The Yellow Scarf

Zale Victor watched the clouds drift lazily across the sky as he lay on the soft grass thinking about how his life might have been if his parents were still alive. He had been living in an orphanage for as long as he could remember, and it had not been a pleasant life, to say the least. It was a bright summer afternoon, and all the other children were busy making the most of it, playing and enjoying themselves in a park near his locality. Zale was lying on the grass, in his favourite spot, a meadow that was a little further away from the park. It was the perfect place as it was hidden away behind a clump of willow trees and Zale found this convenient as he could stay hidden from an older kid and his bunch of cronies. Zale, who was scrawny for his age of 13 years, was often bullied by them. Although the park was buzzing with activity, Zale had tuned it all out and he was lost in his thoughts when he heard someone call his name.

He was brought back to his surroundings and his ears could once again hear all the sounds emanating from the park. He changed his posture into a sitting position and saw a boy of his age with shaggy brown hair and a freckly face, looking down at him. The boy’s oval face was familiar, and Zale recognised it was Paul Anderson, a boy who was in his class and lived in his neighbourhood. Although they were not exactly on talking terms, Paul had once stood up for Zale and had ended up getting pummelled himself. The first thing that Zale noticed was that Paul, who was dressed in a black summer jacket, light blue jeans, and a pair of black converse sneakers, looked impatient and worried. Before Zale could get a word out, Paul said that he urgently needed Zale’s help. Zale asked him what had happened, but Paul ignored his question and signalled Zale to follow him. Zale thought that that was a little rude, but he still decided to see what was going on. He got up swiftly, righted his round glasses, adjusted his oversized blue jeans, dusted his green jacket, and followed.

A few minutes later, they reached a clearing where Zale was shocked to see a sizable crater in the ground. On closer inspection, he realised that the crater was deep, as he could not see its bottom. Zale thought that maybe Paul wanted his help to report this crater to the authorities. However, he realised that his assumption had been completely off base when Paul informed him that they needed to jump into the crater. Zale was not at all sure that he wanted to leap into an unknown hole in the ground at the suggestion of a boy he hardly knew. Paul read the hesitation on Zale’s face and promised that he would explain everything later but right now he needed Zale to trust him. As Zale was making up his mind, he noticed the crater become smaller and he understood why Paul was in such a hurry. Zale was still unconvinced but after recalling how Paul had selflessly helped him in his time of need, he decided to throw caution to the wind and trust him. When Zale gave his answer, relief washed over Paul’s face as he stammered a quick thank you. He then casually leapt into the hole as if he were jumping into a shallow pond. Zale, without giving it any further thought, also mimicked Paul’s action.

Zale felt a peculiar sensation throughout his body as he journeyed through the hole and after, what felt like minutes, he crashed into a short but wide shrub. As he steadied himself, he noticed that he was in the middle of some plantation, which was full of these shrubs. On closer inspection, he realised that the shrubs were tea bushes. Zale turned his head around to see that the plantation was spread over many acres of land. As he moved his head around, he realized that he was in a hilly terrain and, in the distance, he could see a breath-taking view of a snow-capped mountain range. As Zale was admiring the scenic beauty of the place, he heard Paul call him. Paul pointed towards a direction which Zale knew was west, as the sun was about to set in that direction. As the two of them jogged in that direction, Zale asked him where they were. Paul told him they were in a small village in Nepal just near the eastern part of the Himalayan Mountain range. After a while, they reached a small path that led towards a settlement. Zale was bursting with questions but before he could ask any of them, the two reached what appeared to be a small village. Zale began drinking in his new environment as he looked at the rows of strange-looking houses. Paul nudged him on the shoulder and pointed towards the last house at the end of the alley. Zale had no idea why Paul was pointing towards the house, but he followed him there, nonetheless. On reaching the house, Paul lightly tapped on the door and the door immediately opened as if the person was eagerly waiting for the knock.

