THE FALLEN BLACK ROSE

3rd Chapter

"Mom, look! There's the snake I saw last week!" exclaimed Alia, pointing to the long serpent that was even bigger than her hand.

Faruq quickly approached with a cutlass in hand, ready to slay the creature, but Professor Ali intervened, stopping him in his tracks and gently taking the weapon from his grasp.

"It's poisonous, Dad!" Faruq exclaimed urgently.

But Professor Ali held up a hand to stop him. "No, Faruq, if you bite it, it will not kill you."

Faruq was taken aback. "But I thought-"

"Man never bites a snake," interrupted Professor Ali with a wise smile. "You're mistaken, my son. You should have called it venomous, not poisonous. In reality, only about one in five of the world's snakes are found to be venomous. And even then, the percentage may vary depending on the region."

His words hung in the air, and a sense of awe settled over the group. They realized how little they knew about the creatures that shared their world.

As Christiana approached the group, Alia scanned the area frantically. "Where is the snake?" Christiana inquired.

"It disappeared," Alia replied with a hint of frustration in her voice. "As usual, it disappeared."

The group was left in awe at the elusive nature of the serpent. Its presence had caused a stir among them, but just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished into thin air. The idea of such a creature existing, slithering through the underbrush undetected, sent shivers down their spines. They realized that they were just mere mortals, living among the wonders of nature, and that there was still so much to be discovered and explored.

Faruq's heart was conflicted as he pondered, "Can a curious zoologist have answers to our questions?" Unsure of the answer, he hesitated.

"I don't know," his inner voice responded, leaving him even more uncertain.

Faruq realized that there was only one way to find out - to seek out a zoologist and see if they could provide the answers they sought. With a determined look on his face, he set out on his mission, eager to discover the truth and unlock the secrets of the natural world.

"I swear it disappeared," Alia said, frustration evident in her voice, after she had scanned the entire garden.

"Good for her," Faruq remarked, his tone somewhat dismissive.

"Her?" Alia asked, puzzled by his response.

"Hmm, if you don't get it, forget about it," Faruq replied enigmatically.

Alia's frustration grew. "If you're not serious now, you'll never be," she retorted, clearly exasperated by his cryptic behavior.

"Enough!"

★ ★ ★
The only sound that could be heard in the classroom was the steady "tiktok" of the clock on the wall. All the seats were occupied, but there was an eerie silence that filled the room. To the surprise of everyone present, there was no teacher in the class. Yet, all eyes were glued to the whiteboard as Faruq deftly sketched out an intricate diagram, his hand moving with purpose and precision.

The students were captivated by Faruq's drawing, which seemed to hold some kind of mystical power over them. As he continued to work, the lines on the whiteboard seemed to come to life, pulsing with energy and vitality. The students watched in awe as the image took shape, their minds racing with possibilities and ideas.

Well built body of Faruq play a vital role in covering his drawing from his colleagues' view, that have made all the class members to watch him with alacrity... They are eager to see the drawing, as he had told them that he is drawing something that will surprise them.