The Tree

I shut the alarm off my phone and immediately got up, not letting lazy worms attack me. I removed the drapes of my hotel room to let in the sunrays. It was 7 am, and the summer sun shone brightly outside, promising a great day. I had come to the beautiful village of Himachal Pradesh for a much-needed break. I noticed quite a few posters of missing persons displayed on one of the hotel walls on my way out. Tourists? I thought, but ignored it and jogged to the forest. I didn't want to start my day with the negatives.

The weather was perfect out here. The refreshing cool breeze and warm sun eased my mind. The forest was dense. I started pacing on its grey, soft soil covered with dried leaves, enjoying the quietness and the view. Nature was at its best here. During my run, I spotted a colossal tree spread over an entire land. It stood apart from the forest itself. Unique and majestic, these words explained it right.

I went towards that area to have a close look at the tree. The soil on that land was dry and barren. It was so different here that the sun rays did not reach, nor did the wind. Everything was still. Its vast black trunk divided itself into endless branches, mostly bent to the ground as if trying to catch something. There were no leaves on it. It didn't seem like a tree but a shadow of it.

There was no texture of any kind on its bark. It was plain and dark, tempting me to touch it. I put my hand on its trunk, and it went inside, shocking me. Suddenly, a loud crackling sound thunders. I immediately pull my hand out, and it's bleeding. There was a deep clean cut on my palm. I was scared out of my mind. I quietly took a step back and another, staring at the tree all the time. Fearing it would wake up or something and catch me. Then I swiftly turned my back and run.

I had been running continuously, unbothered about the trail. I just wanted to get away from the tree. I stopped, huffing like anything. My legs hurt. I looked at my palm, but the cut was no longer there. What had just happened? I decided to rest for a while, but I heard the same crackling sound before sitting. I find myself standing in the same place as before near the tree in a wink of an eye. I couldn't believe it. I started panicking but quickly took deep breaths to calm myself. I wait and look around. After a while, I moved in a different direction.

Thirsty and hungry, I dragged myself even though I wasn't getting anywhere. I regretted not bringing my phone with me. I was shaking out of fear and exhaustion but didn't want to stop. My eyelids were getting heavier, and in no time, I went down.

When I opened my eyes, I stood lifeless in front of the tree. The cut on my right palm had deepened and stretched. I wasn't bleeding, but many blood vessels were coming out of it, crawling up to the tree trunk and vanishing into it. There was no pain. The skin on different body parts ruptures, with blood vessels spurting out. All of them are being consumed by the tree.

Screeching voices cut through the tranquility of the forest. A new branch grows from the trunk that gets longer and splits into many. All those faces of missing people flashed in front of my eyes before everything went dark. I was becoming a part of the tree.