Chapter 7
Doubtfire
The murder accused has changed completely. The accused became about thirty years younger, with grey hair turning black. No one could recognize him. The most exciting thing is that he even got surprised by seeing his reflection in a nearby well. He was reborn again. He remembered his fall into the pit, where he drank the water and ate the leaves! The next moment, he began to think viciously. He returned to the forest, found the pit, and went down. The water there was now half dried up. That well will fill up only on the full moon days. He doesn't know this. He collected the water in the pit in a mud pot lying there. He plucked some of the herbal leaves.
At that moment, he imagined himself as a saint who could change the old into young. He wanted to meet the king who punished him and made him flee to the forest. Now he can make the king young and ask anything he wishes in return!
History of the Naga forest
'This tea will melt all the bad cholesterol in your body. And whatever bitter events fated for you will be rectified by it.'
'Someone was walking in the middle of the road with a corpse on his shoulder, fully drenched in the rain carrying a trident in his hand.'
Sanal, shocked, stood there frozen for a second without any movement. At first sight, It looked like any other tree. But as he started walking closer to it, it began to move.
It was pretty new to him a tree that was moving. An incredible miracle! No chance of happening like this anywhere else. A tree pulls out its roots from the earth and starts walking. A miracle that never had any mention in any mythological writings! But how can a tree move? Maybe someone had cut down a tree and is carrying it away?
So many questions aroused in Sanal's mind as he stood there! Since one can never know any truth without going near, he thought he could run in a sprint and get close to that tree. It seemed like that the tree was also ready when he was ready for it like a sprinter. But the tree was nowhere to be seen once he rubbed his eyes and looked in disbelief. Only the greenery of the Naga forest was there before him. For a second, it seemed to Sanal that everything was a dream when he looked roughly at where the tree was; there were no traces of it. Instead, some people were playing Volleyball there!
That was the next surprise to Sanal. Playing a game in the middle of a forest and enjoying it!
He went in search of a tree and found a group of people.
Sanal walked towards them. They saw Sanal coming with a cap on his head and a camera hanging like a garland on his chest. When he came near to them, they just smiled. Sanal reached out to shake hands with them, saying, "I am Sanal, a Documentary Filmmaker."
"Hi, aren't you the new officer's brother?" one of the group asked him.
"Yeah. Do you know my brother?"
"Yes, even we went to his house this morning."
"Oh, great."
"We are researchers who roam around this forest freely."
"Oh, I see. And what type of research do you do?"
"All sorts of research." He replied and whistled on a man's excellent blocking of the Volleyball. Sanal couldn't believe his own eyes. The one who stood opposite to him might be at least about sixty. But he just jumped, blocked the ball, and landed back safely on the ground.
"Why is he doing all this circus?"
"Not only him, even I can also do it. Do you want to see it? "As he asked, he did a back dive on the spot and stood perfectly back and whistled.
Sanal's head was spinning.
For their age, playing Volleyball was a little amazing for him. They jumped like young children, and all that he saw there was beyond anyone's imagination.
"Hey, Man. Do you know how to play Volleyball?"
"I know. But I don't want to play now?"
"Why?"
"I feel exhausted. By the way, may I ask you one thing?"
Sanal had a vital prelude. They stopped playing and came near to him. One person placed the ball on his index finger and spun it like a globe. Then, they all came and stood in front of Sanal.
He was amazed to see all of them together. One of them had a Chinese face. One was white, one looked like a Negro, and another looked like an Islamist wearing a hat!
"It is astounding to see all of you with different personalities!"
"Wait, see there." someone pointed at an old woman with oversized bags on both shoulders coming towards them.
"Who is that?"
"Her name is Doubtfire. We call her like that."
"Doubtfire?What a funny name?"
"What to do, Sanal? These people are always calling me like that from the very beginning."An immediate answer came from her. There was a sort of fondness in her voice when she said 'Sanal.'
