Chapter 37: Chapter 37

“Happy new year” says Everyone.

Alan: Wow I can’t believe we missed the 12th hour.

Brad: Ya it’s 2007 now. But it was so cold outside that when we ate the dinner I slept in a few minutes after I was in the bed.

Jane: Would you guys stop murmuring.Im still sleeping.

Alan: Shouldn’t you have stay with Amber and come here tomorrow from the east lake.

Brad: Ya shouldn’t you douche bag.

Jane: Well I would have if didn’t somepeople ask me to return their favour.

Alan: Oh yeah I almost forgot.

Brad: You still need to pay us 50.

Jane: Hey I helped you to bring Dorothy;s scooter. That evens.

Dorothy: What?

Alan: Well you should have brought only the scooter then.

Dorothy (throwing a comb): How’s that smart guy?

Alan (catching the comb): May be I will comb my hair.

Dorothy (seeing Alan combing): You know that comb is used to wipe the cows butt.

Alan( throwing the comb): Yukk…………..

Jane: And you believed her Alan?

Brad: Ya you sure are being lame.

Alan: Ya maybe after seeing a lion eat Dorothy I will be lameless…………………get it Dorothy.

Hank: Nobody gets what you say Alan.

Brad: Ya stop fooling around. And wash your hair that might be cow butt after all. It’s stinking.

Burko walks inside the room.

Burko: Morning kids. You guys up.

Everyone: Good Morning Mr Burko. Yes we are all.

Burko: It’s 8. I have prepared all your breakfasts at the table. We will leave at 9:30 so let’s get out of these beds. You guys might wanna start packing after the breakfast.

Hank: Packing?

Burko: Yes it’s a safari. We have prepared some bags and uniforms for all of you.

Alan: Uniform don’t tell me you are making us scouts.

Burko: No but those are tshirts and tracks for all of you. All of these will be easy to find you in case you get lost.

Hank( frightened): Did you say lost?

Burko: Well I would advise you to to stay at the jeep but you will be stopped at 11:30 for lunch at a small hotel.

Alan: You have a mini hotel too. Brad you didn’t tell me.

Brad: I never went to the jungle or the east part. I had been in the barnyard once with Jane when Violet invited me at August.

Jane: Well actually she invited me. You were not even with her at the time Badd.

Hank: Well that’s true. How come you didn’t invite me Jane. Wasn’t I your boyfriend at the time?

Brad: Ya you selfish twat.

Jane: Well actually Hank Violet invited me in such a rush that I had to take Brad as my butler to make mom feel secure.

Brad: Liar. Ill ask Violet about that.

Alan: Well she did hate you before she loved you. Wow I could write a poem…………………….

Dorothy: It’s call a prose idiot. And Violet loved me way back when they met at Willy’s party as I heard. How could you know? You who manipulates young girls.

Alan: Who me? Says who? Jane why did you bring her here? You owe us 50 more dollars for listening to her.

Jane(laughs): Ok guys lets have breakfast its nearing 9.

Burko: Youre right Jane. My watch is late for half an hour. Ok guys eat fast we will be waiting for you in the jeep. We will leave at 10 then.

They eat their breakfast as they start packing.

Alan: Wow look at the tshirts. It’s like camp tshirts.

Dorothy: That’s khakee. You idiot. People typically wear this in a safari to look like a camouflage so that wild animals don’t see them.

Burko: Well it’s hard for humans to hide from lions and tigers. They have great sight. Tigers especially are sneaky predators. They might be big but sneak up kill their prey.

Hank( frightened): Wow I am not leaving the bus.

Burko: Don’t worry Hank. Think like you are in a zoo.

Hank: So they are caged.

Burko: No not exactly. Well they are confined with Barb wires with almost a height of 20 feet.

Dorothy: Well I heard panthers and mountain lions can climb 20 feet easily.

Burko: I know but they are at the east side near the lake. Only the lion and the tiger with some monkeys, wolfs and bisons are in the sight area.

Hank: Well do you have an armour.I heard Lion and Tigers have almost a 3 inch Canine which can cut anything.

Dorothy: Ya they can cut and tear any thing except steel.

Alan: I heard their teeth can even break steels.

Burko: well there are only two. So they won’t br aggressive. But there are some 12 wolfs in 2 packs which could make them aggressive.

Jane: 12 wolfs. What are you running here?

Hank: Ya don’t you know she is afraid of dogs?

Brad: Ya she isn’t afraid of a lion but a dog. Quite an idiot I guess.

Jane: Hey some fear snakes. Some fear crocodiles and lions. I fear dogs.

Burko: Well a wolf is a member of a dog family but larger than a dog.

Jane: Good then big ones don’t make me frightened.

Brad(whispers to Alan): I told you she was an idiot.

Burko takes them to the Jeep. The Jeep was an Indian Tata Sumo. It could accommodate 6 at a time.

Burko:Let me count Ok Alan 1, Brad 2, Jane 3, Dorothy 4, Hank 5………..may be Ill go with you too.

Alan: Jee I am 1st. Ofcourse you can come Mr Stevens.

Dorothy: Ya it will be more fun with you.

Brad( whispers to Alan): I wish Violet was with me though. Look at Hank he is ecstatic to be with Jane.

