#excerpt#scene#TheClockmaker#paranormal#jungleseries
Here again I am sharing a scene from one of my favourite book, The Clockmaker. This one is very close to my heart. If you enjoy paranormal stories do check out the book.A dark winter night in the woods, alone, where he had to reach to a safer place!He braced himself and started walking uphill at a fast pace. In his half sleeves shirt, he was almost freezing to death in the cold weather. After all, Katra was a small town in Kashmir and it was bound to be cold there. Nevertheless, Ashish didn’t stop. He kept increasing his pace as if he had urgency. He was completely unaware of the direction he was going in. In a short while, he left the crowd behind him and kept moving uphill opposite the Trikuta Hill. It was growing darker without the street lights in this part of the town, yet Ashish kept walking. His toes were almost numb due to the cold rain water that had seeped into his shoes and was making it difficult for him to go further. But he was not bothered at all. He kept walking at the same pace with his eyes on the lookout for someone.The rain soaked his clothes through. He clenched his fists across his chest to keep himself warm. The clattering of his teeth was the only sound he could hear now besides his own heartbeat. The town and the lights were left behind as he kept walking uphill. Darkness engulfed him. He squinted as he tried to get accustomed to the dark. Suddenly, he tripped on a stone and tumbled on the ground. He hurt his knee and cried out in pain. He came to his senses. He looked around and saw nothing but blackness everywhere. The distant lights from the town of Katra glittered downhill. He had no clue what was he doing there alone and wondered where the others were. Nervousness gripped him as he realized he was alone in the middle of nowhere. He was cold as ice now, dripping in the rain. The woods suddenly came alive with the sound of crickets. The sound reminded him of a similar situation – Stranded alone in the woods in a winter night. As if they were trying to tell him something. “Hellooo… is anybody there? Help me, please! I am lost,” he cried out through clattering teeth. Suddenly, he felt as if a thousand blankets had been wrapped around him. He felt warm and alive. He turned around and saw a fire burning about a few meters from where he stood. Ashish ran towards it and found a man sitting in front of it. He was wearing a black cloak and his face was well-hidden behind the hood. The scene in front of him was similar to his nightmares that gave him sleepless nights every day.“I think I am lost… can you help me?” Ashish begged.“I have been waiting for you,” said the man.Hearing the man’s voice, Ashish felt as if his heart would jump out of his chest any moment. It was a deep voice that felt like a whip across his heart. It was the same voice that had been haunting him in his nightmares since he could remember. Ashish felt his heart crackle. He fought for his breath and fell on the ground unconscious.
Paromita Goswami 