Zale could not see the person’s face properly as the house was bathed in a dim yellowish light that seemed to be emanating from a lamp of sorts. Nevertheless, he could tell that the person was not very young. As soon as the person shut the door, Paul seemed a little relaxed. The person went towards the lamp and soon the light became brighter. Zale immediately noticed that the person was a thin, middle-aged woman with distinct oriental facial features and dark shoulder-length hair that made her look striking but in an unconventional way. She was wearing a long midnight blue robe with a brightly coloured striped apron-like garment over it. Zale was taken aback when he heard the woman talk in English as she confirmed with Paul whether Zale was the one. A wide grin spread over her face as she turned towards Zale and introduced herself as Kunzang. Zale had a lot of questions, but before he could ask any of them, his stomach gave a loud rumble and he realised that he was famished. Kunzang, understanding, offered them some food; some brown, ring-shaped bread. Zale immediately thought of onion rings but when he bit into one, he was surprised to find that it was sweet. She also brought them a jug of milk. Both ate hungrily and when they were finished, Zale’s burning curiosity resurfaced. He turned his head towards Paul with a questioning look.

Paul explained that he had discovered the hole in the ground along with his younger sister. While they were exploring the crater, she had fallen into the hole after losing her footing, and he had had no choice but to go in after her. The two of them had landed at the same sight as Zale and Paul, and they had headed towards the village, where they had met up with Kunzang. Due to them having no idea how to return, they had been forced to spend the night at Kunzang’s house. When Paul had woken up the next day, he had realised that his sister had disappeared, and the locals including Kunzang had suspected that she might have been taken by the Sokpas. Kunzang then interjected and elaborated that the Sokpas were a group of terrible creatures that lived somewhere in the snowy mountains. Every once in a while, these creatures kidnapped a young girl, who was then never heard of again. There had been many expeditions to locate these creatures, but no one had ever seen these creatures, not even their footprints. Kunzang added that her daughter had been taken by these monsters many years ago.

Zale, who now recalled seeing Paul’s sister on numerous occasions, felt genuinely sorry for Paul and Kunzang. Though he was also intrigued by the legend of the Sokpas, he still could not understand what it had to do with him. Kunzang, as if reading his thoughts, continued that it had been predicted a long time ago that a boy with a lightning-shaped scar on his head would be the solution. Zale found it strange and unnerving that she knew about his scar, a souvenir he had received from the car accident that had resulted in the death of his parents. Paul interrupted Zale’s thoughts as he clarified that he had instantly thought of Zale when she had mentioned the scar. Zale, who was still full of self-doubt, asked them how he could defeat or even find these creatures that no one had ever seen. The woman told him that Zale had special powers and the answers would eventually come to him. Zale was still not convinced but he felt like it was his duty to help Paul find his sister.

After a somewhat restful sleep – Zale and Paul had both slept on mats on the floor – Zale woke up feeling nervous about the upcoming task. He also shuddered at the thought of what was going to happen to him when he eventually returned to the Dursleys. Nevertheless, he kept his concerns to himself and decided to focus on finding Paul’s sister. They had decided at night that Paul and he would be going in search of the Sokpas the next day. After a hasty breakfast consisting of the same brown ring-shaped bread and some spicy meat stew, Kunzang took the pair to another house. There they soon met up with a group of people dressed in clothes similar to Kunzang’s – the men’s robes were shorter – who turned out to be the village elders. As the elders could not speak in English, Kunzang acted as the translator. Their heads were soon bursting with information on the Sokpas and where they might be found.

Zale found it uncomfortable as everyone seemed to be gawking at him and all of them seemed nothing but sure that he was the one. However, he decided to keep his insecurities to himself for the time being. Zale and Paul were told that they needed to hike for five days to reach the place that was believed to be regularly frequented by the Sokpas. Soon the details of a plan were hashed out and it was decided that Zale and Paul would be accompanied by two people, Pema and Norden – both around 17 years of age – as both knew the area pretty well and both of them could speak a little English. Zale was still confused about the plan as the elders had not given him any pointers on how to defeat these mythical monsters. When he voiced his concerns, they all smiled and said that he would figure that out himself in time. Zale was not at all reassured, but he feigned confidence, nonetheless, as he did not want to look weak. Before they left, all of them were asked to plant a tree sapling just near the edge of the village – the locals believed that this would bring them good luck. Zale was engulfed by both excitement and nervousness when it was finally time to leave.

