There coming onto the road, he recalled that how shreya was keen to go towards the jungle yesterday and how he had stopped her going there..With thumping heart he stepped towards the jungle...Initially it seemed like a garden with many trees but as he entered there it converted into a dense jungle and the density was growing gradually...At one moment he felt that the foliages of the bigger trees had covered the jungle in such a manner that even the sunlight was not coming there properly...Shrieks and scrams of the animals were getting audible and at the same time the constant whizzing sound of the crickets. As he thrust his way into the jungle, the crunching of the dried leaves too was getting audible..Daya stopped and leaned at a trunk for a little...yes he was getting weary, physically as he hadn't eat anything since last night. Beads of sweat were gleaming over his face as he had hobbled almost one hour without having the success of locating shreya..He panted with exhaustion and closed his eyes as severe thirst was making him weak...but in the darkness of the closed eyes when shreya's pleading imploring face kept flickering unbidden then his eyes flung open and he started trudging further...hawks were soaring high with a shrill shriek and it seemed to him as if they were mocking him badly for being careless about shreya...A searing pain of repentance was crumbling his heart...where could she go? had she come in this dense jungle at all? the jungle which seemed to be so dangerous and impenetrable in the presence of the sun, how could she cross this in the dead of the night? If she were to find gublu, why hadn't she bothered about informing her colleagues? couldn't she write a tiny note to her...her 'daya sir'? Thick layer of huff accummulated unknowingly within the heart of Daya.
Some hours elapsed rapidly as he had been shuffling through the jungle making himself completely worn out...At almost 3 in the afternoon he slumped down on a rock for taking some rest which was very badly needed for him at that moment and gasped for a little water...After about five minutes when he could sniff the cool air normally, a babbling sound of liquid he heard from a near distant. He grasped a trunk of a tree tight and leapt to his feet...A bunch of questions started crowding in his mind.. 'Kya aspas hi koi jharna hai? haaa... shreya kaha to tha ki ek din us jharna dekhne jana hai' a doleful smile crossed his face as he thought with a tint of sadness 'kya pata tha...ki aise ana parega is jharna ke pas...'
sachin and purvi panted with tiredness as they crossed the last boundary of the barren moor while nikhil and pankaj were checking within the shingly beach adorned with coconut trees...But no one so far had the success of having any trace of shreya...
sachin: nahi purvi...mujhe nahi lagta hai... yaha shreya ho sakti hai...
purvi: magar sir...itni kam waqt me kaha chali ja sakti hai woh?
sachin was staring at a knoll and then said,:' yehi barren moor ka end hai...hai na?'
purvi: ha sir... resort ka owner to yehi kaha...ke jaha pe..'Shirkunj' Paharh hai...wohi barren moor ka akhri seema hai...
sachin: aur is paharh ke us par?
purvi:(surprised) sir?
sachin: haa...agar hum us par chale to?
purvi: magar sir...yaha pe...
sachin: kya kare purvi?..(a sigh of distress) shreya gayab hai... aur... aur...(again a sigh) daya sir ki taraf dekh nahi pa raha hun...kal se bina khana bina paani ke shreya ko ...he paused and cringed his head down..
purvi's face too clouded with a mixture of worry and pain,:' haa sir...mujhe to... (she stammered) mujhe to...is baat ka chinta ho raha hai ki...shreya ko...
sachin: nahi purvi...shreya ko kuchh nahi hogaa...chalo us paharh me charne ka koshish karte hain...
(in jungle)
daya hobbling a little more found a beautiful cascade. he sprinkled some water upon his tired face and then looked around to sense in what direction he should go...Suddenly in the pellucid water of the little pond, his glance tucked at some glaring material and as he picked it under the knee deep water, he remembered it as an ear ring of Shreya. He never remembered any ear rings or any other jewellery but when shreya ...a faint smile reflected over his face as he recalled how shreya had hidden her crimson face burying it into his bosom...and it was then her dangling ear ring accidentally touched his hand...Daya kept staring at it with coveted glance...his face once contorted with a pain and with a begging glance as if he was imploring before the Almighty that if You have helped me to find this ear ring, then please help me to find the owner of this ear ring...Standing straigth on his foot he stepped ahead.