Alan(whispering to Brad): Ya you would love thumping her infront of her father’s men. You idiot.You are talking like Dorothy.

Dorothy: What did you say Alan?

Alan: well what did you hear.

Dorothy: well, everytime you speak. I scratch my hands just like Jane scratches her.

Jane: Ya when Badd talks I always scratch my hands.

Burko: Now now boys and girls if you want me to join you. Then we will have to maintain discipline. Hank you will stay at the front seat with the driver ( Hank cheers). Alan and Dorothy will stay at the left seat at the back while Brad and jane will stay at the right seat at the back while I will stay at the middle of the four at the back. You four will learn to behave while when you are together. Reminds me the time when I stopped the lion and the tiger from fighting.

Alan: Ok, it’s getting lame and late. Shall we go now?

Burko: Ok, go to your seats as I said then (Alan and Brad Cheering)

The Jeep starts as their journey starts. Dense forests and ponds everywhere is the scenario. The driver named Sumato was driving at a slow pace. Hank’s hair was waving because of the wind through the open window of the jeep.

Burko: You might want to close half of the window Hank. It’s after all a jungle. There are monkeys you know.

Hank: Well Monkeys are good animals. They might be troublesome, they don’t kill people.

Alan: Wow now Hank is getting brave. I have seen everything.

Burko: Well you haven’t seen the wild cats still.

Alan: Well im excited for them and the resort. But not for you ( plays with Dorothy’s hair)

Dorothy: Hey I just combed for 20 minutes.

Brad: May be I can join Alan.

Jane: Ya maybe I will join Dorothy or Alan but not my hateful brother.(pinches Brad)

Brad: Ow( mistakenly opens the door)

Burko: Kids you opened the door. Wwoooo…………………

The opened door causes panic as Hank jumps to the driver as the driver lands the brake. The tyre explodes.

Burko: Oh no……………………….you kids we don’t have an extra tyre.

Alan: Really this is getting excited.

Hank: What then we are to walk now. We had only rode for 15 minutes.

Sumato: Mr Stevens I can bring the tyre. But it will take two hours by walk. You all can reach the small hotel until then. There are no lions and the tigers in this side of the small hotel.

Burko: I suppose we can reach the small hotel by the time you come here. But I am suspicious about the mountain lions.

Alan: Come on we can walk for an hour.

Dorothy: I can’t believe just a brake exploded the tyre. Look it’s smelling toast.

Sumato: Well the tyres are old. We usually changed the tyres. Miss Violet urgently asked for the arrangements such that I forgot about the tyre.

Brad: Well that is quite careless of you ,Mr Driver.

Burko: Yes Bradd is right. It’s still a dangerous way to the small hotel. It will take 90 minutes because of the upward slope road.

Jane: Ya 90 minutes. I wish we had brought our bikes back.

Dorothy: Don’t worry a little risky adventure always helps the cause ok.

Brad: Ya lets walk. I can’t belive we rode 2 miles in 20 minutes.

Sumato: Well it’s an extended Tata Sumo. We increases the speed with some nitro to increase the speed to 50mph at the slope.

Alan: Don’t tell me it was Addy Silverton who gave you the nitro.

Sumato: Yes it was him from the garage at the express highway.

Brad: That son ofa …………….( Jane covers Brad’s mouth)

Jane: No No No ……………………….bad manners Badd. But, who im kidding.

Hank: Enough Jane. We have to walk for 90 minutes and we have wasted sme 10 minutes in talking and arguing. Ok Sumato please go and bring the tyre. We will reach and stay at the small hotel until then.

Jane: Ya lets go then. Hank’s right.

Sumato leaves as they walk towards the small hotel.

Alan: Don’t tell me we will have to walk from the small hotel to the resort also.

Burko: You kidding. That would be another 3 hours walk. Plus that’s the opposite place where the lion and the tiger is kept. They are tamed but it’s been 3 days since they were fed last time. Even I don’t wanna go near them.

Dorothy: So when are they fed.

Burko: Well, the caretakers have taken a small scooter ahead of us. They will feed them before we arrive there.

Brad: Good to know.

Hank: I didn’t know you too were scared.

Brad: Well I don’t wanna be in a tiger’s belly. I wanna meet Violet after a week.

Alan: Well don’t worry bud I will save you in case anything happens.

Dorothy: Don’t worry you will be the first one to climb a tree when you see a tiger.( Brad laughs) as they reach a dense hill ahead.

Alan sits at a cutted log after 20 minutes.

Dorothy: What it’s only 20 minutes and you are tired. We will only stop at the small hotal Alan.

Alan: Would you stop bossing around. I wish there was a cat around here.

Suddenly they hear a roar sound.

Burko: Oh my god. The wild cats are here. Children stay at the log ok. I am gonna light a stick.

Brad: Light a stick?

Jane: well lighting a stick will certainly frighten the cat you idiot.

Brad: Ok now you are smart and you are holding my hand scardy girl.

Hank: Hey hold mine too Brad.

Alan: Come on Hank. Brad and I can fight the animal.

Brad: Ok some are too scared and someone is mad. Mr Burko light the stick fast.

Just as they Mr Burko is ligting the fire he sees a black panther ahead of him.

Burko: Fesssewwww it’s Kanchi. Miss Violet’s panther. Thank god.