As they hiked, Zale was blown away by the natural beauty of his surroundings. The path they took was surrounded by a sea of lush green vegetation consisting of pine trees, different species of rhododendrons and plants that Zale could not recognise. The temperature was pleasant, and the air was filled with the subtle scent of wildflowers. Paul and Norden were engrossed in some trivial discussion about birds and Pema was absentmindedly whistling a melodious tune as he walked. Despite being well aware of the dangers ahead, Zale couldn’t help feeling nice as he was on a camping trip for the first time in his life, with people who were almost like his friends. Zale was glad to discover that Pema and Norden were both nice people. While Pema, a burly boy with buzz-cut hair, seemed to be jovial, always laughing and joking, Norden, a lanky fellow with long hair, was quieter but seemed to have a vast knowledge about the flora and fauna of the area. Zale also got to know Paul a little better and realised that he was a very helpful person.

As they travelled further, the hike became tougher and tougher due to the increasing incline of the terrain and the thinning air making their lungs work harder. The lush vegetation around them also started becoming sparser until it was completely replaced by a barren terrain on the third day of their hike. As they were setting camp, Zale felt a chill and realised that the temperature had dropped significantly. He was grateful that the villagers had provided them with some warm clothing. Zale heard Norden tell Paul that they were in a place called Ghoom, which had no signs of human civilization, save for a solitary monastery that had been abandoned for a long time. Zale felt much better when the four of them settled next to a blazing fire and dined on some broth consisting of dried meat, potatoes and onions.

After dinner, his friends fell immediately asleep, but Zale was unable to sleep that night despite being tired; his brain working hard to process everything that had happened since he had met Paul. Out of nowhere, Zale sensed something flash brightly outside their tent as if someone had momentarily turned on a stage light. Curiosity got the better of him and he tiptoed out of their makeshift tent, not wanting to disturb his friends, who seemed to be all fast asleep. He was greeted by a blast of freezing air that made his whole body convulse. He scanned his surroundings and saw that nothing was visible except for the countless stars strewn across the night sky. Just as he was about to return to his bed, it happened.

It was the weirdest thing that Zale had ever seen; a pale green light was floating eerily just a few yards away. He was strangely drawn to the light, his mind feeling comfortably numb. He slowly approached the light and was soon right in front of it, but as he tried to touch it, it drifted away in the direction of the silhouette of the surrounding mountains. Suddenly, the light shot up high in the air and exploded like a brilliant firework display. The sparks illuminated the whole surroundings, but strangely Zale’s eyes were only focused on one section of the terrain, where he could clearly see a path that led directly to the heart of the mountains. The path seemed to be permanently etched in Zale’s brain even after the light faded and eventually disappeared. He felt momentarily blinded as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. He started walking forward slowly, but after only a couple of steps, he stopped after he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. As his vision adjusted, he noticed that he was standing on the edge of a cliff; another step and he would have been dead. He turned around to see his saviour, a young man with a shaved head, who was draped in dark coloured robes. He pointed in the distance at Zale’s camp and gestured as if telling him to call his friends. Zale ran to the camp and shook his friends awake. He did not tell them the entire story, making it sound as though he had merely stumbled upon the young man when he was relieving himself. They didn’t seem suspicious and soon enough, Norden and the man were having a conversation and Pema explained that the man was a monk, and he was inviting them all to spend the night in the monastery, which wasn’t abandoned after all. They all readily accepted the invitation and after a short walk, they were all inside the monastery. The four of them were straight away led to a room and shown where they would be sleeping.

