But in the valley fortified by the one that slithers,

For the sake of home, that flower must wither.

Sanaka ended with a poignant note in his voice. He now stood on the other side of the tree, in front of the curtain of vines.

‘Namahkrita,’ Sanaka said to the tree with downcast eyes. He then lay on the forest floor and gestured to Aman to follow him.

Aman hesitated, looking at the mounds of mud that Sanaka was deep in.

‘Get down!’ Sanaka grabbed his arm and pulled him down to the ground beside him. Thud!

‘Arghh!’

‘Shhh . . . focus!’ He was impatient. ‘I know your knee’s hurt. But it’s nothing that Chitra cannot fix. For Agni’s sake, just hold on until we get in.’

And then, there was a shift in the atmosphere. The tree seemed to be stirring from a deep sleep. Its roots crackled and the vines started to part ways.

‘Oh, great sage, Nandana,’ Sanaka said, folding his hands over his head, which Aman emulated. He looked up to see dark shadows looming through the gap.

‘No way the tree is moving . . .’ Aman said, looking at the sight before him that defied all logic. Maybe none of it was real. Am I really in a jungle, or is this all a dream?

‘Keep your head down, you stupid boy!’ Sanaka was furious and pushed Aman’s head into the mud.

Only when the crackling of the roots stopped did Sanaka say, ‘Up.’

Aman was trying to stand up, bearing the pain in his left knee, when tentacle-like vines shot forward from the tree and wrapped around his heel.

‘Uaaaaahhh—nooooooooo!’ Aman yelled. The vines were unyielding, and he was pulled up into the air. Aman was upside down again. He couldn’t believe it.

Sanaka’s face betrayed surprise, but he was quick to react. He leapt at the stringy vines, jumped over a set of thick bundles of them in the air and ripped apart the prop roots. ‘ARANYANIIII!’ Sanaka yelled—not at the tree, but at the goddess who controlled the forests. ‘Why are you doing this?!’ Sanaka said as his bulging arms swung uncontrollably, tearing through the different vines that were reaching for Aman.

‘RUN!’ Sanaka’s voice roared. Flocks of birds flew away at the thunderous tone—in fact, even Nandana appeared to have been rattled. The vines recoiled and momentarily let Aman go. He fell on his face and fumbled around, his knee in excruciating pain, his heart pulsating faster than ever.

Aman began running for his life. His chest pained as he scurried without direction in the mud. The land under his scampering feet was laden with small mounds of mud, and he had only made it a little way when his left foot got caught awkwardly in one of the burrows. Instantly, his body yanked back and his left knee twisted completely while his heel jammed into the ditch. He cried out in pain, clutching his leg, with tears streaming down his face.