Thriller Short Story – A Tour to Being Trapped
Photo credit: Melodi2 from morguefile.com
One morning Swapnil went to the tea shop. As he was entering he found Ravi waiting for him. He waved at him and then taking a cup of tea in one hand, taking a sip from it and putting his other hand on Ravi’s shoulder asked, “Tell me friend, what’s the matter?”
Ravi told, “Yaar, I very recently participated in one reality show. I got a free pass for tour to Lataguri forest from there as prize. It was my dream come true, but unfortunately got stuck in something else during that period and won’t be able to make out for it. Now I also dont want the pass to have a go like that as well. Now you are my best friend, so want you to go instead. You are a finesse in photography, so would get the view from your snaps. What do you say? Would you be able to make out time either?”
Swapnil said, “I feel I would be, but also feeling sorry that you being so fond of forests got ready to let this tour go just like that for you and instead giving the pass to me to travel.”
Ravi said, “O dont you feel sorry. I am happy that you are going and not anyone else instead. As I told, I would take all the enjoyments, moments, excitement, adventure from your snaps. So here goes the pass.”
Swapnil accepted the same and immediately set out for packing. The next day he was in Lataguri, but thought of starting the adventure the next day. So that day he took few brisk walks all around and mostly rested the whole day. The next day he woke up early and set out for the forest. He was busy walking and taking snaps, very astonishingly glaring at beauty of nature with time, when suddenly he found himself to be in a completely different place altogether. It was still a kind of forest there, but the difference was more noticeable with a sudden change in the surrounding trees, a peculiar sound coming from somewhere and surprisingly a completely different weather.
Swapnil understood that he has lost the way to the city. Still had a minimum of confidence left in him to get that back until he suddenly found himself to be completely surrounded by few people. They were having a very strange dressing with a coulorful dhoti type of thing from their waste to knee, a colouful shawl on their body, lots and lots of bangles on their hand, a ribbon with pointed things towards sky all around on their head and carrying a sword in their hand. Swapnil was tied with rope and taken to their place.
Its been tough time for Swapnil here. He has been completely trapped. His cell phone, and camera has been snatched from him. He is no more allowed to go back. These people actually belong to a particular tribe who have suffered a lot from people of towns until they found this place to make their habitant, where noone could know their presence, or else they would be simply killed this time. So are not leaving Swapnil free to go, as he might tell all about them and this place on his return to city. They have made him take a pill which would make his past couple of days memory very fade.
Swapnil has become hopeless about return as he completely forgot the way towards city and also was very weak on not having food for so long, as their only food is live insects.
One morning Swapnil was just lying down when he suddenly saw one person is furiously running towards him with a sword. He was about to just put the sword inside Swapnil’s belly when Swapnil woke up from his sleep. He was quite nervous and decided that he has to play some trick.
Gradually Swapnil started showing them that he has left the hope of returning back to his place and he is quite happy with this small family. He started participating in all their activities and tried to give them the essence that he has become a member of their family only. He even started accepting food from them and then hidingly throwing them out. So actually Swapnil was not having food since long but tried harder not to show his weakness.
As time went Swapnil became the key member of their family. Swapnil used to sit just beside their Raja whenever any meeting used to take place and he well used to give his views. They to some extent believed that a person from city has a bit more intelligence than them.
Swapnil took this opportunity and one day in one such meeting when he was sitting just beside the Raja, before the meeting started, whispered in his ear, “Sir, by any chance do you have any twin brother?”
The Raja replied, “Hey what are you telling. Stop. No I dont have any. And hearing this what would all my members think about me that I have hidden such a fact of mine from them. What could be the reason for that? Would they not start losing faith in me. This would become a prestige issue for me. See sir we unlike people of towns are very simple and down to earth. They on first time would believe this and would get hurt thinking that their Raja has hidden such a big fact from them, when they are at their toes to even sacrifice their lives for me. Dont say this anymore.”
Swapnil continued, “I know sir and so only whispered in your ears. But believe me I have really seen him, exactly looks the same like you. First of all I also thought that its you, but then when I saw both of you together, I knew he was someone else. He mostly comes every mid night to pay a visit here. Since it could be a prestige issue for you, hopefully thinking that he comes in dark, sees you and goes away.”
Raja started trusting a bit this time and asked, “Is it? And so where could he go do you think?”
Swapnil said, “May be just towards the city outside this locality where he stays as in this place everyone knows you and would have similar suspicion like me if they come to see him and you together and then would lose faith in you in your attempt of hiding such a fact of yours from them.”
The Raja simply heard and kept quiet. Swapnil knew his trick has worked. That night Swapnil was keeping a secret watch on the Raja. As expected, he found that sharp at 12 midnight, Raja just wore one shawl, covered himself and his face and set off. Swapnil knew he was going in search of his twin brother as he told him in the morning. But Swapnil as decided earlier silently set off after him in hope to get the road to city.
After travelling for sometime, he found one strip of light far away. On going further he found a road and the strip of light coming from the headlight of a truck on the road. He knew he has found the road to the city as he was expecting and was overjoyed. Suddenly he saw the Raja, not finding anyone as Swapnil mentioned, was disheartened and was turning back to return. He quickly hid himself behind one tree and allowed the Raja to go back passing him.
As Raja became out of sight, he immediately ran towards the road. As he reached there he started running by the road wasting no time. However he never went too far when he heard a kind of alarm. He thought hopefully by this time they all have come to know about his fleding and so ringing alarm to wake everyone and set for searching..He increased his pace but the alarm continued.
He started murmuring, “Please let me go, please let me go”, when suddenly he woke up, found his alarm clock is ringing. He was dreaming. He panted for sometime, but recovered well, stopped the alarm, freshened up and then set for the tea shop.
As he was entering the tea shop, he found Ravi waiting for him with a small pass like piece of paper in his hand in which it was written, “To Lataguri”….
__END__
