I was already three nights into my trekking trip. It was a dark and stormy full moon night. In total, there were seventeen of us who had come for this trekking trip including our trek guide - Gabriel. It was my last night in the hills so I was feeling a little venturous. I had made a few friends on this trip. Usually after dinner, we hung out together until it was bedtime. As we were setting up our tents, I overheard Gabriel talking to someone over the phone. He mentioned something about there being an extremely alluring banyan tree often called “Shalom” which meant good fortune in the language of the people living there. The locals worshipped it and considered this tree as a token of good luck. I wasn't the type of person to be prone to superstitions but yet a feeling of curiosity crept into me. I told a few of my friends about this and soon we all came to a decision that we would hike around the hill till the Shalom.
We decided to leave by eleven o'clock and be back before midnight. I went up to Gabriel, told him what we had decided and he said he'd love to come along with us. As the clock struck eleven, we took our backpacks, torches and hiking sticks and started walking. Soon it was me leading a group of sixteen through the forest with a torch in my right hand and a map in my left one. As we were walking through the forest I could hear branches creaking from under our feet, leaves rustling because of the winds and crickets and other insects chirping. The atmosphere was eerie and the further we went I could smell damp moss, rain and wet tree trunks with a mix of the fragrance of fresh flowers. Frequently I heard faint chatters and laughter coming from our group from behind. Although it was pitch dark, I could see just a few meters of the path ahead due to my torch. I kept walking and assumed that the others were behind me. However, when it became abnormally quiet, I turned around and to my surprise, I saw nothing but darkness. I ran in the opposite direction in hopes to find them but they were nowhere to be seen. Now I had a lump in my throat. All I could hear now were the crickets chirping and the chattering of my teeth. I was stranded in the middle of nowhere. I was surrounded by darkness. Whenever the wind blew, I got shivers down my spine. It was almost as if I was walking on pins and needles and panicking for the first few minutes. I decided to keep walking. I was panic stricken yet trying to pull myself together. I started walking and kept on walking until I realised my torch was running out of battery. This frightened me to a point where there were tears in my eyes. I looked up to the sky and realised now my only source of light was coming from the full moon. A lot of questions and thoughts were running through my mind. Why was everything happening all at once? Why was all this happening to me? What if I can't find my way to the Shalom? I felt all these emotions on a heightened level. I broke into a cold sweat and kept walking blindly. I let the moonlight pave my way through the forest until I reached the Shalom. It indeed was alluring and beautiful but my mind was occupied with the thought of when I'd be reunited with the rest of the group. I held my head as it hung low between my knees. I decided to wait a few hours under the tree in case they showed up. I was traumatised yet the shelter and aura of the Shalom made me feel a little safer. Just a few minutes later, I saw Gabriel approaching the tree. I ran towards him as he ran towards me and behind him were the rest of my friends. A feeling of relief and happiness took over me. I was on cloud nine. I felt relieved in a way I haven't before and I was tickled pink to see all my friends.
We sat under the tree for a few minutes, caught our breaths and started walking back. This time my friends made sure I was in their view and I made sure they were in mine. We reached the campsite as a group and passed out as we reached. It was a relief when morning came. I woke up feeling a mix of emotions. I was still in trauma with what had happened last night but a feeling of gratefulness and happiness took over me. It was such an eventful evening!
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