The Unfortunate, Unexpected Hitchhiker

It was a bright, sunny morning in the hills of Garhwahl, Dehradun where the shining sun rose, high in the sky to wake the world from their deep slumber, where the hatchlings began to chirrup, and mighty animals waking up with a great yawn. Suddenly there is a purr of a motor, more specifically a light vehicle, with an ecstatic child pointing and aweing at everything he saw. A family of three had decided to set out on a journey to their native village in the chilling and steep hills of Garhwahl, with their gnarled roads and sharp (also blind) turns. It was the stuff of thrill and nightmares. This family had travelled long and fatiguing hours, to reach. ""Are we there yet mumma? how much more time will it take?"" asked the boy impatiently. ""It's only a few more hours, please have some patience: we are as exhausted as you are."" The boy gave out a huge groan. I don't think I will enjoy this trip. It is supposed to be exciting and here I am bored out of my wits, though the boy. Meanwhile, on the vast hills of Garhwahl, (the family had not reached these hills yet, nut will, shortly) People were lighting he dead sticks, leaves and other waste plant/organic material on fire, to (though inefficient and very dangerous with serious impacts on wildlife) get rid/clean up the forest. However this was a bad decision as a family of (common) grasshoppers were residing underneath the dead leaves, camouflaged from their predators (and the humans!). Then the fire began to rage, demanded more and , like a starved, famished lion, began to devour, voraciously. The family of grasshoppers, immediately tries to avert from danger ""Quick, Gerald get the kids to safety!"" Exclaimed the mother grasshopper. Frantically Gerald (the father grasshopper) tried their best, unfortunately, the fire was to quick for their phenomenal leaps, and-""Father!, Father! Help mother! she is wedged/sandwiched between the leaves and the fire is about to turn her to a crisp! Help father! Help!"" chirruped the children grasshoppers, but the father (and the mother, still sandwiched between the leaves) that saving her would be beyond the realm of reasons, as the fire was starting to surround the and rising higher.

Father heard her last words, weakly and slowly, before the fire burned her away to ashes-""Go........save the children...There's not much time....please....go Ger-"" The fire cut her sentence mid-way and soon she was hidden away by the curtain of the flame. With a heavy heart, he took the children and left. They stopped at the edge of the forest. "Wait here kids, I need to inspect the place."" said Gerald ordered. He hid the children and off he went. Now, back to the travelling family. The had reached the hills and the now purring engine was now roaring to climb the steep inclines. This would have been fine, if it hadn't been for the ill-maintained, gnarled roads. ""Our government has done poorly in maintaining these, our tax money is going to waste!"" cursed the father (who driving all the way) ""These potholes can cause major accidents and fatalities, especially at night; There are few streetlights and reflectors present!"" he chided. ""Do not forget that landslides, heavy vehicles and weather are the reasons behind the damage of these roads"" the mother said, knowingly ""Although that is NOT a reason for them to be complacent! That is their DUTY!"" he roared. As they passed the small fires, simultaneously, Gerald (the father grasshopper) took a leap to explore and was whiffed away by the car.

Gerald was quite baffled at the change of scene, from a forest to a soft, black fiber/cloth with a window! How strange!, he thought, he was quite excited to explore this new place, however the same cannot be said to the boy. He turned pale, his stomach churned and with a stutter he said ""M-m-mumma! S-s-stop th-th-the c-car!" the father immediately hit the brakes sending the poor creature onto a new place, a soft, squishy and organic area, with bits of hair: it was the boy's face. ""AIEEEE!"" exclaimed the boy. He waved his arms around in panic, to get the critter off of him. ""What's the matter!"" said the panicked parents, in unison. Fearfully he pointed towards the critter, who was gazing at the parents in confusion ""Such a racket!, I should've gone back to the forest....humans are very inconsiderate.....and noisy species."" he thought to himself. The father took a good look at it and smiled. ""That's a common grasshopper. Surely you weren't frightened by this?"" he said ""this?" thought Gerald, furiously, "Are you disrespecting me by calling me a 'thing'? demeaning my name and life?"" he cried, though no-one heard his scorns as he spoke in a different language, too complex and perplexing for the humans. ""You can say this grasshopper hitchhiked a ride here!"" said the father with a grin.

Although the family had a good banter over the critter taking a little ride, Gerald knew he now had to travel all the way back to collect his children, and for a grasshopper that would take hours for the poor critter! Nonetheless he hopped off, down the lane, as the family waved goodbye to him, unaware of the trouble they had caused for the creature, who would go on to lose, not only, his kids but also his home, only because of a uneventful hitchhike!.

                                                                 Based off on real life story