Finding Love Through Bear and Snake

 "Aryan, wake up!” she screamed, slapping the unconscious, battered and bleeding boy lying in front of her. “Open your eyes! Please! “She yelled again. No response. He remained out cold. Sara wiped her face and looked up at the horizon. Sun was sinking, darkness was on its way bringing out the dangers of the forest. She had to move fast. She looked helplessly at Aryan and had a brain wave.

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  Sara was orphaned when she was just eleven. Her elder brother, took her responsibility and she started living with him and his wife, Hina. Hina wanted to get rid of Sara. Recent sickness of her mom gave her a perfect excuse. Hina’s mom ,Maida was living in Sydney. Hina convinced her husband to send Sara to Australia on pretext of studying but her motive was to make her take care and serve her mom.

Sara arrived in Australia. She was enrolled into a University that was half-hour's bus side away from her accommodation with Hina’s mom. Life was hard for her in Australia. She had to wake up at crack of dawn, have breakfast, make a huge elaborate breakfast for Maida and then walk a mile down the street to catch a bus to University. When she returned around noon, she had to make lunch and spend till night, running errands for Maida and chores too.

On that fateful day, Sara caught bus for University. It was a cold, foggy day. She was on verge of tears. Maida had ordered her to get a job, stating that she was tired of paying for all of her expenses.

The sorrow of being orphan and unloved hit her with full force but she forced herself to calm down. She mounted the bus and went down the aisle towards her seat. Someone was blocking her way. The person was hidden behind a book. “Please let me pass. That’s my seat.” She said.

No response. He remained absorbed in his book.

“Hey! You are blocking my way. Let me pass!” she said again, a bit loudly. 

He looked over his book and moved his legs out of the way. She passed by him and sank into her seat. Looking out of corner of her eye, she checked him out. He was fair with dark hair and eyes. He had a grey shirt on that hugged his muscular chest and a black button-down shirt over that.He had an attractive face, high cheekbones and a cold, aloof expression on his face. She dismissed the thoughts of him and her mind flitted to her problems and Maida’s harsh words. Trouble whirling around in her mind, feeling drowsy, Sara drifted off into an uneasy sleep. She didn’t knew how long she slept but a harsh shout wake her up. Sitting up groggily, she looked ahead. Six masked men were standing in the bus, guns pointing at passengers, one of them shouting at the driver to drive on. People were frightened and some of them were screaming and sobbing.

Her heart thumbing with fear, she looked at the boy next to her. His hands were raised, face white with hard expression on his face. His dark eyes flitted around, accessing his predicament.

“What’s happening?“ Sara murmured quietly, shooting a terrified glance at the robber coming down the aisle. 

“Be quite! Keep your head down!” he hissed coldly in return.

Her blood chilling, she pressed herself down into the seat, trying to stay out of sight. A robber with black ski mask, come to them, pointed his huge gun at them and ordered them to hand over their wallets and phones. Which they did. By that time, the bus was running through deserted road, surrounded on both side by towering forest. Robbers strode down the aisle, blindfolding and tying everyone’s wrists. As the robber roughly blindfolded her, darkness surrounded her and she wondered what nightmare she has fallen into. But it was real. Every second of it. 

Her blood chilling. A robber with black ski mask, come to them, pointed his gun at them and ordered them to hand over their phones. Which they did. By that time, the bus was running through deserted road, surrounded on both side by towering forest. Two more robbers strode down the aisle, blindfolding and tying everyone’s wrists. As the robber roughly blindfolded her, darkness surrounded her and she wondered what nightmare she has fallen into. But it was real. Every second of it. 

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Aryan was used to hard life. His father was a landlord but he made sure to not pamper his children. Since childhood, Dad groomed them to stand on their own, take charge of their decisions and not depend on anyone. Aryan remembered once he fell from his cycle, Blood flowed from his knee, he was crying. His mom moved to pick him up but his Dad stopped her.

“Let him stand on his own and look after himself.” he said.

He had a hard time convincing his Dad to send him to Australia for his studies. But he did.

The bus stopped in the middle of forest. The robbers dragged and shoved everyone out and gathered the passengers in a circle, forcing them to kneel down. Their blindfolds were pulled off. They sat there for couple of hours and then leader of the robbers came. He went around, pulling back head of everyone and screaming at them. He was tall, dark and buff with dirty, long hair and blood-short eyes. He looked like a crazy murderer which he probably was. He paused when he came in front of Sara. He grabbed her hair and pulled back her head, exposing her neck. She whimpered in pain. He looked at her from head to toe, a dangerous lustful look in his eyes, which scared her.

“I want her. Bring her along.” He told his minions. One grabbed her and two escorted him. She screamed and pleaded, trashing her legs.

Aryan who was busy cutting his rope from a cutter hidden in his pocket, looked up at her screams.

He knew what was going to happen if robbers took her away. She was Asian which spurred him to stand up and yell “Let her go!”

