LOVE, LIVE, DIE | A TREASURE HUNT STORY

lights dim, Parth has a conversation with himself

He tripped his leg and fell head first into a tree, and then there was darkness.

.

"Parth, you'll will be allright,"
"How do you know?"
"Because you're scared when you're alone, you're not now. You have us."
Said the mother and father as they kissed ten-year old Parth on his forehead, making him sleep.

'The last time i ever saw them. Is it a curse, or a blessing that i still remember it?'
.

The thought had him lie still in the dark; the lack of voices, and heavy red eyes of his; of no footsteps of friends but growls of jungle.

"Guys..?" He called out quietly. Was he alone? No.. no.. Vikram knew his fear, he will come for him. He got up and turned back; the trail was cold, no other footsteps than his. Of a scared boy acting leader. The moment finally came.. when his anger can't solve problems.

He held back tears as he got up, stopping his legs from trembling. "Hold yourself, hold yourself, hold yourself."

Picking up his torch, a miracle that it hadn't vanished, he got up.

"Literally the worst time to pick for a joke guys, come out!" He whispered but all he heard was silence mixed with weird little voices.

'Maybe Sarman was right, he should have been the head of all this, I was the worst! I lost my group' he was angry.

What choice was left, but to keep going? Desperation or fear, courage or cowardice, all he saw was a path ahead. "Walk ahead and you will always find someone." His father used to say. And so he did.

So, there he was, holding his torch tight in his hand, walking away.

Fog formed thickly as he kept walking down the path. He couldn't see six feet ahead. The wind playing with the leaves, a lullaby for the small chicks.

The sound of water followed. His track got narrower and the hill turning down. Another thirty minute went by walking. Just thinking.

The sound kept getting louder and louder as he kept walking and walking on the road which was becoming narrower and narrower at every passing minute.

A mass of trees filled the area in front of him, straight in line.

'What about Vikram and Sarman?' His mind asked.

'They're safe. One I trust and another is the strongest we have in our group.'

And then he saw it.

The waterfall.

It was beautiful.

He was standing a little far from the fall but as the fog cleared away he could see it clearly.

It was more of a river, coming from the land up above to his right and was going down all the way to where he stood. He cried a little.

The tide was slow enough to swim through it.

He walked forward, cautious of other sounds. The sound was soothing, of the water coming down in layers, crashing against the rocks and the land.