The unexpected visitor

By Navya Sharma

Traveling to the mountains is my best way to de-stress from the busy city life and everyday chores. Therefore, whenever it becomes too hectic, or whenever I feel the need, I like to explore the mountains. On one such trip, I, along with my friends Guppi, Nik, and Arck, headed to Chakrata, a quaint town in Uttarakhand. Chakrata, a cantonment town in the Dehradun district, is at a height of 6900 feet. If one wants to visit this place, you need permission from the Indian Army, and in our case, Arck had arranged for it.

After an 8-hour drive (with some stoppages), we finally reached our destination. The weather was awesome; I had never seen the sky so blue in Delhi. It seemed so clean, and the air was fresh and free from pollution. We headed straight to our Dak Bungalow, again arranged by Arck.

On the face of it, the Dak Bungalow looked like it was straight from a horror movie set. However, from the inside, it was cozy and well-kept. We met Sharad there; he was the caretaker cum cook of that place. As we were the only ones staying there, Sharad arranged a bonfire for us and asked us what we would like to have for tea and dinner. Chakrata had a very small local market, so we asked him to cook whatever was available on that day.

By 6 in the evening, we had put on music; it was already dark, and Sharad was making cutlets for us. We were requested to keep the volume low. Sharad came and served the cutlets with hot piping tea. He seemed to be the perfect host, and we were enjoying the bonfire. He said he would be preparing for dinner soon and asked all of us to be indoors by 8 and lock the doors and windows from inside.

When we inquired why, he said that this is a jungle, and bears come out smelling food at night. Guppi laughed the most hearing this, but we still obeyed our cook and went inside by 8 pm. We had our dinner and listened to music. After we ate, Nik left all the plates outside, thinking that Sharad would pick them up.

After an hour, when we were about to sleep, we heard a thumping knock on the door. I thought it must be Sharad, but as I approached the door, I could hear the panting of some creature. I felt scared, and my hands trembled to open the lock. Arck peeped out of the window and shouted, “It’s a big bear.” Guppi started howling and shouting; Nik immediately hid himself under the bed, and I was still trembling in fear.

Arck saw the bear licking our leftover plates and breaking the crockery. I immediately realised our mistake of keeping the leftover plates outside. The smell of food had attracted the bear. Arck shouted again, saying there were two bears outside. I had not dared to see even one, and my friends had seen two by now. Moreover, the other two friends were still hiding under the bed.

I felt the lock would break anytime as the bear was constantly banging on the door. I started reciting Hanuman Chalisa as my lips trembled. The mobile signal strength was so weak that we could not contact anyone for help. Suddenly, the banging on the door stopped, and we heard a familiar voice; it was Sharad, our caretaker cum cook. He came with a flambeau, and seeing the flames, the bear went away. I told Sharad that he was like a godsend for us. Guppi and Nik came out of hiding. We could not sleep that night due to fear.

The next morning, we decided to go to Dehradun and left Chakrata, thanking Sharad once more before leaving. This trip is etched in my memory forever. The unexpected visitor scared us to our bones, and we trembled in fear.