Life in Mandi

So I have shifted to Mandi in HP, finally. Time flies by here and you never realize it. School's quite boring yet in some ways interesting (probably because of the strange customs of the people here). One just doesn't wish to leave the house (because there's nothing of worth outside really). But that can't be allowed to happen as, well, I'll lose my built (Seriously Underweight to Obese).
Its difficult to bear memories of the past. One has to move on and can't stop. So now there's a new Count Arnavius......

Some bad news for my closest friends in Jaipur

I very sadly must say that my time here in Jaipur will now be limited. Its because my mom got a job in IIT Himachal. Dad is also eager to go there and apparently I'll be here in Jaipur only up till March 2012. I'd be lucky to even get a chance to stay until the summer holidays end. The longest time for me will be up till 10th class result. I will definitely not at all be able to even start 11th in Jaipur. Hope we (all my friends) will have a good time for the remaining period available.

Hi to everyone

Now I am very disappointed in myself. I really must have bored you all by not at all Blogging, which well, really is boring. So I just came back to business.
I also go on a new habit, The Rubik's Cube. Really, believe me, once you enter the world of Colours (I'm talking about the cubes), it really is hard to get out of it. So to even get indulged in it in school, I now have opened a Rubik's Club in school too.
I truely anticipate its inaugaration

My Social studies project

Today our (though completely mine) Sst project was presented on the 3 day exhibition. Our project was titled 'Resources of India'. I traced out the map of India and its neighbors. Painted it with different colors to represent different soils in it. Then sketched few major rivers and redrew on them with a blue ceramic cone.
Fixed green color painted thermocol balls and pierced them with toothpicks. Stuck them on, thus marking out the main forest areas. Put multicolor thermocol balls on the map to represent different mineral reserves. Lastly, marked out the oil reserves and major mountain peaks.
It is on display in the senior hall of St Xavier's main building (worthless fact). It hasn't been judged yet, but when it will be than I will do all the explaining.
Will upload a picture of it.

Arnavius

Top ten recommended books (Re: Classics)

10. The Odyssey (Homer)
9. Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)
8. David Copperfield (Charles "Boz" Dickens)
7. The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas)
6. Oliver Twist (Charles "Boz" Dickens)
5. Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
4. The War of the Worlds (Herbert George Wells)
3. Dracula (Abraham "Bram" Stoker)
2. Tale of Two Cities (Charles "Boz" Dickens)
1. Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A Colossal Fossil

Before starting the story. I'd like to apologize to those who were expecting me to finish the Jungle Dweller series. All this time I was a bit lethargic and not feeling like typing much. But I got this brilliant story and couldn't wait to get started on it. The starting would be very embarrassing had it been told in direct speech ( for me), so this story is typed in indirect form of the sentence.

PS: This story is highly imaginative and should not be in any ways considered a real life scenario. Also, the walnut idea was copied from a movie.

It was the day when he was supposed to go to his school during the evening, it was his school's cultural meet. All students and their parents were supposed to report ( OK, attendance wasn't compulsory ) at the school assembly ground. It was probably the most renowned event of his school.

He could stand it any more. He couldn't tolerate the pressure building up in......well......his stomach. All this time he had been waiting for it to pass out but unfortunately it didn't. He ran up till the toilet. He thought that he would have to hurry as it was about time the event ended. It made him feel worse and he rather aggravated the situation. It took him more than half an hour. Later, he started hearing screams from the ground but his current position wouldn't allow him to even peep out of the window.

He stepped out of the lavatory to find the grounds empty. He stood there, puzzled. It wasn't the closing time yet. But the thing in front of him explained everything. Before him stood a large Tyrannosaurus Rex tearing the podium apart, and man, it looked pretty hungry. At first he stared at it, then assessing the gravity of the situation, He ran to the closest building. He entered the last classroom of that corridor, thinking that the Rex would be smart enough to figure that the prey would be hiding in the first and nearest one. The Rex rather continued on till it reached the end of the corridor and started sniffing at his hiding place's door. He thought of a quick method of diversion. He took off his backpack and threw it far out from the door. He hoped that the Rex would try to follow it. He heard its footsteps slowly fade away. Haha, he thought, that was one dumb Rex. 

All of the sudden the booming sound of large footsteps were heard. The Rex was much smarter, it realized the source and was literally planning to charge through the class wall. He felt surprised, he had heard the Rex's had brains the size of walnuts.

The Rex poked it head through the door and practically grinned. He ran out of the other door and suddenly fell. He looked back to find that he had tripped over a chair sized walnut. Man that was disturbing. Getting back to his senses, he ran to the main gate and started yelling for help. He was able to find a mighty crowd out there. They all gathered up around him and started interviewing him. The spotlight on him was so intense that he fainted.

He woke up to find a blurry Rex on him. His vision improved. It wasn't the Rex, it was his nuisance of a sister, waking him from his terrifying dream, saying that he was to take a bath or get spanked by Mom.

