Just then Kamala and Bandar descend a tree with some bananas and bean pods. Kamini soars down, landing on Bahi’s shoulder.
“It doesn’t look so bad, just trail,” Kamini assures.
“Nothing is as it seems down there. Turn back now,” the crow warns again.
“Don’t listen to that old hag,” Bandar says, brushing him off.
“You risk certain death, fools. I have warned you. You will never survive. If you step on that path I will be feasting upon your dead carcass come nightfall!”
Bandar pounces upon the sign, showing his teeth as the crow makes haste flying off.
“Nothing is as it seems, fools, turn back!” he warns as he squawks away into the forest.
Bahi is uneasy. “Do you think I will be OK?”
“You’ll be fine. Just keep your wits about you,” Kamala says.
“Yeah, don’t worry about that old crow, he has nothing better to do than scare people,” Bandar adds in an attempt to comfort.
“Well friends, this is goodbye then, huh?” Bahi says as Kamala hands him some bananas and bean pods.
“It’s never goodbye,” Kamala says with a smile.
Bandar jumps into Bahi’s arms as he catches him with a startle and they laugh.
“Thank you, brother. One day I will return and repay your kindness,” Bahi promises.
“Friends don’t thank. We help without wanting back, brother.”
Bahi feels a tear well up in his eye. His heart respects the brave compassion that Bandar has offered. Bandar bounces off of Bahi’s chest and leaps upon the sign. Kamala pounces up to join him.
“Goodbye, friends,” Bahi says, taking his first apprehensive step toward the trail. Walking further, with Kamini floating alongside, he is unable to see the opening of the trail through the thickness of the jungle. Already he misses Bandar.
“This isn’t so bad. That crow’s a kook,” Kamini says, noting the air of peace offered by the trail.
“Not at all,” Bahi concurs.
The sun splashes blessings upon the trail, which seems like any other they’ve been on. Feeling secure now, Bahi begins to whistle, quickening his pace so as to make good use of the daylight. Marching forward, they smile at the absurdity of fear they heard before entering the path.
STOPPING BY A small stream that snakes along the trail, they realize they have been walking for at least a few hours. They drink some water and Bahi sits and eats some of the food given to them by Bandar and Kamala. Kamini rests on some flowers, sucking up nectar with her little straw of a mouth.
“So how did you loose your family?” Bahi inquires, bathing his face in the afternoon sun.
Kamini floats slowly to Bahi’s leg, drenching herself in rays of sunshine.
“One day we were eating, just like we are now—my parents, me, and my twelve brothers and sisters—when all of a sudden a pack of monkeys came barreling through the jungle. We all scattered in the chaos. I was so startled that I flew and flew, and when I finally stopped I was in the ancient forest, where I stayed and feasted on the wonderful nectars in hopes that one day my family would find me. It’s been quite some time, and my sorrow turned to depression. And that’s when you came along.”
“Why didn’t you go looking for them? Why didn’t you go back to your home?”
“We don’t have a home. We roam the jungle and sleep where ever we are, under leaves, in the safe hallows of trees, wherever our rabble may be at dusk is where we make our home.”
“That’s a sad story, Kamini. I’m sure that the Baba can help you, I am told he is all knowing.”
“I’ve heard only legends of him and never thought he really existed,” Kamini says as she floats up, softly landing on Bahi’s nose with a gentle kiss from her long tube mouth, “Thank you, friend, for this opportunity.”
Bahi, cross-eyed as he looks at Kamini on the tip of his nose, smiles. “No, friend, thank you for coming on this journey with me.”
Kamini floats off as Bahi quickly scratches the tickle on his nose from Kamini’s small, delicate feet.
Kamini flies up high and descends back down to Bahi. “Looks like we still have a ways to go.”
“Well, let us get on then,” Bahi says, standing up with a smile.
Moving on once again, they come to a split in the path and Bahi stops to think, Which way do we go? Kamini flys up to have a look. As Bahi stands rubbing his chin in contemplation, he feels a pull on his ankle, and before he can look to see what it is, he is tugged down, falling hard onto his back. His breath thumps in his chest. A vine has wrapped around his leg and with force is slowly pulling him into a dense brush as he struggles to fight it.
