Secondary School Level

I sauntered out of the park whistling. I looked around for our minibus but couldn't see it in the parking lot. I turned my head and looked around for my family. I couldn't see them anywhere. My heart started to beat faster as I glanced at the parking lot again and again. I ran back inside through the gates. They weren't there either. I yelled out for them but there was no reply.

My family was on a holiday, fourteen of us and we were visiting a wildlife safari park in the Gir forest of Gujarat. Everybody had been getting ready to leave and I had slipped off to go to the toilet. When I came back, they had all gone. Suddenly a wave of fear and loneliness gripped me sending a chill down my spine. I seemed to be stuck to the ground where I stood. I wanted to yell for help but my voice failed me. Helpless, I just squatted where I was, buried my head between my knees and cried softly. A few minutes later realising that I wasn't solving any problem, I stopped crying, stood up again and looked around feverishly. My palms were wet with cold sweat. I just couldn't believe it that my family had left me behind. They had actually forgotten to take me!

My knees felt like jelly. A few minutes later I felt I got the whiff of a lion somewhere close by. I was beginning to imagine things. I looked around again. My head throbbed. As I looked at the lengthening shadows I realised with a start that the park was closing. Perhaps the man at the gate knew something. Just then I saw our minibus careening towards me, with practically all the thirteen heads squeezed out of the windows waving madly at me.

Relief washed over me like a wave and in a flash I was my brave old self again. "We were driving down the highway when we realised you were not with us,” explained Dad apologetically “we turned round immediately. We were quite shocked I can tell you.”

“It's all right Dad, I was quite happy to get some more time here and I loved it and besides I knew you would come back for me anyway.” I said as I got into the minibus keeping a straight face.