“Sometimes, a single step in the wrong direction can lead you to the most unexpected adventures.”

Once, there lived a boy named Rahul. He was 10 years old. One day, while he was sitting and watching TV, his mother asked him to bring a pack of milk.

When he was going to bring the packet of milk, he tripped over a stone. As soon as he tripped, he saw that he had landed in a beautiful place. It seemed as if it was a whole new world. He started to explore it.

While exploring, he noticed a lane and thought for a while whether he should take that lane or not. At first, he was a little scared, but then decided to go ahead. While walking on the lane, he saw a huge mango tree. As he was famished, he decided to pluck and eat a mango.

He looked around in search of any object that could help him pluck it easily, but he could not find anything around. He started to jump so that he could pluck it. After many tries, he was finally able to get his hands on a mango.

He then started to wander in search of something to help him peel it. After a long walk, he finally saw a scraper. He used it to peel the mango, and once he was done, he finally ate it.

Soon, he realized that he had missed the lane that would lead him out of the forest and now he was in the middle of nowhere. He was horrified but he continued walking. Enroute, he saw a beautiful waterfall and gardens filled with flowers.

Suddenly, he his eyes fell on a path with a sign that read, “I am the forgotten way.” At first, he was terrified because it was said that someone had once gone into that lane and never came back. Even the investigators couldn’t find out what was wrong. So, people believed it was better not to go there.

Still, after much confusion, Rahul decided to take the lane.

As he walked, he saw greenery all around. While he was admiring it, a voice boomed, “I am the forgotten way. After a very long time, someone has taken this path. I assure you, nothing wrong will happen to you on this path. I am here to tell you – take this bag and collect the gems that are flowing in the water. Take as much as you want.”

The boy started to fill the bag with the gems from the river. Once he was done, he asked, “What am I supposed to do now?”

The river replied, “You can take this home. I also know that you’re unable to find your way back, so here is a map to help you reach home safely. If you get confused, just think about me and I will appear in front of you to help.”

The boy said thank you and started his journey with the bag full of gems and the map.

Out of the blue, it began to rain cats and dogs. The map got wet and tore. He was worried and remembered what the voice had said. As promised, the voice appeared again and gave him another map, an umbrella, and a pair of dry clothes since his own had gotten wet. He quickly changed and resumed his journey.

As it was still raining, he sat under a tree for shelter. Out of curiosity, he asked the voice, “I’ve heard that people say you should never take the forgotten way. They say a boy once went there and never came back, and even the investigators couldn’t figure out what happened.”

The voice replied, “It is true. The boy who came before had drowned in a flood. He didn’t believe my words and never thought of calling for me. If people still remember, there was a flood that year which lasted a week or two. People didn’t notice the cause, but they blamed it on this lane. Anyway, I think you should leave now, or else it will get too dark.”

After a long walk, Rahul finally reached his house and shared the story of his adventurous journey. For a long time, nobody believed him. But once he shared the conversation he had with the voice, some people started to believe him. 

Author: Suvidhi Shreyans Jain, 11 years old