THE JOURNEYS OF A YOUNG TREKKER

“Yes!!We have done”

It all started in a wintry day with a little sunlight and a little rain though bloom the flowers but the leaves of our garden fell down from some plants. The ringing of the calling bell makes my family excited as because my dear sister Gwen was about to come. As soon as we opened the door we were speechless and fear gripped us. A completely mad and old man said repeating these words:

“In the hill of Nilgiri lies a treasure

Find it yourself

You will be wealthy

Our country will feel proud

Use the treasure for the poor

Something special is waiting for you

Trek the mountain

Use the clue that I will give you

Make my dream true

Pass the great snowy river

At the peak you will find the treasure

The day will pass

The more you pass the riddle

Higher in the mountain

Each step you follow

Will gradually lead to success

High and high and high

It will lead to success

The success

Each step you follow

Rising of the sun

Outstanding scene

Create a great scene

Kites are flying

You will find the treasure”

When the man said these words our video recording camera was on as we think that we will record Gwen’s welcome ceremony from the beginning to the end. Unfortunately for us the mad man made an entry and the whole dialogue was recorded. Suddenly the man fell unconsciously to the ground and his breathe came out of his body. We were horrified to see the tremendous scene. All the natives of our village came out of their houses and the tranquility of the place was ended. Of the crowd, a man came out and introduced himself as Suresh and saw me a card. The following was written:

California Mountaineering Institute

Name        : Mountaineer Suresh Bannerjee

Age            : 25 years

Profession: Mountaineer

“Oh! So you are the famous mountaineer Suresh Bannerjee”

He did not answer the question and later I thought that I was a fool to ask this question. He looked very eager and excited. With taking deep breathes he said “Uf! Uf! Please give me the camera where the dialogues were recorded. The mad man though was mad but he would have been saying the words intentionally.”

So all of us went to the living room and the record was started. After listening to the record Suresh thought for a while and suddenly in a hurried voice said “I would leave now to the great Nilgiri hills where the treasure was hidden.” So Suresh wrote all the recorded words in a sheet of paper.

With eagerness and over excitement my mouth automatically said “I will also accompany you.”

My parents as well as Suresh, all who were present in the living room fill with awe. My family must have thought that how can a small child of sixteen years old survive a mountaineer’s life but I was determined that I will convoy Suresh. Although it took much time to understand that it would be safe with a skilled trekker but at last they allowed me to go with Suresh.

On a spring day we were off with many types of equipment to the Nilgiri hills. When we got below the Nilgiri hills my heart shivered a little bit but I was firm to find the treasure and have a part of it. So Suresh took out a rope and we two climbed the mountain by wearing a sweater and by supporting the rope. After a long time a plane land came and we put our tent there only. I was amazed to see the scenery from the mountain but I also became suspicious because the mountain was not snowy instead was a soil covered mountain but soon Suresh explained me that this mountain is not so high to be frozen but the higher parts of the mountain may have some snow or ice sheets.

We ate some rice and curry and afterwards seen the clue of the treasure’s location and slept peacefully. When I got up from sleep I was shocked to see my hands not moving and then I realized that they were being tied and beside me laid Suresh in a sleeping position. In front of us I heard a great cacophony and pandemonium and saw some tribes dancing and beating drums. Just then I noticed something was in the tree which was in the centre of that place. It was the Almighty King who made his house behind the tree to get a camouflage and so that people could not recognize their habitat.

The king went forward towards me and it came just in front of me. He said “aguana likesan icaspio” I could not understand the language and meanwhile Suresh woke up and said “anagu naspita oipsacio ne! ne!”

I asked Suresh that what are they saying and he said that they were going to sacrifice us to their family God “Saolapi” who eats only man who comes to their land and stay there and that we had put our tent on that .Then two tribesmen came and hold my hands and rushed me towards a huge volcano. They bowed before the volcano and took me to the peak and when throwing me into the volcano a light sparkled and the tribes closed their eyes. I thought this was the right time to flee and I ran as quickly as possible but at the bottom of the volcano stood the huge emperor of the tribes.

I thought he would again throw me into the gigantic volcano but a smile arose in his face and from behind the great body I could see a winking face of Suresh who saved me. He told the king that yesterday he saw a dream that a fire would come out of the volcano and will destroy the race if they prey a young boy. And so they released me and Suresh from their captivity and again we two wanderers packed their tents and went to the higher parts of the Nilgiri where for the first time I saw some signs of ice laying aside below a gap. The land was not plain but bumpy with steep rocks and at a place there was a great frozen river of snow and then I thought that what the mad man was saying was true because at a place he described the snowy river. But when we reached near it we saw some bodies frozen in it.

It was a terrific scene and I thought that they might have lost their life finding the treasure. We were forced to walk over the frozen bodies in order to cross the river. I felt ill and we were to put our tent there only after covering some distance. Day by day I felt more and more ill but some days later I was recovered and went on with Suresh. We saw a fixed rope by which we climbed towards the high regions. As soon as we climbed to the higher regions we were stunned, the land was bare and in a sign board it was written:

Nilgiri Peak

34 foot

It relieved me but there was no sign of treasure instead was a thing written in odd language on the board:

if you enter the number 1234, you will reach a strange land where you will find the treasure.

But now how to get to treasure? Suddenly I saw Suresh taking out a book with many odd signs and I thought he would find a way. I was right, he took out a piece of paper and a pencil was trying to write something and suddenly he loudly said “yessssss! I have made it. There find a code box for me. It must be lying here only.” So I was excited and went to find it, and found it under a huge rock which happened to be a miracle, was very light. It was written on the box:

ENTER THE CODE:

TRIES REMAINING: 10

I went to Suresh for giving the news for the box but instead of looking at me he snatched the box from my hand and typed: 1234 and suddenly a circle was created at the center of the peak and Suresh jumped into the circle so I. Then I only knew that we were in a strange world. Then also we could not find anything on the ground except a huge white stone which I thought was of no use. The stone every time caught my eyesight as there was nothing there. Suresh wanted me to do the work but when I stared at him fiercely and angrily he readily accepted that I would instruct him and he would do what I will order him to do. And so I instructed him to search everywhere if he finds a clue for treasure. Beside me was lying Suresh’s bag and I took out the piece of paper where he wrote the old rather the mad man’s saying and saw a sentence being formed with all the first letter of the sentences except the last. The sentence was:

IF YOU STUMP AT THE WHITE ROCK YOU WILL FIND THE TREASURE

So as directed I went proudly and bravely to put my foot on the white rock. As soon as I stumped on it the lightening began to crack and clouds began to gather and at once I saw the rock breaking and a gold box coming out of the soil. I saw a frightened Suresh peeping the entire scene from behind a huge bush. But as the box came to my hand the weather became moderate but within the box there was a huge lock which I thought was to be broken for opening the box. Now Suresh went calmly and hold that lock then suddenly he gave the most pressure that he could and seeing the hard work I also put my hand and gave pressure and then the lock broke and a proverb came to my mind “Teamwork is the best work.” We then find lots of gold and silver and at the below of the box a picture was hidden. Surprisingly it was the old man’s photo was below it was written that he was a old saint who discovered the treasure but lack of power stopped him for the treasure’s quest. Then Suresh exclaimed:

“Yes!!We have done”

And it was the end of my glorious journey as a young trekker with an experienced mountaineer Suresh Bannerjee.

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