Arhi FF: Jungle tales- Note on pg 63 - Page 28

From the author's desk: People, love you all for the comments... and seriously...I did see some of the serious request to save the girls... How will I not save them yaar? 😉 come on you all are reading Vi's stories... Prone to gramatical mistakes and the title can change later... I am too sleepy to check for grammer or think of a better title... Proof reading not done... Read at your own risk 😛

"yucky!!! He looks like a chimpanzee na' he only needs to hit his chest with his hands' then may be he will be a gorilla' now now look he is doing exactly that" Anjali told in a scared tone as she moved closer to the other two girls'

As the man approached Anjali, the girls saw her panic, all her attempt to play cool lost in fright'

"Look' you don't know who my brother is' He would strangle you in seconds if he knew you actually wanted to lay me down' let alone' trying to touch me' " she said as she turned around and threw down a pot of water kept there towards the approaching man.

The man told something which they couldn't understand' and yet his tone was clearly hinting at the fact that he was'nt enjoying this'

"He is too strong to beat him up" Khushi thought "Devi Maiyya' what do we do?"

"Look we are not virgins' no virgins' you understand? You bull dog!!! We are doctors man' oh god' Khushi .. do something'." Anjali kept screaming all the while' Payal had gone quiet with terror and fright, may be silently weeping too' Khushi stood there not knowing what to do'

As she saw the man pulling Anjali's protesting hand, something in her woke up' it was like she had known it always what to do' it was like she was scared to admit it to herself' Is that what Jeanne would have hinted at? Is that why Jeanne hadn't told it aloud' But there was no time to waste'

Let me go you dumbo' I don't like you ' Anjali's screams made her move towards him'

The next set of events made Dumbstruck Payal and even the frightened to wits Anjali open their mouth's wide in surprise.

Khushi did what was the only way to make that man believe that she was not a virgin' She had to seduce him' She threw herself between the man and Anjali'

"Take it slow will you'" She said in most sexiest husky voice that she could conjure up at that point' putting her hand on his chest ever so lightly to push him away from her friend's proximity'

"Khushi" Payal hushed in shock' as she saw her friend taking off her tribal wear and standing in front of the tribal man in only her slips and knee length tights'

"What the hell is wrong with you" Anjali exclaimed in shock'

"Girls' take my cue' we need to behave like s**ts'" Khushi told the girls but was giving an impression to the confused man that she was actually talking to him.. her seductive tone intact, giving signals to the man

"What?" Anjali asked again

"The dumbo doesn't understand English'dear" she told as she started walking around him and making an expression as if she was not impressed'

"What do we do now?" Payal asked in a shaky tone

"tables turning game ...make him feel what we felt minutes ago.. panic..." Khushi replied' as she poked the man's chest as if checking him out' "make sure you both sound as if you are mocking him"

The girls soon picked up her clue.. They giggled making the man more puzzled as he looked at them as if he didn't expect them to be this open

"Oh my god' I cant believe I am doing this' but still papa.. you suck!!!" Anjali came towards him, taking a sugary sweet tone.. "you don't know what we are upto'" she said touching the man's cheek' "I feel like slapping this sooo hard' " Anjali continued as she stressed on Sooo in a seducing tone'.

Payal joined them too' the girls kept conversing with eachother' but still made the man think that they were actually commenting and conversing to him'

"such a pot belly" khushi told them as she pulled down the numerous strings which were around his neck'

"yeah' when he dies' his sons can sit and eat his belly alone for days'" Anjali commented again

"Are we doing the right thing girls' what if he is aroused?" Payal asked her friends' trying to figure out what to do

"Don't even go near that" Khushi warned Payal

"Oh god' why do you have to remind me of that? Shucks!!!" Anjali commented, inviting giggles from the other two'

"do we have to take off the clothes too'"

"No stay in it' I did it to stupefy him"

"Alright what now?"