Zale woke the next day feeling well rested, his near-death experience almost forgotten. He felt strangely at peace at the monastery especially after he saw all the residents immersed in their morning meditation. The monastery wasn’t very big; it was almost the same as the Dursleys’ house on Pivet Drive. The interiors, which was constructed of pinewood, consisted of a big hall for prayers and meditation, a kitchen, a dining room, and a few private rooms. Zale was eager to discuss what he had seen yesterday with his three friends, but he didn’t want to disturb the meditating monks, so he decided to wait. When the monks were done, they were all served some food, a dish that looked like porridge but tasted very different, and when they were done, a monk approached them and said something to Pema, who immediately translated that the head monk wanted to have a private word with Zale before they left. Zale was led into a private chamber that was decorated with strange drawings of different deities. An old monk dressed in scarlet and yellow robes with a lot of colourful scarfs around his neck was seated on a slightly raised platform. Zale greeted him but the monk just smiled. He carefully removed a yellow silk scarf from around his neck and offered it to Zale. Zale didn’t know what to say but he accepted the scarf without question. He examined the scarf and saw that it had a lot of different circular patterns on it. The monk then started reading a book and Zale understood that that was his cue to leave.

An hour later Zale was busy explaining to his friends what he had experienced last night. He was a little annoyed when they all agreed that he had acted foolishly. Zale had also shown them the scarf and Pema had explained that it was common for monks to give out these scarfs, though he couldn’t explain why only Zale had received the scarf. They soon reached a place where the trail gave way to seven different paths leading to the mountains. Paul, Pema and Norden looked confused but Zale knew exactly where to go, with the illuminated path etched clearly in his mind. The rest were not sure whether they should take Zale’s path but since they had no other ideas, they decided to give it a shot.

After a couple of days, they finally reached the base of the mountains. White seemed to be the dominant colour as the terrain was enveloped by a thick blanket of snow and the sky was also completely covered by clouds. Just as Zale was looking around, feeling starstruck by the view of the majestic mountains, Pema and Norden both pointed towards what appeared to be a narrow pass between two massive peaks. Since that seemed to be the only way forward, they decided to take it. After a two-hour hike, they arrived at a dead end and as they were all thinking about what to do next, the sight of something made Zale’s blood freeze. Three snow leopards were stealthily making their way toward them. Zale remembered the slingshot he and the others had in their pockets, but he knew that it would be of no use against three leopards. Paul and the others, who had now also noticed the animals, looked petrified as the leopards moved even closer. Zale then recalled that he had a cigarette lighter and some firecrackers in his pockets. He had found the lighter in the park and had stolen the firecrackers from his cousin. In sheer desperation, he took out the lighter and turned its flint wheel. The leopards did not seem to notice the flame as they kept on advancing. Zale took out a cracker, lit it and launched it towards the advancing leopards. The firecracker gave off a dull thud as it exploded, and the leopards stopped in their tracks. Relief washed over Zale when he eventually saw them retreat and disappear. However, his respite was short-lived as suddenly there was a “whumph” sound and he sensed the ground beneath them vibrating like as it was alive. He soon realised that the snow leopards had not retreated because of the firecrackers. He could hear Pema shouting at them to take shelter behind what appeared to be a shallow cave. Pema and Norden were already in the cave and Zale quickly realised that the shelter could only accommodate one more person. Without thinking he shoved Paul inside and moments later everything went black.

When Zale came to, he was momentarily disoriented as everything around him was white. He then recalled the avalanche and was surprised to find himself completely unhurt and lying on the snow. He had heard reports of people getting buried in avalanches or getting seriously hurt. He thanked his lucky stars and started looking for his friends. There was no sign of them or the shallow cave where they had taken shelter. He soon understood that all the snow from the avalanche had raised the level of the ground and shuddered in fear as he realised that his friends must be trapped in the cave underneath several metres of snow. Zale began frantically digging and calling his friends simultaneously when it started to snow heavily. After a while, Zale uncovered an opening. At first, he thought it was the cave but as he cleared the snow, he saw that the opening was too narrow. It was a narrow tunnel that was just wide enough to accommodate him. The weather then turned for the worst as the snowing turned into a blizzard and Zale had no choice but to get inside the opening. He, however, was forced to his rucksack behind as it wouldn’t fit.

