Part -16
Nupur entered the woods ,due to the tall ,thick trees it was already dark inside. her
heart was beating fast , she had no idea how she was going to find Mayank ,but she
did not stop. *should i call him ??* thought Nupur * no i cannot afford to distract
him with a call , what if that thug lakhan is already here , he may be able to
pinpoint Mayank's location if he hears the cell ring.*
Nupur tried to walk quietly but the could not manage it as the dry leaves on the
ground made a crackling noise under her boots. she stopped to get her bearings &
listened for any noise , any disturbance that could indicate the where abouts of
Mayank & the forest guards , but all she could hear was her heart beating like a
drum.
Nupur started walking again ,trying to look for the fluroscent paint that Mayank
had shown her the day they had come for the hike. Spotting the paint glowing on
the trunk of a tree, she moved towards it. Suddenly two hands came out from
behind the tree , a arm held her around the waist & one palm covered her mouth.
Nupur started struggling ,trying to dislodge the arm & the hand .
she was pulled in the bushes against someone's chest. A low voice murmured in her
ear , " shhh Nupur!!! stop struggling its me Mayank."
Nupur turned her head & saw the familiar chocolate brown eyes. Mayank let go
off her ,she threw her arms around Mayank's neck & hugged him close,sobbing in
relief. Mayank hugged her back & murmured in her ear ," follow me but try to be
really quiet."
Mayank entwined his fingers with Nupur's & started walking stealthily inside the
jungle . Nupur walked with him , stepping on exactly the same spots Mayank had
stepped, thus avoiding the dry leaves & their crackling noise.
* I think we've reached some where near the stream* thought Nupur * i can hear
the bubbling water.*
suddenly Mayank stopped under a tree & Nupur collided with him.He looked up &
signaled. A harness tied with a rope came down from the tree,Nupur was amazed,
she looked up could not see anything due to the dense leaves .
Mayank put the harness around Nupur's shoulders & tugged at the rope. Nupur
was hauled up slowly & carefully. When she reached at the top Nupur was helped
up the machan ( a kinda platform built on trees ) by Deviprasad kaka. with in a
few minutes Mayank too climbed up the machan.
Nupur wanted to ask Mayank so many things ,which Mayank guessed looking at
her face & murmured," not now Nupur!!"
so Nupur kept quiet & looked around , the machan was sturdily built with lots of
hay spread on it make it comfortable to sit. there were some water bottles kept on
one side from which DP kaka offered her one, there appeared to be some food as
well. they had provisions for a long wait.
* i must let Shilpa aunty & Mona know , i am here with Mayank & safe, otherwise
they might worry.* thought Nupur. She took out her cell from the pocket &
Mayank asked her under his breath ," what are you doing Nupur?"
" i am msging aunty that i am safe , with you & not to worry." replied Nupur .
" i have already sent her msg about that but you can send too , if it makes you feel
better.just put your cell on silent mode." Mayank said.
Nupur was surprised to hear this,but did as Mayank said. In a few minutes the
cell vibrated in her hand signalling the incoming SMS. * Mayu had sent me a msg,
you be careful Nupur beta.*
Nupur looked at her watch , they had been up there on the
machan for almost 3 hours ,doing nothing but waiting for something. since
Mayank forbade her to talk ,there was no way of knowing what was happening &
what they were waiting for. slowly Nupur's eyes became accustomed to the
diffused light inside the jungle. Suddenly they could hear a trilling sound which
appeared to be some sort of bird, but hearing it Mayank & DP kaka became alert.
Mayank held Nupur's hand & said " that was my signal, Nupur you stay up here
with kaka, just stay quiet no matter what happens, you are safe here. i will be back
in some time. " Nupur held his hand for a few moments & looking in his eyes said,
" please be careful Mayank." " I will be , don't worry." Mayank said & looked at
kaka ,who had moved towards the edge of the machan & was looking down.
Mayank took advantage of the opportunity & kissed Nupur's forehead, before
climbing down the tree as stealthily as he had come up.
Nupur sat there in a trance, had Mayank really kissed her or did she
imagine it. She could feel the warmth of Mayank's lips on her forehead, slowly she
touched her forehead & smiled dreamily. Then she snapped out of her reverie as
she remembered the current situation , so she carefully moved to the edge of the
machan next to kaka ,who was looking down intently. Nupur tried to look too but
could not see anything. Kaka handed her a pair of binoculars & pointed to the spot
he wanted her to watch. Nupur watched the spot Kaka pointed to & now she could
make out some shapes , it appeared 2-3 ppl stood there concealed in black blankets
or covers or something.
There came another trilling call but it was entirely different from the first one. the
ppl hiding behind the trees appeared to become alert. Kaka pointed to another spot
& Nupur saw Mayank hiding behind a bush. she waited with bated breath. now
came a call like that of a fox . then there was the crackling sound like the dried
leaves were walked upon. Nupur trained her binoculars towards the sound & saw
a group walking in single file. Nupur could see axes slung across their shoulders.
the axes glinted in the dull light. * what if these thugs decide to use their axes *
thought Nupur , her heart beating fast at the thought. * oh God , please keep every
one safe. help them capture the culprits without blood shed.* she prayed.
As soon as the group reached under the tree ,the machan was perched on , Nupur
saw a flurry of movement, ppl came out from behind the trees surrounding the
group from all sides. before the thugs could do anything ,they were covered with
heavy blankets & were tied with ropes swiftly.
Nupur was amazed at the speed with which the forest guards & Mayank's ppl
worked to capture the thugs, she let out a relieved breath ,looked skywards &
closing her eyes thanked God for keeping everyone safe.
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hope you all like it.😊
waiting for your comments as usual.😊
Edited by .SA. - 12 years ago
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