The expedition

20 Years Later

'You're one of our best brains, Arnav. And you know that uncovering stuff like this has always been your favourite. Nows the chance to prove it. Your success on this one will be very important, especially for this locality.'

'I'm telling you, this isn't any everyday creature that roams around in its home sweet home to hunt for its prey. Its a live, highly intelligent being were dealing with. And it doesn't mind having 2-3 people for dinner. Its too dangerous.'

'Look here my boy, I offer you $ 250,000 for leading this expedition. And its success means a lot, to me, to you, to everyone who's heard your story. This supposedly ' Jungle Dweller ' is a new species, we could have it named after you if you could get more info. Imagine the fame, the money, the reputation you could get from this.

'I said its final. I'm not risking a few lives just to discover any god forsaken species. I'm not going.'

'So fine. Go. You yourself will regret it later on.'

I left the laboratory in a hurry. I got out of the complex, drove home and got into bed. Started thinking. These guys are ready, I thought. All they need is my help. I should agree with them. Its could be successful.

Next day, I entered back through the same doorway I had left in so much a hurry yesterday. I entered to see Mr. Brown, my multi millionaire employer, beaming at me. He had guessed by my look that I was ready, ready for the expedition of 11 people who were to follow me to the same forest. For the very same creature with which I had my worst experience.

The expedition was to begin the next day itself. We entered the jungle. Reached my same old campsite. And near there was the creature. Before anyone could tranquilize him, he had lunged at me.

I woke up. Since my childhood experience nightmares like this had been plaguing me.

We all left with full equipment- tranquilizer darts, syringes, ropes and all. We had started entering the trail. We reached a ditch where a broken cycle lay. I guessed that it was my old friend's one. We went further till we reached back to the campsite. All our equipment was left there. We went further till we reached the same spot where I had first seen the creature. The body was still there, but no longer a bloody one, it was a skeleton. I ordered my colleagues to take samples of it for further research.

One of my boys, was asked to guard the camp. We were still investigating the area when we heard him scream. We rushed back to his post to find him gone. On the wet ground were a few footprints of an apelike creature. And where they stop was a deep mark, the body's imprint. The deep mark continued till the bushes, obviously meaning his body was dragged along by the Dweller. We followed the trail till we reached to a spot where a black cloak was found draped around his body. This black cloak was the creature itself, whom we shot at. The creature was able to escape.

I bent over the body. He was still living, but on the verge of death. He said his last words ' Save yourselves '. This freaked out the youngsters in my company. They ran back to the camp. We followed them. We reached the camp to find them gone. We traced their footsteps and followed it till we reached the skeleton. Next to him were our three more companions.

But the thing impossible was that how could they all have been killed by a single creature if they were far off from each other. There was only one way, there are more creatures than we had thought of. We had expected one, but now there were numerous.

We returned back to the campsite. 4 out of our remaining total 7 were freaked out. They left us. And that would mean lesser people to fight off these savages. I too was about too leave when I saw an old man come up the road. He came straight up to me, to speak to me. And he meant business...................

......................To be continued

The escape

I looked down. It was coming up. For the first time I got an idea of his figure. It seemed like a lean bipedal creature, moving a just a bit slower than us. Its fur appeared to be brownish-red, A dull blood colour. It was absolutely huge, quite bigger than a bear. And it had sharp fang-like teeth.

I started to freak out. I saw no way of escape. I waited for it to come closer, for death to come closer. It was nearly over for me when I heard a gunshot. The next moment, a bullet hit right above the creature. It realised that it would be killed so it dropped of the tree and scampered off into the bushes.

I climbed off the tree to be thrown down by Supernova. She knew that I had had a close call. She got off as I got up to see my rescuer the same man I had met at the inn. He grinned at me told his bit of the story.

He was roaming near the edge of the town when he heard someone panting heavily behind him. He turned around to see a massive golden retriever. He recognized her and figured that I must have ran into some trouble with the beast. He hurried back home and brought his hunting rifle with him. He hurriedly drove off on his car and reached the beginning oh the jungle trail. He ran forward and reached to save me in time.

He inquired where my friend had gone. He saw a tear form in my eye so stopped then and there. He offered to drive me home and explain to my parents of what had happened. I agreed.

On reaching home, he explained to my parents of the beast. He seemed to know quite a lot about the beast, much more than I did. He suggested that I should go to my friend's house to comfort his parents. As I reached his house, a taxi parked up in front the house and out of it came the one whom I had thought dead for so long. He paid the bill and turned around to see me come up to him. He smiled and told me that he felt relieved that I was save. I felt confused over him and asked him his story.