“Help!” he cries out as he wrestles with the persistent vine.
Kamini flies down rapidly as Bahi grabs the end of the vine and manages to rip it off, but another vine has already taken hold of him, wrapping itself around his shoulder, and another around his other ankle.
“Bahi!” Kamini cries out, completely impotent.
Bahi struggles to keep his free foot in the gravel as the vines slowly begin to overpower him, pulling him into a thick tangle of vines and brush.
“Bahi, a rock!” Kamini yells out, landing on a large rock with a sharp edge just within Bahi’s reach.
He quickly grabs it, loosening his footing, and with great force smashes the sharp side of the rock onto the vine, snapping it loose from his leg and sending the vine squealing back into the brush. The vine on his shoulder has tightened its grip and now pulls even stronger, overwhelming his strength. He notices a large, orange-and-yellow flower in the viney brush that opens like a mouth with sharp fangs. It salivates as he struggles. Bahi begins to panic, and with a forceful blow smashes down on the vine that straps his arm, not even penetrating the thick, jade attacker. Another vine catches his ankle again, and he feels overpowered as he draws closer to the salivating, monstrous flower that is almost as big as him. He can hear the flower open up its vines to reveal itself ready to consume him. In a snap of fear, he recalls memories of playing baseball, as he cocks his free arm back and hurls the rock at the monstrous flower, penetrating the hollow of the mouth as it quickly closes screeching with pain and releasing Bahi from its viney grasp.
Bahi, followed by Kamini, quickly scurries back and lunges to his feet, running away from the vines, panting as his heart races.
“What was that thing?” Kamini asks, still in a fright.
“I don’t know,” Bahi says, still shaken up, wiping dirty sweat from his beet-red face.
“You should have seen your face,” Kamini says with a soft chuckle, lightening the mood.
Bahi laughs, shaking off anxious nerves, but still in fight mode. “Things are not what they seem,” he says as he rubs his ankle, sore and slightly cut up from the vine.
Ahead, the path straightens. Bahi takes note of all the foliage. The trees seem to dance and the bushes to breathe as they proceed forward with caution. Walking for about an hour they come to a turn, where suddenly the path ends.
“What?” Kamini asks in confusion.
“We went the wrong way,” Bahi says remembering the split in the path back by the monstrous viney flower. The panic of the moment took them down the wrong trail. Noticing their mistake, they walk back toward the split. As they near the man-eating vines again, Bahi gathers two large stones, and they proceed with vigilance, silently walking past the carnivorous plants that seem to rest like ordinary vines and bushes.
Proceeding down the other path and realizing they have lost a few hours of light, they begin to pick up the pace as Bandar’s warning plays over in Bahi’s mind: “One does not want to be on that path at dark.”
The path grows narrow. Thick, dark-emerald foliage blocks out the sunlight. An uncommon silence settles over the jungle, unsettling both Bahi and Kamini as they precariously make their way about the path. The sun is
low in the sky, and in only a few hours it will be dark. Nervous and uncertain, they move along.
“I am going to jog, so keep up,” Bahi tells Kamini as he begins to jog in the hopes he can make up for lost time and reach the Baba before nightfall. The path finally opens up as he quickens his pace. After a while of running, he stops by a flowing stream to quench his thirst and rest for a minute. The sun has begun to make its descent behind the hills far off from the trail. Bahi kneels by the water’s edge and washes his face as he drinks. Looking into the pool of water that gathers from the runoff of the stream, he notices his reflection. Looking deeply at his face, he thinks hard about who he is, and just then his reflection morphs into a demonic face surrounded by fire. He jumps back in fear. Slowly he looks back into the water, but only his reflection is there. He thinks he may have eaten a bad banana or something. He stands, noticing he feels fine. He crouches to grab a thick, fallen branch that lies in the running stream. The stick is about shoulder height, strong and pressurized from the many days of water flowing over it. He feels it will be wise to have a weapon in the dark. And jabbing it in the earth he notices it also serves as the perfect walking stick.
“Let’s move,” he beckons to Kamini, who is eating a piece of rotten fruit fallen from a tree.
Hungry and edgy, they move along the now dimly lit path as the remains of the sun fade away. As Bahi walks briskly, Kamini sets upon his shoulder. “Shhh, you hear that?” she asks in a whisper.