(in the knoll)
Crossing the knoll with much difficulty Sachin and purvi turned speechless with sheer stupefaction..
purvi: sir...yaha se utarne se to...jungle hai...
sachin: ha purvi...matlab ke ye barren moor aur jungle yaha pe ake mile hain...chalo utarke dekhte hain...
purvi: magar sir...kya daya sir yaha pe aye hain? aur kya ye possible hai ki shreya yaha pe...
sachin: yehi ek jagah hai purvi...jo ki hum kal rat se check nahi kar paye...aur shayad ...daya sir bhi yaha pe honge...chalo age bar ke dekhte hain...
(in jungle)
Daya now started screaming with the dregs of his energy-shreeyaaaaaaaa...
the thickness of the jungle reduced here and some shafts of light were coming to help daya locating the trees...another ten minute walk brought him near a well that was covered...daya was passing over it...but at that moment a distinct sound stopped him,; the sound was like some heavy weighted thing hit the tinsel...
daya further screamed,:' shreeyaaaaaa...kaha ho tum?'
further the sound came , this time stronger than the previous one...
daya's staggered face was getting eager and very abruptly his glance stucked over that covered well...He rushed there and kept the cover aside to expose the darkened well...
daya: shreeyaaaa...
'main yaha hun Sssir...kuya ka ekdam niche...gublu bhi hai mere sath' it was shreya's voice
daya sighed with relief and at the very next moment he was worried as to how he could rescue shreya and gublu from that deep darkened well. He asked with loud voice,:' itni niche kaise gayi tum?'
shreya: sssirrr...it ka bana huya ek stair hai middle tak...waha se main niche kud gayi...
daya noticed the broken stair and then from the near he brought a thickened twisted branch of a tree which could be used as a cord. Then he himself entered into the well stepping carefully upon the troublesome stair while shreya scremed with heightened tension,:'ssir... samhal ke ...'
coming at the mid well where the brick made stair ceased, daya alighted the cord down,:' gubluu... zor se pakro is rassi ko...zor se...'
gublu grasped the cord and it was easy for daya to take him up and send him up out of the well...
:'shreyaa...rassi ko pakarke rehna,' daya repeated anxiously...At the first attempt though shreya slipped and slumped down...
:'shreyaaaaaaaaa...samhalo...' exclaimed daya, unable to stem the tension inside him.
at the second attempt though shreya managed to grasp the cord until with a jerk she fell within the secure arms of daya...everything seemed dark for some seconds, before she could sense that she had been locked herself within the embrace of daya...The thumping of his heart blending into her own breath as if trippled within her blood, making her insanely shy and happy..She never felt more warm and secure in her life...An exquisite pleasure passing through every veins of her as she leaned her face over the heaving chest of daya, as her nose lightly touched the throbbing adam's apple of him..It seemed as if each drop of weariness had been replaced by a surging wave of content and bliss...
daya panted after almost a minute,:'shreeyaa... shreyaa... ttum...tum thik ho naaa?'
shreya answered with quivering lips and closed eyes,:' haa sir...aap ke pas hokar...kaise ...main thik na rahu?' daya now regained his consciousness and opened his eyes with a start only to realise that shreya had taken refuge to him..he kept passing his palm soothingly over her tangled hair until shreya could rise her face with a mixture of delight and bashfulness..and when her glance fell upon his, it seemed he had gone into sulk like a little child and his eyes filled with tears but he averted his glance forcefully...Shreya felt as if her breath had been stopped and her lips trembled to speak out every single incident which she couldn't reveal before...but at this moment she heard some voices outside the well...