Beware of what's hidden
M Srikrishnan
Eight
steps at a time, the pachyderm lumbered along, tramping through the hay strewn
farm. Squares of land, marked for paddy were being ruined. Were it not for him,
who alerted the farmers in time, the damage would have been worse. All along
the peasants ran over, with part rumor and part fact spreading panic. That a
once somber and domestic elephant could wreck their entire village was
something unimaginable. He saw them all, his bruised leg compounding the pain.
Could someone rescue him, he wondered. ‘Focus on getting yourself up’, he said
to himself.
A broken branch served as his support. Moment by moment the pain seemed to increase. Of all places, it was this hidden trench, one that he had planted so long ago, that came back to hurt him. Deadly visions floated in his head. Silence seemed more painful than screaming. Hung on the nearby tree was the bark of a coconut, the depressions, seemingly mocking at him, taunting at his despondency. In the dusty twilight, even the nearby rivulet appeared miles away. The pachyderm must have completed its rout and probably calmed down, he hoped. Air of nausea crept over him.
And if he did not make it before dark, he shuddered to think about it. The siren for the day’s curfew could be heard in the distance and he was hardly halfway out of the labyrinthine trench. ‘Move’, he ordered his limbs which were now swollen. Was he too slow or perhaps it was the canopy, he couldn't tell, but it definitely got darker faster than he anticipated. Made up stories and explanations floated in his head as he pictured himself bruised at his house, and the commotion that would ensue.
He picked his way up, one step at a time, holding on firmly to the staff, lest he fall down again. Had it not been for that hulk of an animal chasing him here, he would have been home, safe and sound, settling for a cozy dinner. Just when he thought he had made it, a thudded rumbling could be heard in the distance, a sound that he dreaded beyond all, the inevitable fact that the pachyderm was headed his way. Defeated, he fell to his knees and prayed. The distance between him and the pachyderm was closing in. World of thoughts flowed through his head summoning the last iota of his energy, screaming at him to move away. Champion that he was, at the art of trapping and killing elephants for ivory, he stared for once, beseechingly at the mammoth of the elephant, before the burly mass trampled on him once and for all.
Edit:
Spoiler Alert
In case you missed it, read only the first word of each sentence. They form a new story. Its called an acrostic.
A broken branch served as his support. Moment by moment the pain seemed to increase. Of all places, it was this hidden trench, one that he had planted so long ago, that came back to hurt him. Deadly visions floated in his head. Silence seemed more painful than screaming. Hung on the nearby tree was the bark of a coconut, the depressions, seemingly mocking at him, taunting at his despondency. In the dusty twilight, even the nearby rivulet appeared miles away. The pachyderm must have completed its rout and probably calmed down, he hoped. Air of nausea crept over him.
And if he did not make it before dark, he shuddered to think about it. The siren for the day’s curfew could be heard in the distance and he was hardly halfway out of the labyrinthine trench. ‘Move’, he ordered his limbs which were now swollen. Was he too slow or perhaps it was the canopy, he couldn't tell, but it definitely got darker faster than he anticipated. Made up stories and explanations floated in his head as he pictured himself bruised at his house, and the commotion that would ensue.
He picked his way up, one step at a time, holding on firmly to the staff, lest he fall down again. Had it not been for that hulk of an animal chasing him here, he would have been home, safe and sound, settling for a cozy dinner. Just when he thought he had made it, a thudded rumbling could be heard in the distance, a sound that he dreaded beyond all, the inevitable fact that the pachyderm was headed his way. Defeated, he fell to his knees and prayed. The distance between him and the pachyderm was closing in. World of thoughts flowed through his head summoning the last iota of his energy, screaming at him to move away. Champion that he was, at the art of trapping and killing elephants for ivory, he stared for once, beseechingly at the mammoth of the elephant, before the burly mass trampled on him once and for all.
Edit:
Spoiler Alert
In case you missed it, read only the first word of each sentence. They form a new story. Its called an acrostic.