“No”
“Shhh, listen.”
Bahi listens carefully and hears small beeping sounds that begin to grow louder. Almost instantly he feels something crawling up his pants as he jumps in fright, swatting at what feels to be a large bug in his pants. Looking up, he can see small gnome-like men coming out of the woods by the hundreds. Swiftly crawling up his body they knock his stick from his hand and skillfully trip him with vine ropes that they have wrapped around his walking legs. Thumping to the ground, he struggles to fight them off, swiping at some, sending them flying off into the woods. Like large ants working for a feast, they quickly take him and Kamini over and bind them in their viney rope. They call out in victorious unison, yelling up to the full moon, which has added much pale light to the otherwise dark path. Wearing an acorn shell helmet, one of the tiny men climbs up on Bahi’s chest as he lies tightly bound, unable to move. His old, wrinkly face does not match his childlike exuberance as he tosses aside a hanging piece of his rat-fur jacket and stamps his staff into Bahi’s chest, sending a piercing pain through his torso.
“Moo gai, gel thea,” the gnome says as the others begin to frisk Bahi’s pockets.
They pull the clothed berries from his pants, and he hears them call up, “Sip, don tik nee sleen.”
Not understanding the language, he quickly realizes these little men are bandits, as they search him head to toe. Bringing the small cloth up to the man who seems to be in charge, still standing fast on Bahi’s chest, they convene around it as two grasp their tiny hands on the cloth, pulling it open to reveal the berries.
“Seam nhat?” one of them says in wonder, as his beady eyes gleam in the moonlight.
“Seam nhat,” the one in charge says in confirmation, plunging his tiny hand into one of the berries. All falls silent in anticipation.
As he pulls out a purple handful dripping with ripe berry, Bahi struggles and the others below tighten the rope.
“Sang heet!” the leader abruptly says, driving his stick into Bahi’s chest once again.
Holding up the handful of berry that oozes from his hand he chants, “Sean nhat!”
All the others yelp and cheer, and with the raise of his small stick silence falls over them. Taking a large bite from the berry piece in hand he chews as the others watch in a hush. His eyes light up with delight, “Mmm.” He stops mid-chew and grabs his throat, dropping his staff to Bahi’s chest. The others look on with fear as he shakes and convulses and suddenly like a rocket is propelled upward, slamming into a tree and falling lifeless upon the dirt of nightfall. Several of the men run over to him yelling out, “Pwan Mei, Pwan Mei!”
Growing hostile, the rabble of banter sounds out, and Bahi can sense their anger and fears what they may now do. Kamini sits bound to the floor as a younger gnome taunts her with jabs of a stick. All the men jump up onto Bahi as he begins to struggle. Using all of his strength, he blows and spits at them, and trying to use his head as a weapon, jabs his chin as they come closer. Coming at him with small axes and spears, they seethe with anger. Fearing death, Bahi struggles to break free when a sudden gust of wind blows in oddly, knocking several of them to the ground. Bahi notices that the mango tree above him seems to be moving and lowering its branches. The tree swipes a large branch across Bahi’s chest, knocking gnomes to the ground. Branches swoop down to pick up gnomes and fling them into the jungle. They begin to run in fear, retreating into the darkness of the forest. Bahi breaks free of the tangle of vine and liberates Kamini, who struggles on the ground, entangled in panic and vines. Picking up his staff, he swings it wildly in all directions as the gnomes scurry off crying out, “Meep meep meep!”
Realizing they’re all gone, Bahi looks up at the tree as it appears to bow down slightly, revealing a face that seems to be smiling at him, through it’s rough, barky trunk.
“Thank you,” Bahi says, lowering his head in gratitude as Kamini floats up to his shoulder.
“The Baba awaits you,” the tree says with a deep, commanding voice. The tree slowly creeks its branches down toward them, dangling a couple of ripe mangos. “Take, please,” the tree offers with a comforting voice.
“How can I repay you for your help?” Bahi asks, plucking the mangos from the branch as the leaves shake like a splash of water, “Shhhh.” The leaves ascend and the tree again stands upright.
“How can I repay you, tree,” Bahi again asks.
