“Grandpa, why must we walk to this tree again?” asked
Danzell.
“The route that we must take is not quite suitable for an
automobile,” responded Bhoj.
“And how many hours will it take us to get there?” implored
Kuroff.
“About 7,” said Bhoj.
“Ahh, that’ll take forever!” whined the boys.
“Hush, now you both wanted to go,” added Kirsa. “Hurry and
eat your breakfast so that you can head out before dawn.”
They gathered their travel gear and headed west for the
mango tree just as the sun breached the horizon. Luckily, the path they were
set to travel was lined with mature sandalwoods; they would be spared some of
the parching sunlight of a typical Indian summer day.
“Grandpa, my feet already hurt,” exclaimed Danzell half an
hour into their trip.
“Oh my, what have I gotten myself in to?” thought Bhoj.
The three made their way through countryside on the tranquil
dirt path. A calming breeze at their backs made it easier for the boys to
handle the walk.
Just as the three began to hear to the Ganges off in the
distance they came across a familiar face.
“Bhoj, what a pleasant surprise!” shouted Rasalu, Bhoj’s
longtime comrade.
The two exchanged a hand shake and hug that only true
friendship can elicit. The boys hadn’t seen their grandfather smile that big in
quite some time.
“Well, who are these two handsome lads?” said Rasalu
jovially. “Surely they can’t be kin to someone as ugly as you.”
The boys glanced at one another and broke out in the type of
laughter that wrenches your stomach.
“He’s our Grandpa,” said Kuroff.
“Well, where are the three of you headed?” beseeched Rasalu.
“The mango tree,” responded Bhoj.
“That must be close to half a day’s commute from here on
foot!” quipped Rasalu.
“Would you like to
take my elephants? I’ll come along, too; I haven’t been to that wonderful tree
in years. We would cut travel time in half.”
Bhoj looked at the boys seeking their approval.
“Yeah!” rumbled both boys jumping up and down.
“Very well, let us go and prepare them for travel,” said
Rasalu.
The four then set off on the trail towards the mango tree on
elephant.
“Wait till we tell Dad what we did at Grandpa’s this
summer!” proclaimed Kuroff.
“He’ll be so jealous,”
added Danzell.
The boys were now able to enjoy the scenery from a marvelous
vantage point as they made their way west. They crossed the Ganges and began on
the low incline at the base of mountain range.
“Let us stop and enjoy the scenery,” said Bhoj.
“Of course,” agreed Rasalu.
They continued in this fashion of stopping and enjoying the
marvelous views all the way to the peak of the mountain.
“The MANGO tree,” shouted the boys as they breached the
zenith.
Rasalu commanded the elephants to lower themselves so that
the boys could hop off.
They both then darted off to touch the tree and look out
over the summit of the mountain.
“Wow, Grandpa was telling the truth,” exclaimed Danzell,
“there is an entire valley full of people just on the base of this mountain.”
Rasalu, taken back by the boys’ enthusiasm for the lei tree,
asked, “How in the world do you have these boys so excited to explore nature?”
Bhoj responded, “Oh, you know. I still tell my tall tales
from time to time.”
Author's note: I wrote this story in third person so that I could provide the reader with the perspectives off all characters. I hoped to be able to illustrate an adventure that took place in the Raja Rasalu unit. I didn't make any significant changes to the story. What I did do was expand upon the section of the story from their journey on the way to the mango tree.
Bibliography: Swynnerton, Charles. Adventures of the Punjab Hero Raja Rasalu.
