A few seconds passed…
Sunk till waist, eyes shut, I was still lying in a pool of mud all chickened
I should have been trampled by now, but nothing like that had happened
‘Get up. Get up fast. We have to move out of here before they come back’
were the first words I heard to realize that I had been spared in the attack
Aakash pulled me up on my feet, all bones intact and that was a vital part
I opened my eyes in sheer disbelief, ‘Did I just witness a change of heart?
‘Where are those elephants? Are there more out there? Where’s our guide?
Have they knocked him off? Or did anyone see him rush to the other side?
Oh, my God! There is no signal at all. We cannot even call anyone for help
Elephants can be anywhere. Which path do we take?’ I strained not to yelp
I stood there frozen with terror muttering how good are a pachyderm’s ears
Our trail-mate Silvia was speaking in hushed tones, joining me in my fears
Aakash decided to tread along the reservoir first as the water level was low
Trying to keep to the sides, clutching few open roots, our march was slow
‘Elephants are peaceful creatures’, said Animal Planet, ‘gentle and kind’
But that day we were all praying that they don’t come after us from behind
After treading some 50 meters we climbed up back to the plantation ground
Crouching near coffee stems we surveyed the area for any activities around
It was unnaturally quiet and somber with no sign of our experienced ranger
Even a slight movement got the dry leaves under our feet snapping in anger
The plan was to find the tracks so we could run fast should a danger befall
But a couple of leaf crunching steps later we heard an unexpected birdcall
‘It’s our guide.’
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