Steeling himself, Aman pulled out his foot, but it was too late. He couldn’t feel his leg any more. He was sure it was broken. The kneecap seemed to be out of place as it bulged awkwardly from the back of his leg, almost tearing through the skin. He clung to his thigh and saw his misshapen leg.

As he looked to his right, Aman spotted the longest of Nandana’s vines coming for him. They reached him before he could react, enveloping his arms, embracing his body. Aman didn’t even bother resisting. The vines lifted him high, well out of Sanaka’s reach, and then started to twist and entangle around him. His legs alone hung limply from his waist as if separated from his body.

Suspended in the air, Aman saw the prop roots circling down his rib cage, waist and eventually enwrapping both his legs. They slowly made their way up to his neck and even around his throat until every inch of skin was covered. Aman felt throttled. He tried to scream, but that required him to have a breath in him. Aman was frozen, suffocating, locked in an unrelenting coffin.

Somewhere down below, he could hear Sanaka struggling, perhaps to break free from another set of vines. Aman was sure he was going to die soon. His body quivered. Would it really matter? Who would mourn his death?

The vines started to tighten even more around his left knee, targeting his injury. They further compressed his knee with crushing force until Aman tried screaming, but no sound escaped his throat. A few seconds after that, he fainted.

5

Nandana

It was the loud, painful click of his knee that woke Aman up. He saw a branch softly unwrap itself from his knee and retreat. It seemed like the tree had adjusted his kneecap back into its socket. There was no bone sticking out any longer, and blood finally flowed into his left foot. The vines lowered and gently undid themselves, setting him on the ground. Aman stretched out his leg, unable to believe that there was not a trace of pain in his knee.

Sanaka walked up to him, brushing leaves off his arms. The tree looked like it had settled back into sleep. Its prop roots hung dormant, drawn apart like a curtain that had a wide opening at its feet, welcoming them in.

‘Enter,’ Sanaka said.

Aman panicked. He looked around to identify the route that would lead him back to the bridge and his father’s abandoned box. Who knows what the hell is inside that tree? He had had enough of this unreal world. Giving Sanaka a determined look, he began running.

It was strange that Sanaka did not try to stop him, and Aman heaved a sigh of relief—but it soon became clear why he hadn’t bothered. Aman had run just about 100 metres and come up in front of the largest living being he’d ever encountered: a spotless white elephant with golden tusks. It trumpeted angrily and swayed from side to side. Aman noticed not one but five trunks hanging off its face. Its ears fanned out wide and the legs began to move but the eyes stayed locked on Aman.