A short story about Raj

Quite some time ago, on the clear waters of the Bay of Bengal lay a small trail of islands.

There a small boy by the name of Raj looked out into the vast sea, curious about the world beyond.

The crashing waves were music to the ears and even if the sun was hard on the eyes it was soothing to the skin.

Every day was a day spent in paradise. The Island provided comfortability and safety for the Islanders. There was plenty of food both in the sea, and in the jungle.

The only thing Islanders had to worry about was bad weather and even that was a rare occurrence.

Everything on the Island was great, but Raj felt that something was missing in his life.

The times he stood on the hot white sand looking past the sea to the horizon were countless by now.

By day Raj did his daily chores, he wasn’t old enough to hunt with the men of his tribe, so he settled with fishing and crab harvesting. He also searched for seabird eggs and turtle eggs while the women of the Island gathered fruits and vegetables.

By evening the Islanders had a feast made with everything they had gathered throughout the day. It’s the only two things Raj ever knew. The island provides and you celebrate as a thanks to the island.

So, the days turned into nights and the nights turned into days, and what seemed to be a stream of stars was a tiny fraction of time our mind could not understand.

And the boy became a man. Raj wed a beautiful gal by the name of Rin, and she bore Raj a son they named Rol.

The island was their home, and the island was paradise, but the boy that became a man always stood by the shore looking past the sea to the horizon dreaming about the world beyond.

That night during the feast, the elder of the tribe, under the moonlight told his people about a story from long ago when he was a young huntsman.

A feline large as a boulder and long as a tree, dwelled in the deepest parts of the jungle. He described the distinctive hues of orange and black that were a mere blur to his eyes. He told them how his brothers fought viciously against the beast to no pleasant outcome.

The elder took out a knife made from shark teeth and said to them, “I am the last of my brothers, with this knife I impaled the feline in his right eye before he took a bite of me.” The elder held the knife high with the only arm he still had and stood tall. The crowd cheered and the feast continued.

Raj remembered listening to that story as he was growing up. It always fascinated him. It was a relief that he was safe from the horrors deep in the forest.

But things are never what they seem to be. The clouds expand as far as the eye can see. The winds they sing with a chorus of lighting. The night will be a long night tonight.

The depths from within the jungle are vast. Every step needs to be precise, the ones that enter are brave at heart and may nothing follow you out.

Raj woke.

Screams echoed from outside the home.

“Dad.” The son Rol started.

“Raj, no.” His wife Rin tried to tell him.

Raj walked past the threshold out of his home.

Everything happened so fast. All Raj heard were growls and screams. He saw fire everywhere. Everything went dark.

Raj opened his eyes. A man was on top of him. All he could hear the man say was “are you okay?”

The horror in the eyes of Raj as he saw two white cloths covering what appeared to be bodies.

Raj was devastated. The paradise he knew was a nightmare, and he needed to wake up.

It’s been nine months since the incident. Raj feels like not a day has passed.

The sea is vast, the mysteries from beyond the horizon. The wind is refreshing, But Raj’s purpose is clear.

Raj with a blank stare glance towards his fellow men and starts to with in the jungle.