Zale felt terrible at the thought of him abandoning his friends as he crawled deeper into the tunnel. After what seemed like an eternity in the pitch-black darkness, he saw a narrow beam of light in the distance. When he reached closer, he was horrified to see that the path was blocked. In sheer desperation, Zale tugged at the blockade with all his might and he was relieved to see it easily give away. The crashing of the rocks and the gravel seem to indicate that the tunnel had ended and opened a few feet above the ground. Zale peered outside and saw that he had reached the interior of some man-made structure. As he couldn’t adjust his position in the narrow tunnel, he was forced to come out at an awkward angle, and this resulted in him landing painfully on the hard floor. As he steadied himself, Zale realised that he was inside an old ruin. The odd thing about the room was that it was circular, and it did not have any ceiling. However, he could hardly see the sky as the walls were very high; he seemed to be inside a spacious vertical circular tunnel. On further exploration, Zale discovered an altar area and understood that he was in some kind of old temple. There were a lot of strange-looking items laying on numerous identical circular blocks of stones and in the centre of it all was a tall block that was resting an object that looked like a lamp. He was convinced that no one had stepped into this temple for a very long time as everything including the floors and the walls was covered in a thick layer of dust. On the opposite end of the altar, Zale saw the outline of a massive circular stone door. He tried to open it, but it was sealed shut and looked like it hadn’t been opened in centuries. He tried to find other exits but found none. As Zale started working his brain, he absentmindedly returned to the altar, removed some of the objects from a block and sat on it. To his surprise, the block slowly sank under his weight until it levelled with the ground. He then heard a clicking sound and understood that he had activated some sort of mechanism that might help him find an alternate exit.

He quickly cleared another block and sat on it. It sank too and the clicking sound became louder. Zale quickly sat on the third block but this time instead of the clicking sound, he felt something swish over his head. Zale discovered that it was an arrow that had missed his head by a couple of inches. Zale now understood that the selection of a wrong block would result in an arrow. He wasn’t at all confident about which block he wanted to sit on next. While he was trying to figure it out, he noticed the yellow scarf, the monk had given him, lying on the floor. He surmised that it must have slipped out of his pocket when he was getting out of the tunnel. As soon as Zale picked it up, he noticed something interesting. One of the patterns on the scarf looked familiar. He carefully spread the cloth on the floor and examined it closely. After a moment of thorough examination, he understood that it was a pictorial representation of the temple’s interior. The markings on the wall and the floor were similar to the markings on the scarf. He also found the design of the altar on the scarf and, on closer inspection, he noted that the blocks were highlighted in black and white. Zale experienced a rush of excitement as he understood that this was the key to solving the block puzzle. He turned the map until it was perfectly oriented to the position of the altar and soon learned that the lighter blocks represented the stones that were pressed down. He tested his theory by slowly pressing on a light block indicated on the map. It sank, and there was a click. Zale quickly completed the pattern and abruptly there was a loud noise emanating from the opposite end of the temple. Zale ran there as fast as he could and saw that the giant door was sinking, and what Zale saw next completely blew his mind.

He felt like he was looking at a brilliant portrait of a countryside scenery, created by a master artist. There was a lush orchard full of trees laden with strange-looking fruits that looked ready to be eaten. On the right side of the orchard was a brook flowing with crystal clear water. The whole terrain was encircled by massive snowy peaks and Zale understood why this place was hidden from the rest of the world. Zale jogged to the brook and drank some water; it was sweet, and he felt instantly refreshed. He dipped his hands in the water and was surprised to see the cuts and abrasions on his hands heal instantly. After a while, he walked past the brook to the edge of the orchard and realised that he was on a hill. He looked around and spotted that there was another hill that was roughly the same size as the one he was on, in the distance. The two hills seemed to be connected by a narrow bridge and there was a valley down below where Zale saw signs of settlements. While Zale was looking for a way down, he saw a tall figure that was easily nine to ten feet standing right behind him. The sokpa was built like a wrestler as Zale could not fail to notice its muscles despite its whole body being covered by thick snow-white fur. Its facial features were almost human, save for its oddly shaped ears and lack of hair on its head. It wore no clothing but was carrying a dark brown sling bag, which appeared to be full. As Zale was checking out its facial expression to determine whether the creature was hostile or not, the sokpa – demonstrating great speed – retrieved something from its bag and hurled it straight towards Zale’s face. A sickly-sweet smell was the last thing that Zale took in before he passed out.

