Mo Yaling

The Solution

‘It was his specks,’ Quentin continued, ‘it was stuck on a branch of a thick bush on that slope. I didn’t took any risk. I just got back to camp and informed our two helpers about the situation. Then I guided them to that place. We brought hundred meters rope with us. We tied one end with a tree and then those two helpers climbed down through that slope. They searched for him minutely for about an hour. But couldn’t find him. As if he has coalesced into thin air!’

‘How deep was that slope?’ I asked when he stopped for a while.

‘It was quite deep indeed. But as I told you – I mean if you would have seen the slope – it was next to impossible for anyone to fall down more than five meters! I mean – some have to jump wilfully to go THAT deep!’Quentin stopped and become thoughtful. ‘And hold on!’ He said excitedly, ‘I just recalled something! When those helpers were searching for professor – I heard a growling of a tiger – very faint – distant – when I asked them – those two people – they said that their focus were to search professor and they haven’t heard anything. But I’m sure that I have heard a growling!’

‘Does it has any connection with his missing?’ I wanted to know.

‘No no. Not that – she was asking a little ago that if we have seen any animal – I just recalled it – that’s it.’

‘Then? What happened?’ Nayna asked.

‘Then I came back to the base camp with those helpers and informed everything the funding authority by mail. The next I called for a car and came in here to search Neel.’

We sat there silently for some time. Then Nayna broke the silence and said, ‘Let’s go home. We have to brain storm a lot of ideas to find out some plan.’ And we returned home.

This year it has become quite cold. We were sitting in our drawing room with the room heater on. Nayna brought some whiskey followed by Shankar carrying a tray of snacks. Me and Quentin were sitting idle on the sofa. We cheered each other with our glass after they took their seats.

‘We will find out professor by any means … at any cost!’ I said.

‘Of course! But what will be our next step?’ Quentin asked.

‘Did you got any reply from the funding agency?’

‘You have reminded me a good thing! I haven’t checked my mail after that. It just went out of my head!’

Quentin started scrolling his mobile. I looked at Shankar and asked about the status of our luggages. Shankar said that the luggages are in safe custody in the airport and he has sent those information to my w******p. I opened the app and started checking.

‘Well,’ Quentin blurted out in a sad tone, ‘the funding agency has said that we have to stop our expedition right now. We cannot proceed without professor Steve Oda. They have also said that they are not responsible for searching him out. Also – if he is not coming back within a week – they are anyway going to withdraw that monetary fund!’

‘ONE week! That’s blasphemous!’ I shouted out.

‘Oh god! We have so little time in our hand!’ Nayna said.

‘We must start tomorrow!’ cried out Shankar.

‘Hey! STOP it! We will need a lot of money! The amount I have saved till date – cannot let us survive more than three-four days! And even if we start tomorrow – we cannot start our search within two days. That means we have practically five days in our hands!’ Though Shankar haven’t said anything wrong - I yelled at him – don’t know why. Probably I vented out my tensions over him.

‘I can arrange money – if you want – cash.’ Shankar said coolly.

‘Cash! Are you thinking to rob a bank?’

‘Not bank. But yes – kind of a bank!’ He smirks.

‘Whatever your idea is – I am NOT with you. Probably you are talking about the iron chest of your cousin brother – isn’t it?’

‘He is a money monger – monster should be rather an appropriate term to mention him.’ Shankar replied gravely.

‘Stop all that fuss Shankar!’ Nayna rebuked him. ‘Let’s be serious. We can contact that man – that student – that rich one – who gave you his chopper to use.’

‘Brilliant Nayna! I love you!’ I expressed my praise.

‘But how? Neither I could recall his name! Nor the place he has his lab. I even don’t know where he lives!’

‘That’s not a very big deal brother Quentin.’ I smiled as I said, ‘You boarded on his chopper from the airbase of Dibrugarh. They must have some record there.’

‘If he denies to give money?’ Shankar asked. ‘I can always get money-’

‘No No No No! I am NOT with you. It is NOT a good plan – It is NOT a plan at all! If that man denies to give money – though I didn’t think he will – but even if he has any problem to provide us money for this searching – we can always collect it by other means.’ Nayna uttered in one breath.

‘How come?’ Quentin asked.

‘We will collect money – from our friends – through personal contacts – social media – local political parties – from where ever we can get.’

‘But it will take time.’ I said thoughtfully.

‘Yes of course it will take time. So what? We can always start with the money we have in our savings. I can even take a gold loan using my ornaments. We have to prioritise our views.’ Nayna said with all her liveliness.

‘That’s my bhabi! I salute you!’ Shankar almost woke up with a cheer.

I also started to feel quite excited. ‘Let’s chalk out the blue print then and proceed.’ I said.

‘We cannot start before day after tomorrow. We have to arrange the money. And by the way Neel – cancelling our previous conversation I am coming with you.’ Nayna said with total authority.

‘But-’

‘STOP and listen to me before you react!’ Nayna stopped me before I could say something. ‘I have to stay at Aalo as the chief fund operating manager of this rescue programme. Your camp will need cash flow to operate properly. It is not possible for anybody to control that thing sitting in Delhi.’

Her words had substance – I had to consider. I agreed.

‘Then we can release Shankar.’ Suddenly it came into my mind and I couldn’t lose the opportunity to shake him off. ‘I do not think that it will be wise to have more people in our team in this situation. What do you say?’ I looked at Nayna.

‘What you are saying is true. But again – it is always good to have trustworthy people in team – if it is affordable – of course!’

Trustworthy!!! I TRUSTED this man to rescue me from the prison of my in-law’s house! I looked obliquely at Shankar’s face. Lights and shadows of his desire to join this expedition was playing on his face.

‘So it is all set.’ I tried to sum up the things. ‘Tomorrow Quentin will give us an approximate amount to run this expedition. We will arrange as much as we can – and will start on the day after tomorrow. We will divide and work. Quentin will visit the camp-site near Ramsing and wait there for me. I will join him the next day after meeting that rich man with Nayna. In this way we will be able to start our search for the professor within three days. Hope the biologist will be alive in that forest for the time being!’ I said.

‘On the other hand – my opinion is to start the search as immediately as possible. I alone can handle that rich man – trust me. There are all reasons to make haste. Where is the point to lose one day?’ Nayna said agitatedly.

‘We have to consider one more thing.’ Quentin was sitting quietly and listening us. Now he uttered thoughtfully.

‘What is it?’ I asked.

‘That apparently impossible situation regarding those compass and mobile phones. In my opinion there are some hidden magnetic field kind of thing which is destroying our gadgets. On what would we rely to continue our search? Without a compass we are just blind in that forest!’

Oh yes! That is really a problem. I fell into deep thought. All of us. We remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly Shankar jumped up from his position. ‘I have a solution!’ He cried out joyously. We all stared at him.

Shankar dragged his bag out, put his hand inside it and took out his solution and held it in front of us!