatherd. That was all!
His mind was racing as he lay down his rucksack. Slowly he lifted his arms overhead.
Two young boys materialised and checked his pockets. Finding his pistol in his trouser pocket, they laughed and gave it to the young girl dressed in a salwar kurta and a phiran.
Suddenly, a thick rope net descended on him. Captured. In a trice his hands were tied behind his back and he was tugged along. A trail emerged. Worn over years of travel it made itself visible, if you looked hard enough. “Ridiculous!” he murmured to himself. He was more embarrassed than anything else.
“Don’t slow down! Don’t stop! Keep walking!” said one of the escorts prodding him on.
Through the forest, under thick large branches, over a few boulders, skirting some thorny bushes, they soon emerged in a clearing. It was green and had a circle of big boulders in its centre. Strange!
They went beyond, lunging through more trees that seemed to meet overhead. Sentinels to keep all unwanted things out.
“Oh! What have you here today, dear children?”
The intruder heard the warmth in the deep timbre of the mellow voice before he saw the elderly man. Long white beard, flowing to his chest, a mop of wavy silver hair reaching his shoulder, beginning from under a brown woollen cap.
“This man Baba! He was trying to sneak into our village. We have seen him watching us for the last two days.”
Now the man, wanted to disappear in the ground and die. No one would respect him any longer. Caught by a bunch of kids!
The deep throaty laughter preceded the old man’s appreciation of the kids, as he asked them to release their captive.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
“I am Sher Khan, from across the border. Can I get some shelter here? I have got lost.”
“Of course! If you don’t wish to harm us, we shall let you stay here for the night. Tomorrow you leave and never come back. Else you wont be alive to tell the story!” laughed the old man. His steely voice left no doubts.
The children escorted him to a barn filled with cattle, and left him there.
Next morning he was left and told to never return.
“Unbelievable! Boss will not believe me. I have to go back!”
He hid behind a large tree, watching what was going on.
The old man was addressing many people, all young children.
“Dear friends, once again we had an intruder but the alert guards nabbed him. We have sent him back and hope he does not repeat his audacious behaviour again. For, what is the rule of our village that everyone follows without question?”
“One chance only!” echoed all. Their voices sounded soft but clear as the blue sky above.
A light itch went up his limbs, urging his hands to scratch. “Mosquitoes be gone!” he murmured, as he bent to scratch his legs. Creepers had bound his legs and before his eyes tied up his arms too! A cold blade of steel rested on his nape.
“Had we not told you to never come back?” asked the young boy.
“My sword is still red from the last trespasser I killed. Like you… he dared to return.”
“Forgive me… Please let me go!” he begged and beseeched.
“So that you can steal our elixir? Isn’t that why you came? Like the seven hundred and thirty five before you?”
Our village has one rule that everyone follows… without question!
The silence around the valley echoed with a loud terrifying wail for quite some time.
In a remote place elsewhere in the mountains, the Boss twiddled with his radio set, “Where could he have disappeared?”
“Maybe the Indian army caught him finally. He has been on the wanted list for so long!”
PS: Written for #Inntales5 for #ArtoonsInn
Image: Courtesy AI
