ADVENTURES OF NEELAVARNAN & JACK THE DOG WHO FOLLOWED HIM. part -4

NEELAVARNAN STORIES/ADVETURES.-part -4

After dinner Neelavarnan slept with his aunt and slept off immediately, he had forgotten all about the previous night’s dreams as he preferred to think of it as a ‘dream’ only. The next day morning he got up and prepared a kit and a bag full of fruits , food and drinking water along with his fishing gear and set off to the woods and the river quite early , as the sun was only coming out , from the east. He had also told his aunt not to expect him back before darkness as he intended to explore the whole area surrounding the hill and the jungle. He took the path of the river and started to walk up stream against the current so that, he knows he can track the source of the river. He could watch all the harmless animals coming to the river to drink water, and normally he waited till they are moved away so as not to disturb them or to scare them off. He also came across a lot of monkeys all the way jumping from one tree to the other. It must have been after noon 12, when at last he found a big tree beside the river and thought he can take rest there, he started to take packets of food items and settled below the tree. Suddenly he heard the bush around shaking and was curious and scared as well for he did not want to come across a wild and dangerous animal, which might attack him thinking or taking him as an intruder to their privacy.

But he was relieved to find a dog fully grown up and wagging his tail friendly and must have been hungry; Neelavarnan took the packet containing hamburgers and gave one to the dog, who started to eat gleefully. After their meals the dog, which had b then came near to him& Sat there besides him, as if having decided to stick with him. The taste of the burgers must have been the clinching factor, in their friendship and both yearned to have a partner. Neelavarnan stood up and started to walk again and found the dog too wanted to follow him after some time the dog started to sniff around, and Neelavaran could find that he was disturbed and was trying to convey danger by barking in the direction of the bush near by. Then he found it was a snake poisonous one , but seeing them decided to go in the opposite direction back to the bushes to the relief of both Neealvarnan and the dog which wagged the tail again looking at him intently as if trying to figure out what was in his mind.

After walking for hours they became tired and decided to take rest, but to the utter surprise of Neelavarnan it was already 5pm, he had covered the distance of miles as he had started around 5am. Suddenly the truth struck him; he had been engrossed so much in the nature’s abundant beauty and has forgotten to return in the afternoon to have made it back home by night fall. Now he was trapped as he has already reached a point of no return and may have to sleep some where and try to get back home the next day evening.

He had some shortage of food for he had only prepared himself for one day [12 hours]. Now with the dog to feed as well he will have to get some thing to eat for both. He started to sit near a rock in the side of the river which had a cave like space on top while the water was flowing about 10 feet below. He decided this was the best place to spend the night as they only had to guard the front of the cave, which too was protruding to the river and they had actually jumped and climbed on to the cliff, facing the sun about to set in the evening in the west. He took out his fishing gear and was surprised by the numbers he could catch before it was too dark. Then he picked up logs from around the jungle and lit a camp fire with logs and on top he also cooked the fish with pepper powder and salt along with the help of a hook which he caught with the help of leaves folded so as not to burn his palm. With bread butter jam and the cooked and smoked fish they both had a hearty meal under the circumstances; the water of the river too was crystal clear and was enough for drinking. Then around night 9 Pm they both lied down for a long night in front of them. Neelavaran was again reminded of his dreams, but to his relief he had a companion the best a man can have under such testing times. Dogs are the ultimate friend of a man and normally can guard us, by scaring off wild animals with their barks alone.

He was most relieved that god has provided him with a watch dog, which too seems to have come from no where or some where in the middle of the forest. The sound of the water flowing down the river and a water falls, which must have been a little up the stream as they could also hear the sound of the waterfalls nearby.

Neelavarnan decided to visit there first thing in the morning and dosed off and woke up with a start as his dog was barking looking towards the opening of the cave and the campfire was almost out but Neelavarnan put more logs in to it, for it was also very cold night had it been not for the cover of the cave it would have made them ice packs as the temperatures were below 0 degree. But he was also sacred and looked towards the cave mouth to see whether there is any movement the dog went on barking with intend and purpose but Neelavaran just didn’t know what it was. He felt his hands trembling with fear as he lost all the color from the face which looked pale drained of all the blood due to fear.

To be continued - for part 5 look out in ‘solitairebalaforchildren’ in Google. [ in 2 days]