Zale woke up with a heavy head, and his nostrils still full of that sickly-sweet fragrance. With his eyes still shut, he tried to stand up but felt his head painfully bump against something hard. He opened his eyes and saw that he was uncomfortably crammed in a wooden cage that was suspended in mid-air. He peered above and noticed that his cage was hanging below the narrow bridge. He considered breaking out of the cage but quickly comprehended that that would just result in him plummeting to his death. Zale started panicking as claustrophobia slowly set in, and he found himself foolishly wishing that he were somehow out of the cage. The next moment Zale was astounded to find himself on the bridge just above the cage. However, he had no time to ponder on his miraculous escape as he saw a group of sokpas on one of the hills. Zale crouched as low as he could and fled in the opposite direction. As soon as he reached the other side, he was surprised to find Paul, Pema and Norden all locked up together in a bigger but similar-looking cage. They were amazed to see Zale as well, as they had assumed, he had been killed in the avalanche. Zale tried to open the cage but its door was tightly bound shut by some sort of cordage. An idea came to Zale and he took out the lighter from his pocket, lit it and let the flames lick at the thinnest section of the cordage. After a while, it gave away, and his friends were free. They quickly retreated towards the orchard, away from the sokpas, as Zale narrated everything that happened to him after they were separated. Paul, meanwhile, explained that Norden, Pema and he had simply woken up in the cage after the avalanche.

Zale informed the rest of the settlement below and they all agree that that would be the best place to look for Paul’s sister. They also agreed that they needed a distraction so that they could slip past the sokpas on the other hill. After a lot of deliberation, they decided the best distraction would be to start a fire, and soon, all of them were busy collecting twigs, branches, and other foliage they could burn. Once they had collected a sizeable heap of kindling, Pema – who was an expert in making fires – soon had a blazing bonfire in front of them. Zale and the rest took shelter behind some trees as they waited for their captors. The creatures arrived soon enough, and Zale noticed that all the sokpas had the same faces and deep raspy voices. With the creatures all busy with the fire, Zale and his friends quietly slipped past them and scurried to the other side of the bridge. Their plan had worked perfectly as no sokpa was there on the other side. Pema soon pointed towards a narrow path sloping that seemed to lead to the settlement below. They descended as fast as they could and after around fifteen minutes, they had reached the valley.

The first thing that Zale noticed was that the settlement looked like a ghost town and he assumed that all the sokpas must have gone to subdue the flames. Zale and his friends soon realised that the whole settlement consisted of several conical-shaped structures that were on either side of a road that seemed to run the entire length of the settlement. The four of them approached one of these structures and examined it closely. It did not appear to have any doors or windows. Paul, who had been just in front of Zale, then suddenly disappeared, and the rest of them soon found out that he had fallen through a trap door. Zale opened the door and stuck his head in, but it was completely dark. He slowly called out Paul’s name and was glad to hear him respond. He jumped in as soon as Paul gave him the green light and he felt his fall broken by a stack of hay. As he was turning his lighter’s wheel, he heard two dull thuds as they were joined by Pema and Norden. In the lighter’s pale-yellow flame, Zale could see that they were in a much wider room than he had expected. As he spread the flame, he saw a lamp-like object lying on a platform. Zale touched the lamp’s wick with his lighter’s flame, and they were all startled to see figures on the ground as the lamp bought the room’s contents into sharp focus. For a second, Zale thought the figures were sleeping sokpas but he soon realised their bodies were not covered in fur. Nearby Paul suddenly gave a small shriek of delight and pointed at one of the sleeping figures. It was his sister. Paul gently shook her awake and at first, she did not seem to recognise him due to her being disoriented from sleep. But after a moment, as she became fully conscious, she looked at him carefully before throwing her arms around him. This woke the other sleeping figures, who turned out to be all women. Some of the girls seem to know Norden and Pema and they all felt elated with happiness. Zale and his friends soon learnt that the sokpas had been kidnapping girls for a very peculiar reason. The sokpas worshipped a goddess who they believed protected and looked out for them. Instead of worshipping an idol or a painting of the goddess, they had been following the custom of kidnapping a human girl child and treating her like the living embodiment of their goddess. However, once the girl became older, she would be replaced by another child. The older girls were then given the responsibility of taking care of the new goddess for the rest of their lives. Paul’s sister was now set to become the new goddess in a couple of days. As Zale was taking in all this new information, the door unexpectedly swung open and Zale felt something familiar splat against his face before everything went black.