The tree lets out a deep-bellowed laugh and says, “Remember me, remember the generosity of the forest, and you will more than pay me back. I ask for nothing but mutual deference.” The face in the tree disappears into the trunk, and the tree stands still as if nothing has happened.
Kamini folds the berries back into the cloth, and Bahi puts them back into his pocket. “A talking tree! Now I’ve seen it all!” Kamini says.
Staring in wonder up at the tree, Bahi turns to place the two mangoes on the ground and brushes the leaves and debris that cover his cotton beige shirt and pants from the tussle. Sitting in the shelter and security of the great tree above him, he peels the mangoes in layers, revealing their glistening orange fruit, which Kamini sits upon, slurping the sugars. Bahi’s mouth waters before he sinks his teeth into the juicy, sweet fruit, still warm from the day’s sun. Gratitude overwhelms him as he stares up at the tree, enjoying its fruitful offering.
Finishing the mangoes, he stands up, cleaning his hands on his pants as he takes a deep breath, knowing there is more to journey in the darkness of the jungle. Not a thought even remotely entertains the idea of sleeping here.
“Shall we?” he asks.
“We shall,” Kamini answers.
Patting the tree with appreciation, he picks up his staff and heads off down the dim, moonlit path. Approaching the darkness of the trail, forms move and breathe; vines are feared to be snakes; swaying trees could be ogres. As the knots in their throats tighten, they round a bend, where a hazy fog begins to seep in from the ground, illuminated by moonlight as it rises and thickens. Coming to an open area, Bahi notices stones skillfully set about the ground. “Is this a graveyard?” he whispers.
“What’s a graveyard?” Kamini asks, with no answer from Bahi, who is on high alert, softly stepping through the dense mist, which rises up in a damp, eerie cloud.
The sounds of faint growling just ahead of them alert Bahi to grasp his staff extra tight. Palms sweating into the wood, he cautiously steps forward. The trees are old, and many look as though they h
ave been dead for quite some time, hanging askew with naked branches randomly jutting out in ghastly directions. Kamini holds tight, digging her tiny, fearful, feet into Bahi’s shoulder. The ground is moist to the step, and the moonlight casts ghoulish shadows that move as they walk. The fog thickens, undulating like campfire smoke, lighting up in the moonlight as it swiftly rolls by. The growling grows louder, and as they draw closer, transforms into snorts. Bahi can make out the form of a dog-like animal ahead as he takes a step backward, to avoid being noticed. A pack of six striped hyena tear apart the remains of a corpse they have excavated from a poorly dug grave. Standing stout and dog-like, with striped coats and long moustaches like cats, they gargle and growl as they tug of war the body, pulling it in either direction, their muscles flexing as they tear bone and flesh. Their forelegs are longer than the hind, affording them good leverage for ripping apart their prey. Bahi stares out at the beasts, noticing their dark manes, which run all the way down their necks and backs, ending at a their bushy, short, tails. Bahi’s heart flutters in his chest. His entire body tenses, but he knows this is the only way to the Baba. Looking over at a large tree behind him, off to the left of the trail, he decides to crouch and stay there until they finish eating and go away. Slowly he backsteps, and without notice steps on a stick, which echoes out a loud cracking sound.
The hyenas all look up in unison. Their dark eyes catch Bahi as he freezes in terror. Kamini floats up into the tree, “Bahi, climb up here!” she shouts.
Still frozen, the animals slowly advance, coming so close he can see their coarse, rough, coats dull gray, with black stripes that shadow vertically on their bodies. Their eyes look ravenous as their blunt teeth flex inside their bloodstained mouths. Bahi grips the staff, realizing he can’t climb the tree and that to run would be futile. He envisions a scenario quickly through his survival mind: I will aim a firm blow to the leader’s head and keep on until I hit all six. His legs tremble. Butterflies well up in his stomach as sweat beads his face. He remembers the berries and quickly rips them from his pocket, almost dropping them. He shoves them into his mouth, dissolving the sweet taste he thinks may be his last. One hyena is so ravenous as he crouches and moves slowly in for the kill, that his mouth stutters and drools as he growls. Kamini is speechless. She wants to yell and scream, but nothing will come out. Her little heart beats so fast that she thinks it will beat right out of her.
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