"Push him down" Anjali suggested'

"and what" payal asked

"make him think we are gonna rape him" Anjali told again

"at your best girls" Khushi told them as she gave the man a hard shove' The man least expected it and stumbled across the floor' as the girls stood around him, giving him looks as if they were gonna eat him live, He got up hurriedly and squeaked something in his language'

"That has got his little brain working'" Khushi told as she blew a kiss in the air'

"not so fast maggot darling!" Anjali said as the man tried to move away from them' holding on the one of the strings of his long hair' which did look like a long maggot'

This finally forced the man to make his way out as hastily as possible. They saw him hitting the door open and jump out and shout angrily about something to the startled group outside'

As soon the man stepped out, Khushi who had been feeling so uncomfortable all the while in her slips and tights, started to wear her tribal outfit, picking it up from where she had discarded'

"Whats happening?" she asked in her normal tone

"I don't know ' our act has got him scared I think" Payal told her

"Scared? He is out of his wits' he didn't know that girls can be this dangerous" Anjali told her as Khushi joined the other two as they peeped out of the window, trying to figure out what was happening outside'

***

"you idiot' I told you to do one thing and you failed that" the officer shouted at Jayanth'

They had just returned back to the camp to find that the three men had disappeared.

The search team which had traced the blood prints had taken them to the Jerowa camp itself' and soon they found out that the hurt boy was actually a Jerowa tribe kid and he was being bullied by some men from the other tribe' the girls had stepped in to help and had been in trouble themselves'

Now on top of that the three men were also missing now'

"As if we needed more trouble" The officer spat'

"Sir" Tushar approached the officer "None of them from this tribe is ready to accompany us. They say the route that the men took is full of pits and there is a moss which could be dangerous with quicksands' Wild animals roam around too in the night.. we have to wait till the morning"

"To hell with them' They endangered their own lives" the officer threw his hand in air exasperatedly

***

The girls sat down on the hard floor, clutching eachother's hand' not knowing what happened' not knowing if their act has actually saved them or if it has pushed them into further trouble' The room was dark and it seemed that no one had bothered about them anymore'

Things happened very fast after the man stepped out and shouted to the crowd' The girls grew very awkward as the clan watched at them in a very repulsed way. Some of them even shouted and spat at the ground'

Jeanne was asked to come forward and something was asked to her' The girls didn't understand what she told, but then the crowd protested for that' the man shouted angrily- and the others shouted as if to acknowledge and agree to his decision' the girls were then locked inside the room' and they knew nothing after that'

"Are we safe or not?" Anjali asked after a long silence'

"No idea" Payal said'

"Atleast we are safe from that man'" Khushi told them

"It was one helluva act Khushi' I didn't in my wildest dreams imagine that you would do that'" Anjali told her

"I don't know what to do Anjali' that man was touching and pulling you' I had to stop him'" Khushi told as she shivered a little' now that the terror was at bay, she felt so disgusted at what had happened then

"But still' taking off the clothes?" Payal exclaimed

"He looked like he would throw himself on Anjali anytime' You saw where his hands were' didn't you" Khushi asked as Anjali shuddered'

"yeah I know' don't remind me that.. I want to forget it 'I want to puke'"

"I had to gain his attention' I didn't know what else to do"

"Don't worry' you were in your slips and tights' anyway' I will vouch for you in future' I will tell that it was unintentional and it doesn't count as cheating" Anjali told her

"What?"Khushi asked confused

"to whom would you vouch?" Payal asked Anjali

"to her future love.. her future husband ofcourse'." Anjali told innocently

To which Payal coughed a little "yeah ofcourse" she said mockingly

"If we manage to go from here alive.." Khushi told pointedly,

"agreed' " Payal told "then Anjali can tell your husband to be that it was not intentional undressing"

"I don't have any husband to be yet" Khushi hissed at her friend aiming to kick Payal in dark and instead getting Anjali's feet

"What was that kick for? And who kicked me?" Anjali exclaimed

"Some noise.. " Khushi told suddenly "I can hear some noise"