He had followed the noise from the camp till the clearing. He felt a sickening feeling as he looked up to see a dead body. On it was a hideous creature tearing his flesh apart, the same that had terrorized me for so long. He slowly backed up when all of the sudden the devil looked up to see him. He panicked and started running hurriedly. The creature followed him. He ran till he reached back to the campsite, unscathed except for a small cut of the demon's claw. He looked around to find my tent empty so considering me lost, escaped the jungle on his cycle. He had nearly reached the edge when his cycle fell in a ditch. He had nearly fell along with his cycle into that deep ditch. Finding his cycle no longer usable, he ran on till he reached the main road where he was able to hitch a taxi.

For now this story ends, but the mystery doesn't. I will go again and unravel the mysteries that lie in that godforsaken forest and that hideous creature.

.................To be continued

The flight

I stood there, rooted with fright. My senses were numb, I couldn't think straight. All that I could see was gruesome images of myself dead.

The devil gave of a growl. It brought me back to my senses. Without thinking anymore, I turned around and ran. I planned a way out of there. I was to go back to the camp and take my cycle.

I suddenly tripped. I closed my eyes as I fell on soft mushy grounds. I had nearly made it. But it was then that the creature loomed over me. It gave a low bark.

I opened my eyes to see that I had just fallen unconscious. The creature was still behind me. I turned back to see Supernova fighting with him.

Supernova was biting him viciously. The creature gave up and went away. And my lionhearted dog came up to me.

I hugged her like a bear. She had saved my life. She went completely over me, licking me all over.

I got up and returned back to camp. I was planning to pack up and leave on my cycle. But I felt so drowsy that I decided to sleep first. Without checking anything else, I went to my tent and slept heavily.

Next morning, I woke up to go outside and and see something that shocked me. My cycle had been literally torn apart. I had no means of escape. I planned on what to do next. The only thought that occurred to me was to send an SOS note with Supernova so that she could bring help. It was risky, it meant that I would have to lose my only protector. But I decided to let her go.

I wrote a note and attached it to her collar. I talked to her, I told her to bring anyone back to my camp. I told her that she was the only way I could live. I pushed her forward, encouraging her to go. She ran forward, it felt as if she understood my plight.

I decided to go back to the place where my friend's body laid. I reached there and saw the broken body. The head was completely twisted out of recognition. The limbs were bloody, torn apart. It was a horrible sight. I returned back to camp.

I spent the rest of the day up on a tree, finding it much safer up there than on the ground. I waited there. At night, I heard a rustle in the bushes below. It had returned, to finish me off.

I knew that I was much safer up there than below. I looked down to see it as a silhouette of it. I yet hadn't seen its colour and looks yet.

I heard another rustle just besides me. I turned to see a squirrel. The problem was, the creature had also heard it. It looked up and saw me. It began climbing the tree, much faster than I had expected...........

....................To be continued

The trap

I looked around me. All I could see was a small town between the lush green forests surrounding our road. Ahead of me was my friend. We both were cycling fast so that we could reach the camping site we had chosen. Supernova was tagging along besides me.

Let me begin from the start. We both were given permission to camp for 2-3 days alone in a jungle. We had decided to camp at an area quite deep in the heart of the jungle. We also had planned to take my dog Supernova with us.

All of a sudden my friend stopped. He suggested that we ought to eat something before entering the deserted bit of the forest. I agreed. As we sat down at a nearby inn, a man came up and asked whether he could sit with us. At first we were not sure, but we relented later on. We started chatting with him and told him our reason for being so far away from our homes. He suddenly turned pale. On asking him why he had become so, he started telling us about a local rumour of a demonic beast living in the jungle. He advised us not to go and started telling us stories about hunters who had never returned after entering the forest. His stories started to make Supernova whimper. We decided to leave then and there, away from this mad man.

We both ignored his warnings and continued further. We soon spotted a small creek which was supposed to close to our campsite. We got off and started pitching up our tents. A small stove was also produced from our luggage and placed between our tents.

Night fell faster than we had expected. We hurriedly cooked some food and after eating it, entered our tents for a good night’s sleep.

I woke up at somewhere just after midnight. Supernova was whimpering and scratching against my tent. I thought that she must have felt cold so let her come in. We both then slept together.

At morning, our trio decided to hike around the jungle. We went further into the forest. I started hearing rustling sounds behind us. I felt it must have been an animal so called Supernova to chase it away. We waited there for her to return but she didn’t. I got a bit worried and started searching for her. After quite a lot of time we returned back to our camp. My friend started reassuring me that she would return.

At night, we again heard some rustling in the nearby bushes. I was about to leave thinking it was Supernova when my friend got up and volunteered to check it out. I waited for quite a lot of time for his return. But he never did. I started getting worried about him so took out a torch and followed his trails. They went on for quite a long time. Suddenly my torch went out. Having no choice, I started following his trails after becoming accustomed to the night’s darkness.

The forest started to open into a small clearing. I looked up to see something that made me skip a beat of my heart. Ahead I saw my friend’s body, bloody and mangled. But the thing behind him scared me much more. There were two large devilish green eyes. And they were coming closer, slowly, slowly, agonizingly slowly………

……………To be continued