Everyone paused. Robbers looked shocked at his outburst.

“Bring him with the girl too” said their boss, evilly to two robbers who grabbed him. When they moved far ahead of others. Aryan punched one in face, snatched rifle from him, shot the one holding the girl. Chaos erupted. During the confusion, Aryan grabbed Sara’s arm and shouted

 ”Run!”

They ran deeper into the forest. They ran for a long time.

“Stop! I can’t run more” puffed Sara; gasping for breath.

He shot her a cold look and said “We don’t have time. There is a gang after us. Run.”

She panted and ran after him, struggling to keep going. Her legs were screaming from exertion. After 15 minutes, she collapsed on her knees, panting and sweating.

“Get up! He snapped, glancing at her. 

“I can’t!” Sara gasped “I am thirsty and starving. Don’t have any stamina.”

Aryan let out an exasperated sigh, clenched his teeth as if stopping himself to shout and said "Just walk a mile. There is a creek nearby. You can drink water from there and I will find something to eat.”   

Sara nodded and mustered strength to walk, sweating and panting. A jolt of pity ran through Aryan but he pushed it away and walked .When they reached a creek, Sara drank water and Aryan looked around for sturdy stick. Taking out cutter from his pocket, he sharpened the end until it was pointed and proceeded to spear 3 fishes. Cleaning and gutting it, he started eating it raw and offered one Sara who recoiled in disgust and horror. “I can’t eat it raw” she said angrily. “We aren’t in a five star hotel” Aryan retorted. “Take it or leave it”

“Can you please cook it on the fire?” begged Sara. "please? ” Aryan glared at her and reluctantly made a small fire with flint and stone. He cooked the fish a little before the fire went out and offered it to her .Sara shot him a grateful smile and gingerly started on the fish. “Thank you…...” she paused. “ I don’t even know your name. What‘s your name? “She asked, tentatively, fearing a cold rebuff from him. Aryan shrugged, swallowing down the last of his fish and replied “Aryan” 

“I am Sara. Thank you for ….. Everything. Thank you for saving me. God knows what would have happened if those brutes had taken me away." She shuddered with horror. Aryan shrugged, looking uncomfortable and got up.

“Come on, we will have to check out the right tree to spend the night.”

Sara nodded and they walked a mile. Sun was sinking, shadows getting bigger. Aryan picked a tall, willow with thick foliage. He nodded with approval and said “ Climb up. ”

“ What ? ” she asked, shocked.

Looking at her as if she was dumb , he repeated “ I said climb up . You will sleep here tonight."

"I can’t!" she said “ I don’t know how to."

Aryan  looked pissed off.

“I will help you. Jeez! You are such a pampered person.”

Sara forced herself to bite back a retort and let Aryan help her climb the tree. Making sure she was secure, Aryan picked a tree near her and climbed. He was glad to rest and his mind ran over the ways to survive and get out of the forest. Aryan accessed his predicament and his thoughts ran towards Sara. She was one hell of a pampered girl. If it hadn’t been for her slow pace, and weak stamina, he would have been out of forest by now. He started drifting off into an uneasy sleep. A shriek woke him up.

Sara!  His sleepy mind jerked awake. He jumped down the tree, pain shooting up his ankles on impact, and ran towards Sara tree. She was screaming in pain, tears running down her face.

“What’s wrong?” he said frantically.

“Something bit me.” She managed to say. Her face turning yellow and her skin damp with pain.

“Where? Let me see” he demanded, trying to stay calm. A hiss made him stop cold. Turning on his flashlight, he shone it around Sara. He stopped when he saw along, bright green snake coiled on the branches near Sara.

“Oh my shoulder ……” she murmured, before passing out.

 He grabbed her to stop her from falling off.

Aryan leaned her against the trunk, pulled her shirt down from the shoulder to examine her wound.

Squinting his eyes, he could make out two gaping holes on her shoulder in darkness. The blood coming out of them seemed black. The bite was apparently poisonous. He had to do something fast. Recalling his father’s survival training, he clamped his mouth on her wound and sucked up her blood and poison.

He repeated it four times, sucking and spitting it. His stomach turned with nausea and he clamped his mouth together not to vomit. Stabilizing Sara he clambered down the tree, walked a little way and threw up violently. The lunch of raw fish was on ground within the seconds. He heaved until there was nothing left in his stomach. Wiping his mouth he scooped the water from a creek and swirled it around his mouth. Feeling a bit better, he went back to Sara. She was still unconscious. Worry stabbed his heart. He used cutter to make a cut on her wound, drawing out more blood. Letting it bleed, he wiped away the blood and bandaged the wound by tearing his shirt into pieces. Sara’s skin was becoming uncomfortably hot so he started putting damp pieces of his shirt on her forehead and arms. By that time sky was pink and blue, sun was peeking over the horizon. After an hour he took off her bandage to examine the shoulder. There were nasty blue bruises near the bite marks but her fever had broken. She was out of danger. Aryan sighed with mingled relief, happiness and tiredness. Covering her with last bit of his shirt, he sat beside her, gun in his hands, waiting for her to wake up. She gained conscious around noon. She was alive but still feeling faint from loss of blood and a bit of snake venom. She was in a lot of pain too but he could do nothing about that. They were lost in jungle. There were mountains, thicket of trees and a creek running around them. The forest was silent except for twittering of birds. Not a soul in sight.

