Lost

Lost

My mind went blank. The only thing I could remember was that we
had spent our night in the jungle. It was supposed to be a simple two-day
camping trip. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that this most
joyous adventure would turn out to be a nightmarish affair.

It was a mundane and lacklustre mood after the school final
examination and we had had enough of studying and reading books, so
we all set on going camping. After getting the green light from our
parents, we equipped ourselves with the necessary camping gear and
enough food to last us for the two days. We embarked on our journey to
Mount Tahan.

On the ascent, a steep mountain slopes sapped us of our energy.
Just before dusk, we reached an opulent picturesque waterfall and
decided to camp there for the night. After nightfall, we sat around a
campfire and whiled away our time luxuriating the sparkling stars on the
sky. The background view of the sky was splendid. It was truly a God’s
magnum opus. We had such a spectacular night of joy as each and
everyone had the opportunity to tell our own version of scary tale. Adi,
the live-wire of the group, entertained us with a wide repertoire of songs
ranging from classic oldies to the latest hits. We were over the moon.
Since it was a feverish cold night, we snuggled close to each other and
soon slipped into deep slumber. It was a calming plight.

The next morning, we went deeper into the jungle and made our
way up some steep terrains. After more than three hours, we decided to
return to the camp site to fill up our growling stomachs. We tried
retracing our footsteps but ended up in circles. In the fading hours of
daylight, we tried to grope our way back. Hours of fumbling and
stumbling in the dark drained out our energy. Soon, we gave up and
knew that we were already lost!

We were at our wits’ end and had no choice but to bivouac our
second night near a river. An eerie silence besieged upon us. Fear was
written on all of our faces. I could not help but wish that I were in the
comforts of my bed because all of the camping needs were left behind.
For me, I knew that it was just a forlorn hope. But there we were, in
some inconspicuous corner of a dense equatorial forest, only accompanied
by bizarre insects and wild animals. Hours dragged past. The
cacophonous sounds made by the nocturnal creatures only intensified our
misery.

The first streak of daylight brought us a fresh glimmer of hope.
With renewed psyche and fervour, we continued to try and find our way
back by following the course of the river. After about an hour of impaired
boldness following course of the river, luck was besieged upon us. There
was a group of campers who were about to leave their camp site. We told
them on what had happened.

“Cheer up boys! Now it’s the time to go home.” Said one of them
who later invited us to join the group.

A few hours later we finally reached the foot of Mount Tahan.
There, we dashed to the bus stop and made a beeline for home.