Lost and Bitten

This incident dates back to 1997 when I was in class 8. My school firmly believed in “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (in our case Jill a dull girl as well)”. School was fun and it became even more fun when we were promoted to class 8 as now we belonged to the senior league and that meant we could be a part of the school excursions. It was the month of April and the school planned on a weekend trip to a place called Siju in Meghalaya. Siju has two main attractions: one was the cave which if I am not wrong is the most researched cave in India. It was done by a team from Calcutta Museum led by Kemp & Chopra in as early as 1922. They did extensive research on cave life up to 1200 meters. And the other attraction is the sanctuary. We set off for Siju early in the morning. Our first stop was the state guest house where we were staying. We had our breakfast there and then left for the cave. We had taken 2 guides with us. The “strict” dress code was denims, canvas and a cap to prevent the contamination of our precious little heads from the bat droppings. We were also asked to carry torches as it was very dark inside. We were at the mouth of the cave and were instructed to form a line with one hand on the shoulder of the person in front. We set off and as we walked further the water level kept rising and it was getting darker. Finding our way on our own is almost an impossible task there as the cave is full of tunnels, some unexplored. So we had to take every caution to be with the group. It was not that easy considering the darkness and also that the water level was above our waist. The cave was also uneven with stalactites and stalagmites. We also got to see some lovely fossils. A, a friend of mine and I were very excited when we saw the stalactites and the stalagmites and also the fossils on the rocks. We were debating on a particular fossil when we realized, to our horror, that we were the only ones there. We had lost our group. One can imagine what two fourteen year olds went through when were lost in a cave that was pitch dark, full of bats and water that almost reached our faces. To make matters worse there were 3 tunnels in front of us. For about five minutes neither of us spoke anything after which we shouted in unison that we were lost. A suggested that we try out one of the tunnels. I just told him that this was the perhaps the most ridiculous thing that he had ever said (and even till date, after numerous ridiculous comments, suggestions from him, I still think this is definitely the most ridiculous thing that he has ever said). Tension took its toll on us and we quietly agreed that it was the end of our lives so we might as well have a “happy” time before dying. We were so melodramatic. We remembered our parents, relatives, friends and even the enemies. We thanked everyone and forgave our enemies. A and I recollected all the times that we had spent with each other and said our sorries and thanks. We then realized that we wouldn’t die instantly, it would take some time or in fact days for us to die. And we started secretly hoping that we would be rescued. A was contemplating on the mission of finding a way out, hoping that he would emerge as the local hero, rescuing a damsel in distress. He stretched his imagination to the extent that he dreamt of receiving the Bravery Award from the President. (He admitted all of these many months later). I, being the smarter one, suddenly realized that we were not the last in the group and that there were people behind us who would definitely be returning. I told this to A and he seemed a little disappointed. Later I realized that the reason was that all his dreams of being the savior and the hero were dashed to the woods. After what seemed an age we heard voices and we were so relieved. From the distant we could see light and then A spotted one of our friends followed by a huge group. Our principal was also there and he wasn’t quite sure what we were doing. We explained everything and the shock and the relief in everyone’s faces was a little too obvious. We found our way out and reached the guest house safe and sound. (Till date out parents have no clue about this incident).

The evening was spent around a bonfire and I must say that A and I received royal treatment. You all would think that was the end of mishaps. Sadly, no. and the second mishap wasn’t even interesting. The next day we left at 6 a.m. for the sanctuary with the hopes of spotting tigers and elephants. We again had instructions to follow. This time to protect ourselves from the leeches. Eat lots of cucumber and carry salt wrapped in cloth. Armed with our weapons we left for the sanctuary. We were expecting to find a few leeches but never realized that we had an ARMY of leeches to defend ourselves from. And it was becoming increasingly difficult to ward them off, they fell from the trees, they crept in from the grounds, they were just there everywhere and they knew how to find their way into our bodies. Also we were not so lucky in spotting the tigers and the elephants. All I could manage to find was elephant dung, some snakes and strange insects. After about half an hour I was tired and irritated (by this time I had already bravely fought with about 10 leeches), so I and a few of my friends decided to head back to the guest house and rest there. We reached the guest house and had our breakfast. The rest of the group joined us. We were to leave in some hours. We went to our rooms to change and freshen up. I took off my jeans and to my horror a huge leech came out. The girls shrieked and the guys who were in the next room rushed to our rescue led by A (A finally came to the rescue of the damsel in distress; pity the President did not recognize his efforts).. The girls were in bare minimum clothes so we all took different course to cover ourselves or hide. Some rushed to the bathroom, some hid in cupboards and the rest of us climbed on the bed and covered ourselves with the blanket. A tried to kill the leech but I must tell you that it was fighter. Even when its head was separated from the rest of the body it kept on struggling for life. Finally, A had to crush it. What a sight, the carpet was smeared with blood and I couldn’t stop crying when I saw that so much of my precious blood was wasted. Once again, involuntarily, I took on the role of the royal princess. Medical attention was immediately given; in fact I was given all kinds of attention. We left in some time and the journey back was brilliant.

Later I did my research on leeches and discovered that I was bitten by a tiger leech. The damn thing sucked my blood for some 3 hours and my leg bled for more than 24 hours. I finally had to take injections to stop the bleeding. But I had no regrets. It was a great trip, one that remains on my mind as one of the fondest memories from school days.