“A horde of elephants!” cried Gulu. I was unnerved. The cacophany muffled all the other pleas. The day hit the skids as the rain came down in pellets.
The day was quite balmy when we had hit the road. A picnic was a great idea. But the location was faulty. We had started off well with reposeful music flowing through our ears, at times lounging under the gratifying boughs of the scanty trees, throwing frisbees at each other which frequently got lost in the grasses. Then we had a good trek around the plantations of the area. By and by, the blue sky turned grey and threatened the six picnickers and now there was this new peril looming over them.
Presenlty, the beasts appeared maddened by the thunder and lightning, their large and wild forms scattering ominous signals everywhere. They were moving slowly but the thunder was accelerating them. I gathered my wits and cried, “Run to the car!” Luckily, the eldest of us, Ravi had brought his car with him. We amassed our bric-a-brac hurriedly but we got no time to take our food which was yet untouched. “Phew! Picnic just means a meal outdoors! We have had everything but that!” I exclaimed despondently. The others too were gloomy. But the emotion that was welling within us was fear. “They are just behind us!” cried Jaggu. These words were fearful.
Ravi drove recklessly. The grass was blinding him. He had lost knowledge of the road as well as the sense of direction. The bumpy road kept us holding on to our seats. I barely dared to turn an eye. I clung onto the seat’s cover for dear life and prayed. Ravi just drove away from those hulking beasts. Gradually, the grass thinned out and then faded. Ravi slowed down and halted. There was something wrong out there. The beasts were fast approaching. Another roll of thunder made us jump from our seats. Jaggu and Gulu disembarked and went for an inspection. They came back with awed faces. “It is a dead end,” Jaggu murmurred. “There is a gorge out there,” said Gulu. “Now what do we do?” Ravi asked. My head began spinning. My heart was forcing me to give up to the fear and dread but I held on my tears. “Let us go right,” suggested Sukhia, speaking for the first time.
I weighed our chances and found that they were very less. Getting down into the canyon was unthinkable- the rain would wash us off. Turning back was like suicide. The elephants were great in number. If we would succeed in avoiding the elephants, the elephants would have to take some other route. The chaos could madden them more. That meant there was little possibility of survivng even if they turned right or left. “We will not go anywhere. By the time we start, they will be upon us. So, we will give up our lives into the hands of our dear fate and lie down!” I said to them. Startled, they gazed at me as I asked Ravi to step off the car. “I will hide the car in the grasses and come back. Till then, all of you have to lie back and wait.” “But isn’t it dangerous. It would be better if we turned right or left!” Sukhia objected. “Turning right or left is also not safe. First of all, we don’t have much time and then the elephants are also going to go right or left when they reach this point. “You mind calling them filthy beasts?” asked Ravi. “You mind getting off and saving our time and lives!” I cried furiously. I wrapped up with my work in a matter of a few seconds. When I returned, I saw their sprawled but tensed figures. They had understood my plan. Choosing a drier spot, I lay down and closed my eyes. The rumbling was closing in on us. My heart was palpitating. The wretchedness held my breath. It was the first time I realised the Dark Angel that is always hovering over us. “Tomorrow’s healdines will be- Six picnickers die of elephant rampage,” said Sukhia. “Shut up! God will listen to us. This can’t be the end. Can’t you keep quiet even at this moment?” Gulu demanded. I felt dreadful. Commenting in this way at this moment of time was chivalrous. I decided to praise him but then voted against it. The time was fast approaching. A cold wind swept past us. Then it came, their loud thud shaking us. “Lord Ganesha! Save us!” cried Jaggu suddenly. I saw Jaggu getting up and kneeling towards the elephants. Then there was a loud crushing sound. Then there was nothingness… zilch.
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