THE PEACELAND TRILOGY (For Critics Only) #Wattys2020

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6

Weeks passed...

Nishi and the gang freshened their minds while Zafrin was seeing off Nishi. The bus was about to start. It slowly was going on the ride. Nishi and the gang were cheered out of excitement and happiness. The colors of youth were more different than the old age. The carefree youth is always the best part of our lives. That was not only the bus journey but the memories they shared.

In the middle of the journey, they started to sing a lot of songs until Jared took out the guitar. When he started to play, most of the people in the bus were surprised to watch him playing the guitar. His intensity and dedication towards the tune made the ladies go awe and the men were impressed of the skills. It even mesmerized Shahana. Kabir was staring at Nishi. The problem he had that what if Nishi couldn't love the fat kid?

As they stopped the Crystal Lake, it was surrounded by only three long cabins with a bunch of oak trees with a forest and a lake on it. The atmosphere was green and gray at the same time. The colorful leaves made the weather cold and enjoyable with leaves on breeze. The lake was so large that it looked a bit like The River Nile. It had a small bridge which was only for fishing and an old wooden boat. Everything there, the cabins, the bridges and the boats were made of old woods.

"Well, well, well, Nishi... This is the first time that you are romancing the place?" said Shahana.

"Shahana, I am having a strange feeling about this place. I feel, someone was watching me" said Nishi.

"Oh, forget it! We are coming here to chill. Isn't it?" said Jared.

"Nature is the best place for peaceful understandings" said Kabir.

All of the students were exploring the forests along with Nishi. The guide coach were instructing them to not touch the trees until Kabir saw a squirrel. When he was about to touch the squirrel, it ran away while chasing it.

"Mr. Kabir, didn't I told you that not to touch anything?" said the guide.

"Sorry sir" said Kabir.

Kabir has an obsession with squirrels. He also wanted to keep it as pets. It was while Nishi was roaming around the narrow roads of the maze forest, leaving the camp side. She saw a lake other than the front side of the camp. It was dark, swampy and foggy. The smell was as rain happened. Nishi was about to be crept towards the lake as she heard a quake sound.

Jared patted her shoulder with interruption.

"So, Nishi, what are you looking for?" said Jared.

"Umm...Nothing" said Nishi.

They just got away from the scene but the creepy atmosphere was about to shake from the lake.

The tour ended. The sky was about to get dark. As most students slept in the cabins, Nishi woke up and crept down in the same lake. There was neon light of jealousy which was glowing inside the lake. Nishi got fascinated.

Until, a creature got out from the lake that Nishi was not prepared to see. It was monstrous and swampy as such that it's eyes were glowing red. Along with that, Kabir was sleepwalking beside Nishi.

"Sweetie-pie, I am home!" said Kabir in his sleep.

Nishi was afraid and furious at the same time. She pressed Kabir's ears tight. He woke up.

"Where am I?" said Kabir unconsciously until he saw the monster growling.

"OH SHIT!" said both Nishi and Kabir.

Both ran as the monster growled and chased them.

"I don't wanna adopt squirrels again! This is getting me peed" said Kabir

"Oh SHUT UP KABIR!" said Nishi.

They jumped into the trees and vanished into an empty, dark forest. Nishi saw that Kabir was not in the forest. She was searching for him and cried "KABIR! WHERE ARE YOU!"

No one answered until, a shadow of a baboon with a wooden walking stick arrived in the middle.

"Welcome, dear" said the voice of the old wise baboon.

"Who is this?" cried Nishi.

"Guardians, lights on!" commanded the wise baboon.

The fireflies marched together and combined as such that the light went to the extreme.

"ZUBA! The wisest baboon in Peaceland! I heard a lot about you in the mythology books!" exclaimed Nishi.

"You thought I was a ghost, isn't it?" said Zuba.

"What about those humans who disappeared? Jared Travers and Karim Mehtab?" asked Nishi.

"We are not the ones who killed them. There is one person who can clearly give you the idea" said Zuba.

"Who?" asked Nishi.