Night on the Ridge
Darkness pooled around the eco-hut, and the forest seemed to press closer than ever before. Rudra, Niya, Manu, and Meghraj huddled near the spiral stone, the ancient scroll open in Rudra's hand, its strange double-spiral symbol glinting in the lantern light.
Manu broke the silence first, his voice low.
Manu: "Did anyone else feel—when you touched it—a sort of… pull? Like the ground itself was humming?"
Niya nodded, eyes fixed on the faded line:
Where the leaf turns, secrets awaken.
Niya, barely above a whisper: "Who left this? And why now?"
Meghraj pawed the earth, uneasy. The air had changed—thicker, charged, as if the ridge itself was listening.
Rudra studied the double spiral, tracing its edges with his thumb.
Rudra: "We've seen spirals before, but never like this. This one feels… different. Like a warning. Or a challenge."
Just then, a faint, rhythmic tapping echoed from deeper in the forest—too deliberate to be wind, too distant to identify. Meghraj's ears swiveled, and even the leaves seemed to hush, waiting.
Manu tried to lighten the mood:
Manu: "Well, if it's a secret society of ancient mango trees, I vote we join. But seriously, Rudra—what do we do?"
Rudra looked at his friends, their faces illuminated by shifting lantern light.
Rudra: "We follow the story. We don't run from the land's secrets—we listen. Maybe someone in the village knows this mark, or there's an old record we missed."
Niya's hand trembled as she reached for her sketchbook, quickly copying the double spiral.
Niya: "I'll ask Ajji. If anyone remembers old secrets, it's her."
A gust of wind snuffed the lantern, plunging them into darkness. For a heartbeat, all was silent—then Meghraj nudged Rudra's shoulder, grounding him.
Rudra drew a deep breath.
Rudra: "Whatever this is, we're not alone. The spiral's story isn't finished. And neither are we."
As they made their way back to the hut, the scroll tucked safely away, the wind carried a low, melodic hum—half lullaby, half warning. Behind them, the spiral stone caught the faintest shimmer of starlight, the double mark now almost pulsing in the dark.