Realisation And Nurture (BOOK #2) ✔

Chapter 45 (Part 1)

Chapter 45 (Part 1)

The bright morning of the fourth day had brought in a very promising opportunity for the children from the Shimla camp. The weather was cool and soothing, neither too cold nor too cloudy. Every team had been provided with its respective map and an extra two hours for the prior planning before they embarked on their journey.

Dhairya had his backpack ready for the challenge that the final round had thrown before him and Shalini. They had been supplied with every necessity they would need for the day's trip — a pair of trekking boots, lunch boxes, water bottles, a safety tool kit, a sleeping bag, an umbrella, a torch, a walkie-talkie, and so on.

"We are going for a trekking, Shai." He began when he saw Shalini walking numerous steps behind him, at a snail-paced speed. "We have been instructed to achieve three feats and reach the final target together."

"It doesn't look so easy, Dhai!" Shalini said, shivering as she glanced around the tall dense conifers surrounding them. Walking a distance over the uneven terrains in the mildly cooler temperatures of Shimla in the month of August was not the game of a fool. "I have never been to a forest before. Can you understand the kind of palpitation I am experiencing right now?"

"But I have been to a forest before." Dhairya paused in his track to let Shalini catch up with him. "My special school had run an expedition to another forest last year. It was an educational tour where we got to learn so many things. Though I have never been to a hilly forest such as this, I think I will be able to manage from my past experiences."

"I feel so lost when I look at the map of our challenge which says that we need to cover a total of sixty meters to achieve the first feat!"

"It doesn't matter, Shai!" He laughed before pointing at the route map. "We have already crossed fifty meters as our tracker reads. In all the distance which we have already covered, you have lost pace in comparison to me at least thrice. This might be very harmful to the scoreboard. Why are you not letting me help you out?"

"You offered to help but I didn't accept it. I may lose points but whatever I am going to score is going to be the measurement of my capabilities. I should know where I stand and what my strengths are." Shalini said before lifting her right limb in the air and contemplating jumping over a small shrub of bushes. "Maybe at the end of the day, I will need to call for the authorities to airlift me and carry me back to the camp. But I won't cheat."

"Taking help from your partner doesn't mean you are cheating. This also includes the fact that the trainers have themselves told us that their rules are open for assistance from the respective partners." Dhairya said before turning about to check on whether Shalini was able to cross the swampy muds. "At the end of the day, they are going to check our performances as a team."

"I know but. . ." As Shalini got closer to the stream that was flowing along the other stretch of the swamps, Dhairya had already crossed it to reach the sixty meters mark. "How do I jump now? The water is gushing at a very high speed!"

"I had warned you so!" Dhairya's voice was loud, a little temper brimming in his eyes. "There was no need to take such a risk. I had offered to help you. Why didn't you accept it?"

"Give me some ideas. I will try. . ." Her voice was now shaking as she drew her raised leg backward. "If I put my leg in the waters, it will drive me away. . ."

"I will only guide you if you promise to take my help hence onwards."

Shalini was dumbfounded for a moment before she nodded her head positively. "Only whenever it will be an emergency."

"Isn't this an emergency?"

"It is." Shalini closed her eyes. "Please help me. I don't want to get drowned."