Ghost of the Wilderness
The boys were tired; they had been trekking for six hours and
still they had not reached the lake.
‘I think we are lost in this wilderness,’ said one.
‘We must stop and camp somewhere; Sun is about to set and
soon it would be dark,’ other replied.
They found a nice camping place near a rivulet.
‘How do you like it?’ asked one
‘I sense something eerie about this place,’ said the other
and laughed as if it was a joke. They began to set up the camp.
They were about to start their dinner when, in the dim evening
light, they saw an old, sickly man, in tattered clothes, approaching their
camp. They were taken aback and looked at each other.
‘I am tired and hungry. I haven’t eaten for days. Would you
mind sharing……….’ his voice was harsh and low.
The boys seemed lost for words; they said nothing.
‘“Who this man is and………what’s he doing here?” That’s what
you are thinking, no?’ Although his body was withered his eyes were shinning in
the fading evening light.
‘Yes,’ said one of them, meekly.
‘You think I am…….some unearthly being…..a ghost,’ he
laughed.
‘No,’ said the other boy but without any conviction.
‘I too came in search of the lake and got lost in this
wilderness. I have been wandering here for years……I have even lost count of the
years. I don’t think the lake exist…..yes; I know there’s no lake anywhere here.
Boys, let me warn you; there’s no way out from here; we are all trapped in this
ghostly wilderness.’
A terrifying nervousness began to grip the boys.
‘You can have the dinner with us but this tent is good enough
for two persons only. You may have to make some other arrangement…….’ one boy
ventured politely.
‘What bad times these are? People are unwilling to help even
a harmless and sick….….’old man started muttering strange words that the boys
couldn’t understand.
And then to their horror, he got on his all fours and began to
howl like a wolf. His call was promptly returned by a pack of invisible wolves.
************
My earlier posts are here
A B C D E F