Sanal was again surprised
"How do you know my name? "
"Hope you are not one among the terrorists hiding in this forest! I know you, and that's all."
" It is not like that. I'm meeting you for the first time. I do not know how you know my name. Is it that my brother has told you?"
"What is in a name, dear? Even if you call the rose with any other name, it would smell as sweet. All right, now everyone, get ready to eat appam and tea." Doubtfire took a cardboard box from her shoulder bag containing appam, a flask, and then some clay mugs.
Sanal didn't understand even a single word she said. He also got two appams and a mug of black tea.
As he drank the tea, he felt like even the top of his head spun in the bitterness. But everyone there was drinking it as if they were drinking something delightful. Sanal's face became octagonal.
"Bro, is it so bitter?"
"Bitter? I could see the hell before my eyes."
"This bitterness and saltiness are good for your body! This tea will take away all the bad cholesterol from your body. And whatever bitter events fated for you will be rectified by it."
" Isn't it Green tea?"
"You may also call it like that."
"I thought it was herbal tea."
Hearing this, a person standing near mocked him.
"Let it be that way. What's wrong with it?
"No. Nothing, I just said like that."
"Bro, by whatever name we call it, we can't change the taste of it, then what?"
One answered philosophically. But Sanal couldn't drink that tea. So he ate the appam. It had a heavenly taste. Woah, what a taste.
"Doubtfire, did you make this?"
"Why? is it good?"
"Heavenly!"
"Bullshit. Didn't I tell you to bring some cake?" Someone retorted.
Then a strong storm began to blow. There was a sudden change in the sky, and it looked like it was going to rain.
"Okay, let's get going. Unfortunately, this rain will not stop for the next two days.
One of them began to unravel the net.
" By the by, where are you all staying? I wanted to ask a lot of questions. But I forgot everything."
"Enough. Now leave from here! Go home before the rain gets more vigorous. On the way, you have to have another shock. Let us depart now. "
As one said, Doubtfire started running away from there. Others followed her running. Doubtfire was running, looking back at times. She had the look of an Indian grandmother. Hair tied up with a tulsi mala around her neck. There were no sindoor or any other marks on her forehead.
As they disappeared from his eyes, the rain began to get stronger. Sanal, with confusion, walked towards his jeep where it was parked. He reached inside, soaking wet, and couldn't even realize that his camera had got wet almost.
First was that tree that walked.
Then this group of strange people.
These experiences made him think a lot as he didn't even wholly enter the forest. If the starting itself is this, what more was waiting for him?
He turned the keys of the jeep, stepped on the clutch, put on the gear, and turned on his gypsy. It also started. He didn't even cross a few meters. He saw a man moving with a corpse on his shoulders, thoroughly drenched in the rain at a distance. He carried a trident in his hand.
Who is that?
Who is that he is carrying on his shoulder?
Maybe the person on his shoulder can't walk? Perhaps that is why he is carrying him on the shoulder? What if I help? The jeep went fast and stopped near him as his mind was raising all these questions. Then, he got down from the jeep.
"Hey, stop, I will help you," Sanal shouted. He stopped and looked back. He was bush-haired with big and sharp eyes. Seeing the trident in his hand, Sanal's heart stopped for a moment in shock.
Suddenly, a loud thunderstorm and lightning in the sky ran like a dragon beast across two ends of the sky. He closed his eyes and ears. When he opened his eyes, that person with the trident was not there.
He remembered what one of the men in the group he met had said. "You have to have another shock along the way."
Sanal's cell phone started ringing. He took it from his pocket and attended it.
"Bro, I am, Prem."
"Hi.Prem."
"What, Bro, are you in that forest? "
"Yes, I'm here only."
"Fantastic! but Bro, you promised me that you will take me also with you."
"No Problem. You start now, come and join with me."
"How is the Naga forest?"
"You can come and see it yourself. However, It's not a normal forest. Still, I have to investigate more. But I'm sure that something mystic is here."
Sanal said in a voice mixed with curiosity and fear!
