The busy village amidst the beautiful Western Ghats is shining like a little star in the vast sky. It is situated in the lap of the elevated green mountains. It is the only village situated near the Western Ghats and is therefore surrounded by thick dark forests all around. Every evening, immediately when the sun goes dim, high-pitched buzzing and chirping sounds of cicadas and other insects from the dense forests travel and pierce the village except for winters when the insects go dormant. People residing in the village finish their daily chores much before 7 PM and gather inside their houses as the village is swallowed by dark instantly after 7 PM.
Long ago, parts of the Western Ghats covering this village were untouched by human hands. This exclusive possession of the place by the residents of a village in the middle of verdant forests made people around the world wonder. To find the reason behind this fact, we should travel back to the time when two families entered these forests for a treasure hunt. The families were childhood friends and during their time, the stories about treasures hiding amid forest grounds used to spread like a wildfire among people very often. Intrigued by such cockamamie theories, the two families along with their children left for the forest in search of hidden wealth. Following such absurd stories, they got a whole lot of nothing and, in fact, one of the families also lost a child. The death of a child made the families very upset and they wanted to return to their homes. Unfortunately, they had somehow lost the map and there was no way back home. However, they settled down in a place near forests, eventually survived, and therefore laid a foundation of a whole village.
But over the years, when the village expanded and the outer world made some significant revolutions, the problems of habitat loss and awareness of environmental conservation also came to the limelight. So, presently, the forests around the village are declared as 'reserved areas' to save the elements of biodiversity.
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Rare fruits and the fruit vendor
Short StoryRam is a fruit vendor who lives in a mesmerizing village amidst the Western Ghats. He is leading a peaceful life with a beautiful wife and his little boy. But over time his life takes strange turns.
