31st December, 2019. 17:30 Hrs. Ghatiwade village, Dodamarg, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra: After playing hide and seek behind the trees for sometime, the sun had finally decided to climb down the hills. It had been the last day of the year. At this time of the day the shadows quickly grew in length, colouring the landscape into deeper shades of grey. The black sky had worn a veil of mist and when winds blew through the branches of trees, it made a strange noise. As if a crowd of people were whispering into the air. To a lone visitor, lost inside the forest, it appeared like they were calling out his name. When the moon peeped out through the black clouds at intervals, the veil seemed to have got torn and white smokes swimming in like breaths of deceased souls. They now floated above the trees, descending down the next moment on the ground till the scattered pieces of white mist hid the black cloak filled with shimmering stars of an invisible magician, shrouding the hills in mystery. The k

The night was silent except for the sound of krickets and the faint flowing of water stream. And black and deep like the kohl clad eyes of a tribal woman. Even the ruthless laws of the jungle - the primal state of existence where only the strongest survived, could'nt snatch away it's mystery and beauty. As if after bargaining with the trees for a long time the moon had finally struck a deal - of being allowed it's moonlight to trickle down a little through the spaces between leaves into the ground, in return for raising their appeal. After sometime his eyes got adjusted to the light and shade. Then negative thoughts started to pour into his mind. What if noone came to seek him - neither the creature, nor his team? Would he be able to spend the rest of the night here? Without any means of communication how would he find his team in this huge forest? Without any arms how long could he survive in the wild forest? His body ached when he turned. The mere thought of pulling his body up on h