Zale was instantly awoken when he felt a spray of ice-cold water splash on his face. He heard more splashing and the sounds of familiar voices gasping and spluttering, and he realised that his three friends were all there with him. They all got up simultaneously and saw that they were on the edge of what appeared to be a sizeable pit. The pit was surrounded by around fifty Sokpas, who all looked like they were eagerly waiting for the start of some sporting event. On the other side of the pit, opposite Zale and his friends’ position, was someone seated on an elevated platform. Zale assumed that this figure, who was dressed in all red, was the current goddess. Before they could do or say anything, they were pushed into the pit. Zale landed uncomfortably but did not sustain any major injuries. He looked at the others and saw that they were fine as well. The pit seemed to be completely deserted except for a sizeable hole in the far corner. Zale also saw that it was impossible for them to climb out of the pit as its walls were almost ten feet tall. Suddenly, a deafening blast from what sounded like a horn ripped through the air and the sokpas began to cheer and roar. Zale didn’t understand what was happening until he saw Pema pointing at the hole. Something was slowly slithering out of the hole.

Zale and his friends were petrified as they saw a massive serpent make its way slowly toward them. Its body was jet black and roughly the same size, as the trunk of a full-grown pine tree. When it was approximately six feet away, it lifted the front part of its body and Zale was horrified to see that it was no ordinary snake. It was a massive king cobra with multiple heads. Zale did a quick headcount and saw six pairs of fangs baring at them. The watching sokpas seemed to be egging the cobra on as their cheers grew louder. Zale gave a quick glance in his friends’ direction and saw that their faces registered nothing but blank shock. The six heads gave a terrible chorus of hisses that made Zale’s insides go cold. When the snake was about to strike, Zale – completely losing his cool – shouted: “Stop.” To his surprise, the snake obeyed, and he saw everyone including the Sokpas look at him in amazement. Zale was then completely flabbergasted when he heard the six heads speak. They were not talking to Zale but arguing with each other. Zale listened closely and understood that the heads were debating whether to kill Zale and his friends or not. The biggest head, in the centre, then looked straight at Zale and asked him how he could speak the snake language. Zale stared at the head dumbfoundedly and told him truthfully that he had no idea. After a somewhat lengthy conversation, Zale and the snake agreed on a deal. The cobra would spare Zale and his friends’ life if they helped it escape. Zale racked his brains and quickly came up with a plan to help the monster. Earlier, Zale had noticed that the edge of the pit where he and his friends were being held, before being pushed into the pit had been unstable. He was sure that if they applied some pressure on that area, it would eventually collapse like a landslide. Zale went and explained this to the snake, who slithered to that section of the pit and thrashed on the area with its mighty tail. It only took a couple more hits before the whole section collapsed and created a comfortable forty-five-degree incline. The snake then asked Zale to tell his friends to hold on to its tail and when they did, they soon found themselves outside the pit. The sokpas, who had been watching the entire ordeal with amazement, now ran helter-skelter after seeing the snake escape from its confinement. Though they easily outnumbered Zale and his friends, they all seemed terrified. Zale saw that most of them were around the living goddess, trying to guard her against any harm.

