21 March 2024.
5 PM.
I was sitting on a small mat laid across the grass, feeling a drop of sweat trickle down my face. My back was tilted against the trunk of a large oak tree, whose leaves gave me shade from the scorching summer heat. I was in the same relaxed position I’d usually adopt on my recliner back home—almost lying down, at an obtuse angle.
I had my DSLR camera in hand, reviewing the photos I had taken during our forest hike. The shadows of the oak tree’s leaves danced on my hand, which was otherwise sunkissed.
For intros, I’m Aaryan, a 17-year-old student about to enter college and a part-time photojournalist at The Daily India.
How did I end up here? Let me explain.
It’s summer. We—me and my four friends, Rahul, Sushanth, Aaliya, and Saumya—had just finished 12th grade and applied to various undergrad universities. With free time on our hands, we decided to volunteer and do internships. We discovered that this day was the International Day of Forests, declared by the UN in 2012.
An idea had struck me. We all wanted a break after the stress of our Board exams and filling out a dozen university applications. Why not go camping in a forest? We could try hiking and outdoor sports, which could add to our resumes. It would not only be a boost to our portfolios but also a fun, affordable vacation after months of rigorous studying.
So, here we were. In the Shola forest of Yakshi Trail in Tamil Nadu, having completed 8 of our 10-kilometer hike. As I sat there deleting blurry photos, Rahul was busy swinging from a sturdy tree branch. We’d warned him he might fall, but he didn’t care. Rahul was, after all, the most adventurous of us all.
Meanwhile, Sushanth was seated under a pine tree, munching on snacks. He was the foodie of the group. For all the planning we did for the trip, his only concern was how to bring enough food on the hike. I assured him we could carry packed food, as long as he promised not to litter in the forest. That was all it took to get him on board.
But hey, Sush was also the heart of our group. His relentless jokes kept the good vibes flowing.
Aaliya was a social butterfly. A content creator, she mainly wanted to come camping so she could say, “Hey guysss, your girlie is out camping” on her channel (though she wouldn’t admit it). Her video intros were the main source of Sush’s jokes.
Aaliya was also one of the most independent girls you’d ever meet. She built her brand online by herself and, even now, didn’t let any of the boys carry her bags.
And Saumya—she was the top student of our class. A perfect 98% in 10th and 11th grade and straight As in every test. She was an introvert to everyone else, except us. She was sitting under a smaller oak tree with her journal propped on her knees, her hands and brain working together to jot down everything on her mind. Despite their different interests, Aaliya and Saumya had similar personalities and bonded well.
We’d set a break time of twenty minutes. Once the time was up, we all got up and resumed our journey in the forest.
—
Our plan was to reach the YST Jungle Camp by sunset, and since it was summer, time was on our side. They said online that this was the only safe place to camp.
We had just 1 km left to reach the YST Jungle Camp when we stumbled upon another campsite. It was a quiet, scenic spot, with a small clearing perfect for setting up tents. The best part? There were guides here who could show us around and even lead us to a spot where we could see fireflies, something this area was famous for.
“Why not stay here for the night?” Aaliya suggested, her eyes lighting up at the thought of capturing the fireflies for her channel. “We didn’t pre-book the other camp anyway, and this place seems nice.”
After some deliberation, we all agreed. The guides told us that the fireflies would be most visible after dark, so we decided to wait.
But patience wasn’t my strong suit. The forest was calling me, and I couldn’t resist the urge to capture it through my lens. “I’ll be back in an hour,” I told my friends, grabbing my camera. “I’m just going to take some pictures along the trail.”
“Don’t go too far,” Saumya warned, her brows furrowed with concern. “And don’t get lost.”
“I won’t,” I replied with a smile, setting off down the trail.
The forest was beautiful as the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting an orange hue over everything. I clicked pictures of the sunset, the trees, the shadows. Anything that caught my eye. It was all beautiful.
But as I ventured deeper, the forest began to change.
I stopped, realizing with a jolt that I had no idea where I was. My plan had been to come down a straight trail from the campsite and go back along the same linear path. The light had faded quickly, and the once familiar path had twisted and turned in ways I didn’t remember.
I reached for my phone to make a call.
No signal.
The silence around me was deafening, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves. Panic started to set in, but I forced myself to stay calm. I’d somehow retrace my steps and find my way back.
As I turned to head back, something caught my eye. A large tree with shiny red flowers. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen. The flowers seemed to glow, almost as if they were lit from within. They were fluorescent red. Fascinated, I lifted my camera and began to take pictures.
But when I looked at the screen to review the shots, my heart nearly stopped. There, in the frame, was the silhouette of a body hanging from the tree. I looked up, my hands trembling.
The tree was just as it had been a moment ago. Except now, I could see her. A woman. She was dressed in white, hanging upside down. Her long hair cascaded toward the ground.
She hadn’t noticed me. At least, not yet. Her head was turned the other way, but I could visualize her pale, wrinkled skin, and dark, hollow eyes. For a moment, I stood there, frozen in time.
Then, slowly, she began to descend from the tree, her movements eerily graceful.
She started walking away. I was lost anyway, and with no other choice, I decided to follow her. She was the only living being I’d met. And my only hope of getting out of the forest.
I kept a safe distance, my heart pounding in my chest. She moved silently, her feet barely touching the ground.
We walked for about a kilometer. I was losing hope of reaching camp, as fear started to set in again. I stopped in my tracks, ready to go back.
Suddenly, the woman in front stopped too. I froze, afraid to breathe. My sweaty t-shirt clinged tight to my skin.
Then, slowly, she began to turn around. I couldn’t look away as her face came into view. Wrinkled skin, hollow eyes, crooked eyebrows, and fresh blood dripping from her lips.
And the worst part? She was smiling. A slow, chilling smile that sent a wave of terror through me. Her stare pierced straight through to my heart.
I realized what the woman was doing. She was trying to hypnotize me. I could feel my will slipping away, her gaze pulling me in. As if she read my thoughts, she began to move towards me, each step deliberate and slow.
She reached out, her cold fingers brushing my skin. My vision blurred, and the world around me faded to black.
—
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the ground. Aaliya and Rahul were hovering over me, their faces etched with concern.
“You were gone for more than an hour,” Rahul said, helping me sit up. “We came looking for you.”
We went back to camp, which was surprisingly only minutes away from where I fell. When we’d all sat down, I told my friends everything. About the tree, the ghost, the pictures I took. They listened, but when I showed them the photos, the ghost was gone. The tree stood alone in the photos—nothing out of the ordinary.
Everyone laughed, though more out of relief than disbelief. Sushanth chuckled and said, “Looks like Aaryan’s been watching too many horror movies.” Saumya patted my back with a smile, telling me I needed rest.
Later that night, as we watched the fireflies dance in the dark, one of the guides told us about the local legends. Stories of ghosts that wandered these woods. He warned us to be careful and keep our eyes open.
I didn’t need his warning. I knew what I’d seen, and I could still feel the ghost’s cold touch on my skin.
A story inspired by my trekking day in Pune last summer. This entry also advanced to the second round of the Brainfeed Magazine short story competition.
While you’re here, do check out my other horror stories. Linked here.
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