"What noise?" Anjali asked scared

"Nothing' Khushi kicked you and she is trying to divert your attention" Payal explained Anjali

"No' hushhh" Khushi told her urgently "I can hear something moving around"

Then they all went quiet, as the other two also felt someone or something moving around the room

"Who is that?" Anjali asked in fear

Then they heard a screech as something moved to the window pane and opened it a little sending the moon light inside

"its bobo" Khushi sighed in relief as she got up

"is Jeanne here too?"Payal asked looking around "we need to ask what happened to her"

"yeah, It seemed like she was in trouble"

"then a head popped in the window. It was Shama

"No she is not here' " he said in his tribal accented English

"how are you? Your wounds I mean?"

"I am ok"

"oh god.. you two scared the wits out of us.. what are you both doing here? Why have they locked us in?"

"They have decided to kill you all by sunrise tomorrow" Shama told them

"So our plan worked out?" khushi asked him

"yes' it did' what did you do by the way?" Shama asked as he pushed in their clothes into the window.

"What happened to Jeanne is she alright? He was shouting at her when we saw the last of it" Khushi asked him avoiding the question, the answer to which embarrassed her so much now that the danger was away'

"Because she told that it was her mistake and she actually didn't check but simply asked you all to confirm that you were virgins' and that she now believes that may be you were all not virgins at all considering that you all look old"

"Old?" Anjali asked him in a surprised tone. She was about to tell him how they were only 22 when he spoke again

"He punished her"

"What did he do?" khushi asked him

"he hit her"

"Why?" Khushi asked "she was not at fault"

"yes, it should have been us that he should be angry with' according to him.. we lied right?" Anjali hushed to him

"She was supposed to have confirmed it' We knew this would happen- we knew it will reach there if you girls succeeded.. we were ready'"

"We are so sorry" Khushi told him

"Yeah' I think you and Jeanne should also try to escape from this gorilla gang'" Anjali suggested.

Shama looked at her for a while'as the other two girls exchanged glances..

"change into your dresses' they will come to fetch you soon" he said as he left with bobo

"What do you mean ? fetch us? I thought Jeanne told that they will kill us only tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, but you will be tied there in the centre of the clearing. " he told her as he paused to look at her again.

"Any chance for our escape?" Payal asked him

"I will let you know' "

"When?" Anjali asked'

"Sometime in the night' You three will be offered as sacrifice tomorrow morning' so there will be a special prayer tonight' after dinner, people will assemble at the dias and tie you all three up there' the pooja will happen till well into midnight.. after which you will be left alone until sunrise' You need to wait until that'" Shama told and then went away

"Why is he sounding so mysterious?" Anjali asked as she bit her nails and the other two girls rolled their eyes.. as they picked up their own dresses and changed into it'

***

When Arnav, Akaash and NK finally climbed the top of a small mound from which a small clearing which looked like a habitat of the tribewas visible, it was well past midnight.

"Is this it?" Akaash asked the other two

"If it is not, I am going to ask them to offer us a bed for the night'" NK told him "there is only this much a man can take with only chocolates and no sleep'"

"You have been having almost 20 chocolates from morning" Akaash reminded him

"Are you complaining now?" NK asked him bitterly' "I don't even have any love interest to keep me going you see' Is it wrong to pursue my love interest with chocolates?"

"Shut up both of you' " Arnav told them' as he moved a little further to have a better view'

The clan seemed to be some weird dance around some three figures

"It is them'" Arnav hissed at his friends, who also tried to get the view.

Nk took out his camera and focussed on the party.

"Yes' it is them' I can see them alright'they are tied up' what is happening.. they are dancing around them"

"No idea'Should we go?"

"No' lets wait for some time" Nk told.. the crowd seems to have stopped dancing now' I can see people leaving the place to their cottages.

"What do we do'" Akaash asked turning back to Arnav

"They are hostages right now' I don't want to risk us also becoming hostages' if these people are barbaric that is' We will wait" he said as he sat down by the rock. His friends followed suite.

