A Mysterious Journey into Darkness
A long time ago there was a place which was not out of the ordinary, a regular town with dwellings, stores, and other facilities. This was the period before the internet existed. There were areas that were unexplored and a path that had never been walked by anybody because of the rumour that people never return once they go in. The path was covered with trees and no lights to guide them. Even the sunlight was blocked by the trees. People always stayed away from that path in fear of not knowing what lies ahead. It was very strange as the grass on both sides kept growing but it never once covered the path.
It was a bright morning when the boy who admired the path passed by, to get to school. He always hoped that the path would be an adventure to explore. He wanted to see what the path leads to, but he was also scared due to the rumours that went around about no one ever returning. The school ended & summer vacation started. He had a lot of time on his hands and filled with curiosity he was determined to see what the path had to offer so he went in. It was 10 in the morning but as soon as he entered, not even light rays reached there. It was dark as midnight.
He knew about it so he carried a torch along with him, he turned the torch on & saw that the path led him straight ahead. The rumours were true that the path was never covered by grass. So far he was able to find insects & birds which he had never seen before. As he was moving forward, he heard something move beside him, he flashed the torch to see what it was. He was unable to spot a thing. He, then turned around & started to walk but suddenly his leg slipped on a rock. Terrified him, stood up aggressively & started to run. He ran so fearfully that he forgot the direction. He was filled with fear, if he went back he might get out but the fact he lost his direction. He moved forward in a random direction hoping it would lead him somewhere.
After the fear subsided, he calmed down & realized it was a mud path after all. His footprints would still be present. He followed the footprint to go home but as he slowly walked, it suddenly started to rain very unexpectedly. Since it was raining, he had to take shelter under one tree. As he was facing the torch towards the ground, he got to know that the footprints got washed away. As the rain stopped, he stood up & started to walk. He took eternity & still didn’t find the end. So he ran again.
While he was running forward, he could see something as if there was light at the end. He was glad that he made it out. He was so happy that he ran towards the school so he could tell his friends about what happened. Just as he went to class he stared at the clock & questioned himself, “If I went inside at 10, am I not late for school?”, “Shouldn’t I be in school uniform?”, “Why is the school opened? Wasn’t it vacation??” That’s when he woke up. There was no end, no school & he was still under the tree in the rain. He wanted to run but he couldn’t. He looked down, his legs were buried in the mud.
He was being eaten by the ground. He tried to dirt-free the mud but his both hands were captured by branches of the tree. Slowly all of his body parts started being covered by branches & leaves. He tried to scream but no one could reach him. He was trapped forever. His vision got dim. However, still saw birds & insects covering his face. Now it went dark, dark as the night without the moon & the stars…
– Biyon Shrestha
Regent Residential School
Lalitpur -23, Dhapakhel