An Unforgettable Trip

“Hey, dude! Lockdown is released. Let’s pack our bags and explore Himachal.” Samir’s over-enthusiastic voice energises Dilip too. 

“Yes, why not. I am ready with my camera, car and of course my lovely Saisa. “

Dilip and Samir are childhood friends and run start-ups. Their business is different but their hobbies are the same. Due to strict lockdown norms, they are unable to enjoy their favourite pastime activity - roaming around the world. They love to travel to unexplored places. It gives them a sense of living a meaningful life. They upload their travel videos on YouTube channels to encourage travellers to reach the rarely visited places. Many times they have been awarded by the tourism department for highlighting the rich natural landscape, diversity in food, culture, language and lifestyle of our country. 

Himachal Pradesh is on their bucket list for a long. Nature attracts them and during the rainy season, Nature is seen in its most beautiful and charming look. They zero in on Khajiiar in Dalhousie which is known as ‘mini Switzerland of India.’ The place is full of lush meadows, dense deodar forest and cosy cottages. They prefer road trips. In their Mahindra Marazzo with Saisa and necessary documents, digital equipment they start their journey early morning at 4 am. They always allot fifteen days to their annual trip as they love to discover fully the hidden specialities of their chosen State not without any hurry. From Delhi, their present destination is about 590 km away so it can be covered within 12 to 13 hours. 

They are single but not ready to mingle as liberty is more precious than anything else in the world. Their similar thoughts bind them together. They reach Khajiiar in the morning and after freshen up go to the verdant meadows with Saisa. Watching snow-capped Kailash mountain multiplies their excitement. They decide to chill there. The place is completely vacant as lockdown is just over so people haven’t yet made their plan to visit there. They spread the mat and begin to shoot the location. Suddenly, Saisa shows restlessness and behaves weird. They are worried as this has never happened to her. Just at the moment, two gorgeous ladies appear there. They seem to be nature lovers too. In their presence, little Saisa feels very uncomfortable and is barking non-stop. 

Feeling awkward, Dilip takes her to the car and soothes her by providing some milk and dog food. He stays with her till she sleeps. He wraps her nicely in a woollen blanket and left the car window half down to get Saisa fresh air and joins Samir and the girls. The four are having a good time with each other. The stunning ladies are the locals, staying there since birth. They are proud of their birthplace. Well educated, soft-spoken, very decent these two unmarried girls won the hearts of the lads. They concentrate more on the maidens than the breathtakingly beautiful surrounding. Talking about their future plans, the women keep silent as if they haven’t thought about what to do in future. 

Samar takes selfies of four of them. It is almost three hours since they all have been enjoying the conversation. At 1 o’clock the girls ask permission to leave and go away. It is strange Saisa is not awakened till then. Dilip goes to the car and finds his lovely pet motionless. He howls, has no clue what happens to his baby. Samar contacts the hotel person to get a veterinary doctor to confirm if Saisa is unconscious or is not alive in reality. They find a doctor who asks him about the last few hours of the pet. Dilip explains Saisa’s uneasiness, her weird behaviour and then her deep sleep. The doctor examines her and says she is murdered. Both are shocked. How can an innocent pet be killed? The doctor shows strangulation marks on her neck but is unsure if this is done by an animal or a human being. Dilip regrets leaving her alone in the car.

After burying Saisa, they lose interest in continuing the trip. At night Samir checks the photos he has clicked. Strange, the girls are not in any of the photos. Only Saisa and the two are seen. He shows it to Dilip, he too is astonished how it can be possible. 

Dilip utters, “Saisa recognised that they were supernatural beings. Just to hide their identity, they killed her.”

It is hard to believe that they have spent time with deadly evil spirits. It is a spine chilling moment. They decide to enquire about the meadow from the hotel manager who confirms that two days ago, before their arrival, two local sisters have committed suicide. Dilip asks about the reason for their death. The manager replies, “They committed suicide as their families were unable to arrange dowry for their marriage. They were educated but without dowry, none wished to marry them. They’re ready to go to the city to do some job but were denied on basis of the family’s honour. Later, the situation became worse and to lighten the burden of their parents they decided to kill themselves.” He further informs, “Their body is still in the gorge. Because of heavy rainfall, the Police hasn’t found it.”

The next day the two friends carefully watch their reels. In one of the videos of the gorge, they spot the bodies in between two boulders. They immediately inform the police. The bodies are sent to the hospital. 

Saisa is no more with them while returning to Delhi. They miss her sweet, adorable acts while travelling by car. How can they forget her looking out of the window to feel cool air, wearing sunglasses, fashionable attire and sleeping in between them on a bed of the hotel room! Their life’s most horrifying experience and the death of Saisa make the trip an unforgettable tragic tour.