The forest By Pallavi Limaye, Singapore

Posted by Team 4indianwoman at 1 September 2007, 2:34 AM
Categories: Short Stories
Situated amidst the thickness of an evergreen tropical forest was a small resort. It was an old house made up of dark gray stone, thick beefy walls, and emerald colored moss growing within its rocky crevices. The house had been converted into a simple resort, with minimal comfort, meant for people wanting to spend a night in the forest.
The resort was occupied generally during the summer, by nature lovers wanting to explore the remarkable flora and fauna of the rich lively tropics. The forest itself was located on a wide plateau, with a winding road running around its outskirts that connected the towns on either side of the hilly region.
Come rain, the resort would be plunged in darkness, even during daytime, with torrential rains and tall leafy trees obstructing any light that managed to seep in through the heavy, black clouds. The winding road would be covered with fog, making it difficult to cross the hilly area.
On one such rainy morning, a group of young students had set out for an adventure, despite being warned of the dangers of the journey. Eric, an adventure junkie, was the leader of the group and it was his idea to hire a bus and set about on a wet and wild expedition.
By mid afternoon, the bus started ascending the winding road surrounding the forest. It was a difficult undertaking, since the road was narrow and snaky, with hardly any reflecting signboards and protective barricades. One wrong maneuver and the bus could go plummeting down the steep mountainous incline.
At one such bend, the fog was so thick, that the driver missed the turn. The bus started moving closer and closer towards the bottomless gorge straight ahead. Just when the bus was inches away from freefall, the driver realized his mistake and stomped on the brakes. The bus managed to stop, despite the slippery wet road, and the driver resumed the journey uphill.
The bus moved inch by inch towards the top of the forest, after which it would start its descent towards the other side of the plateau. As it neared the hilltop, the vehicle gave a sudden jolt and broke down into smoky fumes. The engine had broken down; there was no going downhill that day.
There was only one thing to do, stay at the resort within the forest overnight, and arrange a transport back home as early as possible. The group of youngsters, now thoroughly drenched in the hard-hitting rain, began walking towards the deserted resort. As they passed the yellowish brown leaves, decomposing in the wet mud alongside the once tarred road, a strong eerie wind pushed them deeper and deeper into the darkness of the forest. 
After what seemed like forever, the group arrived at the resort, which was completely unoccupied except for the caretaker, an old man with white complexion and equally white hair. The youngsters checked themselves into their rooms, and got ready for an early dinner.
Over a modest dinner prepared from the insufficient kitchen supplies, the caretaker warned the youngsters about the dangers of the forest, the cruel spirits lurking amidst the shadowy surroundings.
“Do not go out into the forest after dusk”, he warned, “whoever ventures out never returns back.”
The group promised to stay inside, locked within their rooms, waiting for the morning when they could head back home. But Eric had made plans of his own, he did not believe in ghosts, and decided to prove it to everyone else.
As the resort lights were switched off one by one, Eric tip-toed out of his room, with a small torch and some rain gear. He sneaked out of the resort, planning to take a small walk in the forest and then get back to bed.
The rain was now a meek drizzle, and Eric started following the narrow light beam emitted by his torch. A few minutes later Eric decided to head back to the resort, but just as he turned the yellow torch light slowly dimmed into complete darkness. Cursing his bad luck, Eric started walking towards the direction of resort. Minutes turned into an hour, but there was no resort in sight, just pitch black all around. Eric was not even sure which direction he was supposed to go, but nevertheless he kept walking.
A faint light became visible at the horizon, seeing which Eric hastened his pace. He was beginning to get worried and a little bit scared. As Eric got closer and closer to the source of light, it became clear that it was not from the resort, but from a mini bonfire, burning outside a small hut. Nevertheless, this was better than walking pointlessly in the darkness. As Eric approached the hut, an old hunched-back woman emerged from the hut, carrying a bunch of firewood in her frail white scaly hands. Her white coarse hair almost hid her pale wrinkly face.
Eric told her he had lost his way, and asked her how to get back to the resort. The old woman told him that the resort was several kilometers away from the hut, and difficult to navigate in the darkness of the night. She offered him to stay with her overnight, and agreed to give him detailed directions the next morning. Eric was relieved to hear this; he was much too scared to return into the darkness of the forest.
The following morning, with the help of the old woman’s instructions, Eric reached the resort just in time for breakfast. On discovering his absence, his friends had searched the whole resort, and the surroundings, but to no avail. Their worries were put to rest when Eric entered the dining room. 
 
They all wanted to know what happened the previous night. As Eric narrated his experience, his friends shrieked and screamed with fear and awe.
“Eric! The caretaker said there is an old lady in the forest, but she is a ghost, and whoever meets her will die!”, one of them shrieked.
A moment later, everyone’s face turned white, there were no more questions asked, no more sounds. Just dead silence.
For Eric whispered, “What makes you think I am alive…”

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