Journey of Fragrance

June 19, 2012

Written in Urdu by
Mahmood Shahid

Transformed into English by
Faheem Jawaid

“Hunting is such a cruel pastime, the homicide of innocent birds and animals.” He tossed his bow and arrows and advanced in search of a specific fragrance of the forest, which was drawing him since long.

His hunter-friends rummaged around every nook and cranny of the forest for him, but all in vain. Eventually, they were compelled to think that their hunter-friend became the prey of a vicious animal.

Moreover, it was difficult for them to believe that any animal could have attacked him after escaping the aim of his arrow. He never ever missed his target. He was expert in making the ambushes. His selection of the place and trees used to be so proper that even the smartest animal could never break out his trap. He used to hunt with such care and skill that the skin of the animal would never damage. The whole and intact skins hanging in his tent are ample proof of his precision in hunting. He used to enjoy watching the violent fights between the ferocious animals of the forest. His hunting fervor would shoot up; when he would watch animals hurt themselves during their fights, with their sharp, pointed teeth and nails. He would hunt them, particularly when they were bleeding after their fights. He knew that the animals would become more dreadful and ruinous when they were bleeding, and they would wear and tear anything that comes near them. But when was he afraid of death?! He used to risk his life to satisfy his hunting craze. Roasted meat was his most favorite dish. He used to wear the dress, made of animal skins. His hunter-friends failed in finding him. Though they were disheartened, they somehow got themselves engaged in hunting with low fortitude.

He was going behind the specific fragrance of the forest. There were horrific, sharp and thorny bushes all-around him. Giant-sized trees, troublesome tracks full of twists and turns, howling wilderness of the forest; he was fearlessly advancing in pursuit of the fragrance. While moving forward, all of a sudden he was buried into the ground up to his chest. Had he not grabbed a hanging branch of a tree, the quagmire would have gulped him down totally. Despite the fact that he was well aware of the traits of the forest, he could not make out; there was a dreadful quagmire, behind the yellow leaves, with open mouth. He was feeling choked and out of breath. The branch that he was holding was not strong enough to help him get out of the mire. One thicker and stronger branch was hanging slightly higher above his head. The more he tried to get himself out to catch that branch, the more the mire was pulling him down. This continuous effort made him totally fatigued. He felt as if he was getting drowned in the mire.

Suddenly, a gusty wind rustled the leaves and started blowing hard. The trees of the whole forest were moving. The moment the thicker and stronger branch that was hanging on his head came nearer to him, he caught hold of it. He stayed still while holding the branch. After some time, he gathered strength and got out of the mire with the help of it. He was totally drenched, up to his neck, with mud. He swung with the branch and sat on a big tree nearby. He snatched the leaves of the tree and cleaned the mud that was stuck to his body, and began looking over the forest. A series of quagmires were started from that spot, and numbers of them were waiting for their prey with open mouths. At the right side of the tree on which he was sitting, he saw a narrow pathway was going on into the forest.

With great care, he came down from the tree and started walking on the pathway. There were thick thorny bushes on both side of the pathway. He was slowly moving forward warding off the sharp spiky bushes. The narrow pathway ended after some kilometers at the bank of a slender canal. There was a chain of foothills running along with the canal. He felt like taking bath in the clean and luminous water of canal, and he dived into it. After bathing and swimming a lot he sat at the edge of the canal. All the mud and muck that was clung to him was washed away. In no time his soaked body was dried up well, and he began climbing on the nearby tall mountain. There were parched bushes sprouted everywhere on the mountain. Since the mountain was dry, the wild plants became deadly pale. There was no trace of any pond or waterfall close by. Fierce heat was coming out from the stony mountains; due to which he was sweating buckets while climbing.

He was half way through that suddenly the sky got filled with dark clouds, and a violent storm began with thunder and lightning. It rained for long and afterward the clouds began dispersing. The sky became spotless and sparkling like a mirror. The pleasing flow of cold breeze got in motion. The soaring dry grass was wavering like a drunkard. The withered wild plants freshened up all at once. The waterfalls flooded from the crests of the mountains. The rocky mountains turned into icy mountains. He felt as if, he entered into a delightful valley, from a scorching desert island. Now, he was feeling, very severely, the fragrance of the forest. He made a rapid climb to the peak of the mountain. There was a thick forest drawn out before his eyes. Slowly, at a snail's pace, he moved forward but it was difficult for him to enter into it, as the forest was covered fully with wild plants and thorny bushes. It looked as tough, nobody ever entered into the forest since hundreds of years. He entered into it by making his way with great difficulty, moving aside the sharp and spiky bushes.

There was a dead silence all around. Darkness was slowly spreading from behind the bulky shrubs and tall trees. The branches and the leaves of dense trees were entangled that the sunshine was hardly coming into the forest. Pale and yellow leaves covered the uneven land, making it appear a flat and level ground. Many a time he fell down the slopes while moving forward, and his hands, feet and head got badly injured. The more he was going forward the more the gloominess was becoming intense. He felt that his each step was taking him nearer and nearer to the fragrance of the forest. The moment he entered into the heart of the forest, he found himself totally confounded caused by the intrinsic and natural fragrance. He thought as if he was drowned into an immense ocean of fragrance.

He was madly looking for the spot from where the strong flow of fragrance was being forced into the air, like a fountain, and the whole atmosphere was immersed in it. He stopped near a creeping plant that had a cluster of big and beautiful green leaves. He bent forward looking closely at it. He noticed that there was a small mountain spring hidden at the rear of the bunch of beautiful leaves. He speedily moved the creeping plant and the bunch of its leaves to one side, and found an elegant lotus-like white flower in the mountain spring, from which a flood of fragrance was broken open, making the environment inebriated. He started breathing deeply and in a great deal. He wanted to absorb the entire fragrance in himself. The drops of red juice were falling from soft and delicate petals of the flower, brimming the mountain spring. He bent down and no sooner he took a draught of the red juice that he got intoxicated and felt his entire being as light as a flower. He had a distinct feeling of accomplishing a state of peace and tranquility. He could sense the coolness and calmness in his heart and mind. How gratifying! His eyes as a reflex action got closed. When his eyes opened, he took a small leather pouch out, that was tied to his waist and started filling it up, with the red juice, to the full.

Passing through the horrifying forest and dreadful mountains he entered into a town. The people surrounded him whilst looking at him with great curiosity. Long scattered hairs of both head and beard, but an extraordinary brightness in the eyes, well modulated voice; he stood on a hillock and addressed the people showing the leather pouch filled with red juice.

“People! I have brought for you such a juice; which, after drinking will turn off the terrifying fire existing in your hearts since hundreds and thousands of years. The acid flowing in your veins will turn into honey. All acrimony present in your organism will be tarnished and your life will attain an immortal peace.”

No person of the town consented to drink the juice. He was continuously calling them.

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