Saturday, June 09, 2007

Leopard Attack

It was a deforested hill, a small one, which you find in coastal areas. A muddy road cutting across the slopes. A path running from the main road sloped down to the bottom of the hill, shrubs and small trees on both sides of it. The hill had been leveled at places all along the slope for cultivation. I was walking down the hill on the walkway(if u might call it!) and the sight on both my sides was, a plane with some remaining uncut crops and grass, and the slope running down, and another plane down the hill. I was visualizing how this would look like from another distant hill, like steps carved onto it. I remember I had come with someone on a bike and he met someone on the road and was busy chatting while I had decided to take a walk down the hill. Sun was shining hard. I loitered around onto one of the plane areas besides the walkway and was trampling upon the dry cut out crop enjoying the crispy sound it made under my feet. I remembered someone telling leopards roaming these hills and attacking humans.
,,,Zap!! -Lyonkwyonknchihgkonk – rewind to the road,,,
I am still walking on the sloped path and the leopard thought just raised a few goose bumps on my arms. I hear something following me. I turn back wishing it was not a leopard. But alas! It is!.. 'Ayyo! chirate' and it is ready to leap onto me! Before I could react, it has leapt into the air and it’s looking like a drawing cut out from ‘Tiger Chaap’ cracker’s wrappers. I don’t know why it has stopped in the air; trying to scare me to death to save itself the extra effort??. I come to senses and wish it was a dream. Wish fulfilled! It is indeed a dream.. and some mindless logic passes my mind which goes something like, “ If I am still alive it has to be a dream, since I am not feeling the pain either” . I shut myself up and try to close my eyes. I could not sleep after this, imagining if it was real how painful it would be ; the leopard dug it’s teeth into my neck. Gosh!! .. I preferred to stay awake, until sleep took me into its arms again after a while, without my wishing for it.