My name is Dennis Ngilneia. My friends call me Dennis, though I don't have many. I live in Mizoram, one of the seven sister states in the northeastern part of India.
I'm just a normal person, living an ordinary life with a job while preparing for the civil services exam in the southern part of Mizoram.
I work as a teacher, a job I got through my performance in DIET after finishing college at just 23. One of the reasons I was posted in this remote part of Mizoram is that not many people want to work here. Truth be told, its location made it less desirable, but I didn't mind.
The school where I work is a middle school with around 54 children. The majority of them are girls since most boys tend to help their parents in the fields or take up small jobs in nearby towns to earn money. There are four teachers, including me. The other two are middle-aged women and the other in her late 20s , two of whom are married.
The reason I continue working here despite the meager salary is that I need a stable income while preparing for the MCS exam. Everything was going smoothly until that happened.
I can still remember it clearly. It was late March. After the end-of-semester exams, we decided to go on a two-night camping trip with the whole school to a nearby wildlife sanctuary, where the famous Palak Dil lake is located.
With permission from their parents, half of the children—27, to be exact—were able to join us. We hired a pickup truck since many of them wouldn't fit in the car my colleague owned. The lake was 13 km (8.07 miles) away from the village.
We departed from the village at 7:30 AM. The journey was lively, filled with excitement as we spotted wild animals like boars, deer, and even an elephant calf. We reached the lake at around 9:25 AM and were greeted by Sakilua, the 59-year-old lodge guard who had been working in the park for almost nine years. He guided us to a perfect camping spot and pointed out safe areas for the children to play.
My colleagues—Lalduhsaki, Melody Rinsangi, and Judith Sangpuii—are from Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. By the time we finished setting up camp and the bonfire, it was almost noon.
We divided the children into three groups. The first group, led by Lalduhsaki and Melody, was tasked with gathering firewood. The second group, under Judith's guidance, was responsible for collecting wild fruits and edible roots near the lodge and lake. I led the third group, and our task was to catch fish for dinner.
Since the lake is 27 meters deep and 700 meters wide, it's too dangerous to wade in. Instead, we set up five fishing rods along the shore with bait and waited for the fish to bite, while I searched the shallow waters for clams and crabs.
After half an hour, I had almost filled a makeshift bamboo cage with my catch. I returned to the fishing rods, where my students had successfully reeled in six large fish. Once I placed the cage on the ground, I dried myself with a towel, put on my clothes, and sat under the sun. We stayed there for nearly two hours, waiting for more fish to take the bait.
As the sun began to set, we made our way back to the campfire, where a large bonfire was already burning.
After cleaning up, we gathered around the fire for dinner, which consisted of rice, fish, clams, prawns, and vegetables from the guard's garden. Once we finished eating, we brought out an acoustic guitar I had packed and started singing.
For nearly three hours, we sang, told stories, and played games. When it was time to sleep, the students and teachers headed to the lodge, but I chose to camp outside by the lake. I had brought a telescope and wanted to stargaze.
As I set up the telescope, I watched Jupiter and Mars for about fifteen minutes when I suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the path leading to the lodge.
I pulled my eyes away from the telescope and turned toward the sound. Melody appeared, dressed in yoga pants, hiking boots, and a long-sleeved brown wool top. She sat next to me and spoke.
"So, um... can you tell me your answer before this camping trip is over?"
Yeah... I'm not going to lie—she liked me. Since I was the only young and unmarried man in the school and village where we spent most of our time, it wasn't surprising. She was also the only unmarried one among the three women.
Truth be told, I liked her a bit too. But my career wasn't stable, unlike hers, and I didn't want to hurt her. She had confessed her feelings just before the semester exams, but I hadn't given her an answer. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty—I was just indecisive when it came to relationships.
Having attended all-boys schools, I was inexperienced in matters of love. I told her I needed more time, and she responded with a dejected nod.
Still, she stayed with me for nearly an hour. Then, out of nowhere, a thunderous sound erupted from the jungle, from the direction of the cliff and small hill beyond.
The sound was like thunder striking something. But it was March, and the sky was clear—there were no clouds, no sign of a storm. The strange noise continued for almost ten minutes. At some point, I picked up my binoculars, which were part of my telescope set, and pointed them toward the hill. I spotted a faint light. Melody saw it too.
After the noise faded, we stood in silence for a couple of minutes. Then, I turned to her.
"I'll escort you to the lodge," I said.
After that, I returned to my tent by the lake and slept like a log