“We’ll have to move on.” He told Sara. “I know you aren’t feeling well but we need to get out of here.”

Sara, who was still yellow in face, nodded and struggled to stand up. Aryan got up and walked on. They walked for 20 minutes and their pace was very slow. Sara had to stop after 5 minutes to rest. They walked on. Sun was hot on their skins. Walking on, he felt Sara put her arm around his shoulder. He stiffened and recoiled at her touch. Sara stepped back, her face scrunching with embarrassment.

“Sorry.” She muttered, looking at her scuffed trainers. “I just wanted to lean…… for help…. can’t walk anymore…..”

Aryan nodded and, let her lean on him as they walked. He never had a girl that close to him before.

Around noon, he heard a growl ahead him. Jerking away from thoughts of his family, he looked up to see a huge, black bear standing ten feet ahead of them, its fur bristling, its teeth bared.

Aryan dropped Sara behind a tree and stood facing the bear, his heart pounding with fear. The bear roared and ran towards Aryan. Aryan whipped aside but not before the bear swiped at his arms with claws, leaving deep gashes. Pain shot in his arm. He threw a rock at it but it only angered it instead of hurting it. It ran towards him again and clawed his chest. It was a blur after that. The bear clawed and tore his body. He bled and all of his body was in agony. He started to blackout. Sara was sitting dizzily against the tree, hearing growls and yells of the fight. Through the haze of pain, she picked the gun at her feet and dragged herself to where bear was standing over unconscious Aryan.

The bear paused and growled as it sensed her approach. She pointed the gun towards it and fired. Thrice. Soon the dead bear was on the ground. Sara tried to rouse Aryan but he stayed out. Watching the sinking sun, she dragged him a mile-ignoring her own pain- before collapsing with exhaustion. For the first time, she was truly alone. From their escape till bear encounter, Aryan had taken the responsibility of their survival and protected her. Now she was alone with him unconscious. Raising her head in despair, she looked at the couple of rocky hills nearby. And something glinting caught her eye. With some effort she could make out a window of small cabin near the foot of mountain. Maybe she could find help over there. Mustering all her strength, she stood up and half carried, half dragged Aryan towards the cabin. Her muscles screamed in protest. Aryan was quite heavy. After half-an-hours effort, she reached the porch and fainted. Setting sun shone on the unconscious, battered, bleeding boy and the bruised girl with bandaged shoulder lying on the porch. Bees hummed, birds chirped, the river gurgled and the wind rustled the trees.

A middle- aged man in forest rangers uniform came out of cabin, did double- take and ran inside to call police.

Within fifteen minutes, they were whisked to hospital where they got treatment for their injuries.

Aryan smiled when he heard that Sara was out of danger.

Sara smiled when she heard that Aryan was on mend. After one day, they were taken to police station where their families were waiting for them. Aryan met his father, mother and brother who had rushed from Pakistan when they heard about his disappearance. He filled them on their adventure and encounter with the wild. He glanced at Sara who was talking to her brother and his wife, Hina.

Sara and her family proceeded to leave. Aryan heart sank though he didn’t know why. Sara shot him a sad smile, mouthed a ’thank you’ and went out. He started feeling empty all of a sudden. He had never felt like this before and paused to examine his feelings. Love. That was it. He had grown to love her during their misadventure. Aryan turned to his father, took a deep breath and said “Dad I respect you. I have always obeyed you. But please, I can’t marry my cousin. I want to marry Sara."

His father argued but Aryan refused to budge. After the accident, life went on as usual for Sara. She was glad to be alive but she missed Aryan. Like crazy. He was the first person who took care of her in such a long while. He left a hole in her heart. She sighed and mounted the bus to University. She sat on window seat and stared out.

“Sara” said a familiar voice.

The voice that made her feel warm inside.

She whipped around and saw Aryan sitting next to her. His face had a strange expression.

“Aryan! How are you?” she asked, flustering and blushing.

“Fine, Sara. I know I was cold to you before but I realized how that I love you. Will you marry me?”

Sara gasped as he took out a sparkling ring from his pocket.

The time stood still as she looked at the ring, Aryan looked at her.

“Yes.” She said, unable to stop a huge smile coming on her face.

Aryan’s eyes lit up with joy as he slipped the ring on her delicate finger.

It was strange the way a bear and a snake made them fall in love with each other.

The End.