Mystery of The Jungle

Episode: 12: Facing the Unknown

After returning from outside, Swara was confused and scared to return to the house. She saw everyone waking up and cleaning where they were sleeping. Swara called Avantika, Anita, and Ankita. "Hey girls, meanwhile boys are cleaning, let's make us breakfast. Come on." Arnav asked, "Hey, aren't you guys helping us?" Swara said, "Nope, we have to prepare breakfast." Adarsh groaned, "Seriously, what sin have we boys committed that we have to clean up the whole room by ourselves? And look at these girls. They're not even offering to help!" Avantika said, "Then who will cook for us?" Aman rolled his eyes, "Oh, come on, Adarsh, it's just cleaning. How hard can it be? We'll have it done in no time." Aadarsh said, "Let's just pretend to clean." Aarav grumpily, "Yeah, easy for you to say. Swara's going to have a fit if she sees so much as a speck of dust on the floor." Arnav nodded, "Yeah, seriously. It's like she has a sixth sense for dirt or something. We'd better make sure everything's spotless before she shows up. Adarsh sighing, "Fine, fine. Let's just get this over with. But if those girls think they're getting away with not helping, they've got another thing coming." The boys grumble amongst themselves as they start cleaning, casting wary glances at the door, half-expecting Swara to appear at any moment. Meanwhile, the girls can be heard giggling from another part of the guest house, clearly enjoying their temporary freedom from chores. Aman then calls out, "Hey, girls! Don't think you can escape cleaning duty that easily! We're watching you!" Swara smirks, "Oh, Aman, you're so cute when you're trying to be bossy! But don't worry, we'll make sure to clean up after you...like always!" Arnav, Aarav, and Aadarsh burst out laughing. Arnav laughing, "Oh man, Aman, you got burned!" Aarav chuckling, "Yeah, good luck with that, Aman!" Aman laughed sheepishly, "Shut up, guys! It's all in good fun!" Swara smiling sweetly, "Don't worry, Aman, we'll go easy on you...this time!" The boys continue teasing Aman, and the girls join in, playfully joking and laughing together. Aman laughing, "Alright, alright, I get it! You guys are all hilarious!" Arnav grinning, "Yeah, we're a regular comedy troupe!" Aarav chuckling, "But seriously, Arnav, good luck with Swara! You're gonna need it!" Arnav smiling, "Hey, I can handle it! I'm a pro at cleaning... and charming the ladies!" The boys all laugh and high-five each other as they continue cleaning the room.  Anita: "Whoa, Swara! You almost burned yourself! What's going on? You seem lost in thought." Swara sighs, ""Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about something that happened earlier. When I went to talk to that old lady about the rumors of the guardian spirit, she seemed so... eerie. And then, on my way back, this mad man grabbed my hand and warned me to leave before the guardian spirit returns." Ankita heard, and her eyes widened."Wait, what? That's creepy! Do you think there's any truth to it?" Swara, "I don't know, Ankita. It's all so strange. But what if there's some truth to the rumors? What if there's really something out there?" Avantika asked nervously, "I don't know, Swara. But maybe we should be careful until we figure this out." The other girls exchange worried glances, the weight of the situation sinking in as they continue preparing breakfast, their thoughts clouded by the unsettling events of the morning. Ankita screamed, "There's someone trying to steal our food!" Avantika startled, "What?!" Swara alarmed, "Oh no, it's probably just a hungry villager. Let's not overreact." Anita shakily, "But he... he just reached in through the window!" Aarav rushing in with a mop, "What's going on?!" Arnav came inside and took Spatula for brandishing a spatula, "Who's trying to mess with our breakfast?" Aman holding a ladle like a weapon, "I'll chase them away. No one steals our food!" Adarsh arriving with a broom, "I'll give them a taste of their own medicine!"  Swara trying to calm everyone down, "Wait, wait! Let's not jump to conclusions. It's probably just a hungry villager trying to grab a bite. We don't want to start a fight." Ankita still shaken, "But it's scary! What if it's the guardian spirit?" Arnav skeptical, "Guardian spirit? Come on, Ankita, don't be silly. It's just a hungry person looking for food." Aarav glancing out the window, "I don't see anyone. Maybe they ran off when they heard all the commotion." Swara nodding, "Let's just keep an eye out and make sure everything's secure. We don't want any unexpected guests at our breakfast table." When everything was okay, girl turned to boys, and they saw all of them holding kitchen utensils. Swara laughing, "Oh my god, what are you guys doing?!" Arnav holding up a spatula, "We were ready to take on the unknown man!" Aadarsh brandishing a broom, "Yeah, we were not going down without a fight...or at least, a good sweeping!" Ankita teasingly, "Oh, I see you guys are using kitchen utensils as weapons! How original!" Aarav smirking, "Hey, ladies, use these utensils to hit their husbands all the time! We're just borrowing from their expertise!" Anita laughing, "Hey, that's different! We choose to use them on our husbands, not on random strangers!" Aman jokingly, "Yeah, and besides, we're just trying to even the odds...after all, the unknown man might have a vacuum cleaner on his side!" Everyone bursts out laughing at Aman's ridiculous comment. Swara giggled, "Okay, okay, you guys win! You're the kitchen utensil warriors!" Arnav grinning, "Hey, we'll take it! At least we're not using forks and knives... that would be just too dangerous!" The group continues laughing and joking, enjoying the absurdity of the situation. They all sat on the floor for breakfast. Anita stood up to keep her dish in sink, from the window, she saw a man calling her with hand gestures, so she confused and asked, "Me?" The man nodded his head and asked her to follow her. Anita was confused about whether she should go or not? Anita excuses herself and goes out. She saw the man a little far away and went behind him. After a while, she came back to see everyone were busy chatting and cleaning the kitchen. Swara said, " Where did you go, Anita?" Aman said, "Yeah, Swara's all torn up about having to clean by herself. Boo hoo." Swara: "Hey, watch it, Aman!" Anita gives no response, just sits down in a chair, looking unnatural way.  Swara: "What's wrong with you, Anita? You've been acting so weird lately." Anita remains silent. Aadarsh asked, "Yeah, what's going on? You're freaking us out." Anita still not giving any response. Aman: "Dude, she's just messing with us. Right, Anita?" Anita still not giving any response, continues to sit silently. Ankita: "Anita, hey, what's going on? You're scaring us." Suddenly, something left her body to which she came out of the eerie zone and said, "Oh, sorry... I zoned out. What happened?" Ankita: "We were talking to you, and you just spaced out. Are you okay?" Anita: "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little... headache. Can I skip the rest of the temple visit? Please?" Swara: "Yeah, sure, it's okay. But if it's severe, we should cancel the plan." Anita: "No, no, it's not severe. You all go ahead, I'll rest and be fine by evening." Aman: "Are you sure, Anita? You don't look well." Anita: "I'm fine, Aman. Really. Just a little headache. Go, enjoy the rest of the visit. I'll be okay." Everyone: "Okay, we'll go. Feel better, Anita." Aman looks concerned but doesn't push the issue. Anita saw everyone getting ready, and eerie silence occurred, and she was smirking.

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