Zale now understood why he was supposed to be the one to deal with the sokpa menace as his brain quickly formulated a plan to do just that but in a peaceful way. He asked Norden and Pema if they were familiar with the sokpas dialect but they both shook their heads. A young human woman then approached them and spoke to Norden and Pema. After a brief conversation, they told Zale that the woman would be able to translate. Zale knew that he needed to bluff his way out of this situation, and his brain had quickly formulated a plan. Zale confidently stated that he and his friends were sent by the goddess to express her displeasure at the sokpas for using ordinary human girls to represent her. To emphasise the goddess’ anger, Zale lit a firecracker and threw it into the air, hoping that would scare the creatures. It worked as they all looked terrified. Zale then told them that they needed to stop this and free all the girls they had abducted and the snake as well. When they seemed hesitant, Zale said something to the snake, and all its heads gave a terrible hiss in unison. After seeing this, the sokpas agreed to Zale’s terms. In turn, Zale assured the sokpas that their tribe would always be protected by the goddess.

Eventually, there was a total of 13 women, including Paul’s sister was released by the sokpas. Zale and his party, which included the snake, were taken back up the hill and over the bridge to the place where Zale and the rest had started the fire. The sokpas then led them through the orchard and past the brook. Zale looked around but he could not locate the massive temple door from where he had come. They walked a little further in the opposite direction until they reached a massive bamboo grove. As they got deeper inside the grove, the area started getting engulfed in fog. Visibility gradually decreased until Zale could not even see Norden, who was walking just beside him. A strange sensation of weightlessness then encompassed his body, and the next moment he felt himself land with a soft thud on the snow. After a while, he saw the others appear one by one. The massive snake, the last one to appear, thanked Zale for all his help and soon slithered away and disappeared in the distance. Despite the snake helping them, Zale could not help but feel relieved to see it disappear.

Zale then looked around and realised that they were back in the place where they had taken refuge during the avalanche. His jacket and rucksack along with his friends’ belongings were all there lying on the ground. The snow from the avalanche appeared to have all cleared up and there was a massive rainbow in between the peaks. They were soon on their way back and Zale insisted that they make a brief stop at the monastery so he could personally thank the old monk for the scarf. However, when they arrived there, they found the monastery completely abandoned as if no one had lived there in years. Zale and the rest found this a bit strange, but they carried on. The hike back to the village did not take much time as before as they were back in only three days.

Zale was surprised to realise that he was unhappy that their quest had ended, and he would return to his miserable life soon. He had had friends for the first time in his life and he realised that it would be hard for him to leave Pema and Norden behind and never see them again. As Zale was pondering all this, he saw Pema and Norden, who had been talking to a few people, looking dumbfounded. Zale and Paul, both asked them what was wrong at the same time. They replied in unison that the villagers had thought that they had been killed while looking for the sokpas. Zale found this assumption to be quite plausible as they could have all been easily killed. However, he was stunned by what he heard next.

Zale was lost for words when he was told that they had returned to the village after nearly five years. He then remembered something and ran to the edge of the village. He was flabbergasted when he saw four half-grown pine trees in front of him. Zale had no idea what he would do next. He didn’t know how the people in charge of the orphanage would react when he returned to their doorstep looking exactly the same as he did, five years ago. As he was lost in deep thought trying to process everything, he heard some movement behind him; he turned around and saw that it was Kunzang. Zale noticed that she was holding a familiar-looking object in her hand. But before his brain could make out the connection, she flung the thing at Zale’s face and his nostrils were again full of that familiar smell before he fainted.

Zale woke up and found himself lying down on his back in his favourite spot near the park. He quickly got up and looked around and saw nothing unusual except for the fact that it was twilight. Had it all been a strange dream? Zale ran as fast as he could to the place where Paul had shown him the crater, but when he reached there, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. His dream or whatever it had been was fading fast from his memory like water leaking through a bottle full of holes. The details seemed hazy as he fought to remember the events that had transpired in that strange place. By the time Zale reached the orphanage, he had forgotten almost everything, and he was almost certain that he had dreamt it all. Zale absentmindedly put his hand in his pocket and felt something there. He removed the object and saw that it was the yellow scarf.