***

Khushi was tired and exhausted as she stood by the pole where she was tied up. They were standing on a dias which had been raised about 10 feet from the ground level' on which a very fiery deity stood guard. There were several bone like structures by the deity and three of which served as their pole now'Next to her, Anjali was half asleep and tied up and Payal was tied on her right, feeling tired herself

"I hope Shama finds the right opportunity to come and rescue us" Payal told Khushi

"Yeah" Anjali mumbled on the other side of Khushi' "why don't they feed us something.. I am very hungry' and seeing that it is our last night on this earth, they should have let us sleep too"

"I miss Akaash" Payal told them

"Arnav" Khushi whispered suddenly

"No I meant Akaash'I want to see him" Payal told her again

"Khushi's brain is getting all jumbled up with hunger" Anjali giggled'"Khushi, Payal loves Akaash and Arnav is my brother- remember?"

"No.. "Khushi started to say

"You don't remember.. how sad'"

"No I mean.. I saw Arnav'"

"What?" Payal asked her confused

"Stop dreaming Khushi" Anjali told her "my neck is aching'I keep falling off as I try to sleep"

"No I thought I saw him'" Khushi said as she tried to search again in the dark'

"Very interesting.."Payal told her "It is told that people usually dream up loved ones at their time of death' our death is nearing Khushi"

Khushi didn't comment anything but glared at Payal and quickly looked at Anjali. She had slept

Soon Khushi and Payal gasped as a hand appeared on the dias. The girls heard some whisper.

"Push me a little up" Khushi heard a husky voice which belonged to someone she knew too well' a voice which was capable of driving her heart into frantic dhak dhaks' then as if in a dream Arnav's head appeared above the Dias. He climbed up with a thrust up and then reached out to help Akaash climb up too.

"NK.. watch out if anyone is approaching" Arnav whispered back down into the ground where NK must be standing.

Khushi thought she must be really dreaming' but then she heard Payal's gasp

"Akaash, Is that you?"

"I too dear" Akaash said as he came forward and embraced his Payal.

Arnav stood as if in trance as he saw Khushi who also looked at him and then averted her eyes. He then moved towards his sister who was fully asleep now.

As Anjali jerked awake sensing movements near her, she shouted "Stay off from me you jerk' I am not your wife.. and I am not virgin' you moron' I am your head's ex- fiance'"

"Anjali" Arnav hissed "Shut up! I am your brother"

"Arnav'." Anjali almost shouted in a rhyming cry "you came at last?"

"Yeah.. and keep the voice low' or you will wake the entire clan"

"My legs are aching Arnav.. I am hungry'"

"alright .. Alright' Go down' Nk has got some chocolates' ok?"

"I was so scared bhai" she said as soon as her ropes were cut by her brother and she hugged him tight

"I know Anjali' don't worry,.. I am here na' Everything is going to be alright'"

She nodded at him and then tried to go down.

"Where are you going?" Arnav asked

"there are steps on the other side' They brought us that way" Anjali explained'

"Oh.. I was wondering.. we didnt know that ...we had to climb up"

He stood watching as his sister reached the ground safely and then turned to Khushi who was still tied up and slowly moved to her

Khushi stood still and her breath hitched as she realised that her heart beats had increased in speed with his every move closer and as he leaned closer to her to untie her, a mild waft of his cologne mixed with his own sweat reached her lungs, making her breathless.

"How did you know?" he asked her throatily

"What?" she stammered

"How did you know it was me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You called my name when I reached the bottom of the dias' I heard you'" he said

She chose to keep silence

"You would know me even in darkness don't you.. you can sense me' ... still you would deny having feelings for me isnt it'"

"Untie me fast" Khushi stammered again

He stared at her for a moment and then cut her rope angrily, freeing her and stepping aside.

On the other side, the love birds had finally finished hugging and cuddling eacother and they started to descend down the dias together, behind them Arnav and Khushi came down, highly uncomfortable with what ever transpired between them few minutes before.