The Secrets of the Elements

The Incident

The sky was an expanse of sapphire blue, dotted with feathery white clouds as the radiant rays of the sun shone brightly in the azure blue sky.

Ray was perplexed as they stood in front of a barren land, "Why isn't the forest appearing?" he wondered, putting on his sunglasses.

Advika looked at her watch and said, "It's 12. It appears this time every day." 

Maya whispered, "And then vanishes every day at 4," more to herself than to the others.

Zarna suggested, "Why don't we try waiting inside the forest, like wait till it disappears and see what happens."

"It could be dangerous," cautioned Tej.

"But we won't know until we try," replied Zarna.

Before anyone could reply, they heard the sound of a vehicle approaching, causing them to turn their attention to the road.

Tej rushed towards his car, urging the others to follow suit.

"We can't go back, we'll be spotted," Maya fretted from the backseat.

"We have no other choice," Tej replied, throwing the car in reverse.

"Wait," Advika spoke up, her gaze fixed on the barren land ahead. "Drive forward."

Maya snapped at her, "Put on your glasses. There's a dead end up there."

"Tej," Advika insisted. "Trust me. Just keep going straight and stop in the center of the land." 

Tej took a quick decision and drove towards the center of the barren land, where the forest usually appeared. 

The car jolted; the force pushed the girls were to one side.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Ray, strapping himself with the seat belt. The view outside the car became unclear. The windows seemed to be covered with sand and dirt.

"I don't know," replied Tej, trying to control the car's movements. "Something is pulling us towards the center." He hit the break.

"I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster," said Zarna, holding on to the seat.

Maya closed her eyes, feeling dizzy. "Can somebody please make it stop?" She practically screamed.

"Look outside," cried Zarna, pointing towards the window.

The car was lifted off the ground and was surrounded by powerful gusts of wind. Sand blew fiercely, covering the windshield and side windows. 

"What is happening?" Ray asked, clearly agitated. 

"I can't see anything," Advika said as she struggled to peer through the dust-covered windows.

"You shouldn't be surprised that you can't see anything," Maya snapped. 

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