That Night in Kumbhalgarh Jungle

We all are addicted to watch and fantasize thriller/ action movies and TV shows. What about reading them? Can you visualise it into a motion picture? Try with the short-story below.

10:45 PM

The bus, en route to Udaipur from Jodhpur, honking, steers in haste its way through the highway, which had been turned into narrow streets due to the parking of vehicles on either side of a cosmopolitan market. The lights from the shops illuminated the surroundings as if there was some kind of reality show. Though I had the option to recline and get some sleep after the tiring day, I couldn’t resist peeping outside. I was leaving behind shops, markets, hotels, and eateries at a great pace to enter into another set of these. The usual restlessness started growing inside me, first, due to leaving a city which became familiar in a few days and second, entering an unknown town. The bus ran at a great speed, which made me forgo my apprehension for some time. After thirty minutes, it had left the city and entered into a quiet and desolate realm. Most of the sights were wrapped in darkness. However, occasionally, a few dhabas used to pop up with the signboard in the Rajasthani language, which provided transient relief. I wanted to take an extended look at the surroundings, only if I could see through the darkness. Soon this view disappeared, venturing into the dazzle of the city and purging the temporary relief I had. The hustle and bustle started again. Chaos replaced serenity. The darkness replaced the light, enhancing my vision but wherever it went, the relief was nowhere to be found. This play of urban and rural landscapes continued throughout the journey, changing my emotions accordingly.

12:30 AM

The bus came to a halt at Dhabha. People stepped down one by one; some to have food whereas some to freshen up themselves. A section moved to the nearby tapri to satiate their urge through gutka or cigarette. A couple of ladies stayed at the bus until the kids started crying in the absence of AC. I also got down to get an idea about the place and stock water and snacks for my remaining journey. While I was stepping up, I saw an unknown person, who didn’t look like the part of the bus. He was doing something in the front part of the engine, which had been opened voluntarily for cooling. I took him as a mechanic. Moreover, in the darkness of night, he wasn’t properly visible. My curious nature made me stroll toward him. Seeing me approaching him, he finished the job and left in haste. I took a survey of the place. Sensing no unusual activity, I sat at my designated place on the bus. It would start in another five minutes. Another four hours to reach Udaipur. Little did I know that some mishap awaited me ahead.

On my way, whenever I used to see any monument, statue or any place heavily illuminated, I would google to know about it. It’s a good way to cultivate knowledge about the adjoining place. The bus maintained a fair speed for the next 1.5 hrs while running over one of the finest highways I’ve ever seen.

2:00 AM

My nap was disturbed when I felt the droplets of sweat on my forehead dripping down to my nose. I found the bus stranded in the middle of nowhere. I located my phone drowsily but alas! Not a single network. I tiptoed to the driver’s cabin to enquire into the matter only to find both the driver’s and conductor’s seats empty. I stepped down from the bus. The surface appeared to be one of terrain. There were a couple of mountain patches surrounded by the dilapidated forts, according to what appeared on the half-moon day. Except for the area extending to fifty feet from the road, I could see dense forest all around. Vast stretches of trees were extending to infinity. They were of different kinds. Dense. Having thick prop roots. Contrary to the environment inside, the weather outside was quite chilly which made me shiver. I shifted my gaze toward the sky. Woah! The sky brimming with stars and a moon in the centre of it. I didn’t know when I last saw these many stars together, that too, at a much lower distance from the Earth. I stood there for a moment until I realised the sound of collisions of two metals. I moved in the direction of the sound. It was coming from the front part of the bus. When I reached there, I saw the driver and the conductor hammering something in the engine with the help of a rod. A few passengers were surrounding them. At once, I recalled the mysterious guy at the dhaba.

I asked in a suppressed voice but to no one in particular, “What’s the matter?”

I waited for a while for the response but seemed that my questions got consumed amidst the voices of collision. I approached a person who was moving toward the entry of the bus, swiftly, and asked the same question, “Bhaiya, kya hua hai?”

“Bus ko engine khrab ho go. Baaki koi saaf saaf bta koni rhyo”, he replied in Rajasthani dialect.

“Kitna waqt lagega” I asked showing apprehension.

“Ku kehyo koni ja sake“, he said and added in disappointment, “Kumbhalgarh ke jungla me la khadyo kr diyo ye to”

A chill ran down my spine when I heard this. I, along with 22 other passengers including kids and teenagers were stranded in the middle of a jungle and the bus crew had no idea when the journey would resume. With a heavy heart, I stepped up, sank into my seat and started listening to songs to keep myself away from negative thoughts.

Only a few trucks passed beside us.

2:30 AM

I saw the conductor stepping up the bus. The momentary happiness seemed to go when he asked a passenger sleeping to get up, only to fetch a bigger rod. The hammering again started. It resounded in the surroundings, making it more fearful. I looked again at my cell phone. No network. I tried to sleep but the periodic sound of hammering disturbed every single nap. The sobs of the kids were replaced by the cry. The passengers who were sleeping woke up. They started murmuring. A kind of uneasiness crept into the atmosphere. I got down again to relieve, to be more precise, escape from the surroundings which till then had started suffocating me.

2:40 AM

I saw some lights, probably of a torch flashing at a distance toward the jungle. Initially, I took it as a static light source coming from some cabin or check-post. But after a few moments, I realised that the light source was moving in this direction. I started walking hastily alongside the road, sensing some ill-omen. The light stopped after a certain distance which made me more apprehensive. I started running until I reached Shani Mandir which was about 1 KM from the bus. The temple was desolate. Only a 100-watt yellow bulb glowed dimly, illuminating the name of the temple. I went inside and prayed for the well-being of me and my fellows. Just then I heard the notification sound popping out of my phone. I could see a couple of networks which was enough to make a call. Without wasting any moment, I quickly dialled 100 with the micro-possibility of getting help in the middle of the jungle. To my surprise, the call was answered by a police-patrolling van. I explained the situation half-panting and stammering. They asked about my location. Within 10 minutes, I saw a Scorpio with the rotator beacons approaching me.

2:55 AM

Within a few minutes, we were near the bus. It was surrounded by prowlers, 5-6 in numbers. They held the driver and the conductor captive. On seeing the police van, a few who were outside ran away. The others who came out to check what happened were nabbed by the police tactically.

3:30 AM

With the help of police personnel, the driver and the conductor were able to fix the problems. Thereafter, it sailed toward the destination at full speed.

©Shashank