Chapter 12: The Mystery of the Cave and the Map
In the previous chapter,
you read that Ali and Junaid reached the upper part of the Junagadh hill and were now resting while a danger awaited them.
Now, the story continues...
The night had grown deep.
The moonlight was faint, and the air in the mountains had an eerie chill. Ali and Junaid, exhausted, were in a deep sleep.
The surroundings were silent... but it wouldn't last long.
Suddenly, there was rustling in the bushes. Two shadows slowly moved forward.
Their faces were hidden in the dark, but the sound of heavy breathing echoed in the distance.
First Bandit (whispering): "Look, two young boys! Our prey for today!"
Second Bandit (doubtfully): "But who are they? I've never seen them before."
First Bandit (laughing): "What does it matter to us? We just need to do our job. Besides, we don't hunt our own!"
Second Bandit: "You're right. But what's the plan?"
First Bandit: "Simple. They're fast asleep. We tie them up quietly, and whatever valuables they have will be ours!"
Second Bandit: "But be careful. Rushing could ruin the plan."
The two bandits slowly crept toward Ali and Junaid.
The first bandit bent down and removed Junaid's blanket, placing his hand on his shoulder.
But in the next moment...
Junaid (hastily): "Who's there?"
Junaid pushed the bandit away with all his strength, sending him stumbling backward.
Then, he quickly shook Ali awake and said—
Junaid: "Ali! Wake up! We're under attack!"
Ali quickly opened his eyes. Both were now alert. Two strangers stood before them.
Ali (seriously): "Who are you two? And why are you attacking us?"
First Bandit (mockingly): "No time for questions, boys! Surrender to us, or you'll regret it."
Junaid (sarcastically): "You came to capture us, but now you won't even be able to save yourselves!"
The fight had begun. Ali faced off with the first bandit, while Junaid took on the second.
The first bandit lunged forward and grabbed Ali by the neck, squeezing tightly.
Ali struggled, his breath began to falter. Then he remembered the knockout pin given to him by the old man.
He barely managed to pull the pin from his pocket and jabbed it into the bandit's neck.
First Bandit (surprised): "What... what is this?"
In the next moment, he staggered and fell to the ground—unconscious!
Meanwhile, Junaid and the second bandit were in a fierce struggle.
The bandit landed a powerful punch, but Junaid dodged it and delivered a swift blow to his abdomen.
The bandit groaned in pain.
But suddenly, the bandit struck Junaid hard on the head. Junaid staggered but quickly regained his balance and shoved the bandit with all his might.
There was no place to fall...
But what was this? The bandit staggered to the edge of the hill. His balance faltered, and he hung there. Below was a deep chasm.
Bandit (panicking): "Help! I'm going to fall! I promise, I won't harm you!"
Junaid saw him hanging below. He paused... then, smiling, he said—
Junaid (teasingly): "Hang there! Did you think we wouldn't catch you while we were asleep?"
Bandit (pleading): "No! Don't do this! Please, save me!"
Ali thought for a moment, then looked toward Junaid.
Ali (in a serious tone):
"Junaid, save him. He must have a family."
Junaid (in surprise):
"Are you really talking about saving him? The one who tried to kill us while we were asleep?"
Ali (smiling):
"We should answer evil with goodness, only then can people change."
Junaid took a deep breath and said—
Junaid:
"Ali! Your goodness always outweighs me. Let's save him!"
Junaid bent down, grabbed the bandit's hand, and pulled him up. The bandit wobbled as he stood up, then, with regret in his eyes, spoke—
Bandit:
"You both saved my life... I will always be grateful!"
Meanwhile, the unconscious bandit had regained consciousness.
The second bandit moved toward him and said with enthusiasm—
Bandit:
"Brother! These two boys turned out to be better than us! They saved my life!"
Ali:
"Now tell us, why did you both attack us?"
The bandit replied—
"We thought you both were rich… and that we could get something from you… we planned to capture you, but now we realize we made a big mistake."
Then Junaid said—
"But why did you need to capture us for that?"
The second bandit replied—
"You both were asleep and we had no weapons, so we planned to capture you while you were sleeping and loot whatever valuable things you had.
But we apologize to you now."
Ali:
"We don't have anything valuable to be looted, anyway.
Now, both of you promise me that you'll never do this looting again and will earn an honest living."
The first bandit replied—
"I've already been very impressed by you. And now, I promise I'll never loot again.
I will earn an honest living and always try to help others."
Ali:
"Why did you both take up looting in the first place?"
First Bandit (ashamed):
"We were once soldiers in the Azamgarh Sultanate.
But when the new king came, we were dismissed for no reason. We searched for work honestly for months, but found nothing.
Out of desperation, we resorted to this... but now we realize it was wrong."
Ali:
"But now you both will not follow this path anymore. You promised!"
Bandits (together):
"We will keep our promise! We will earn an honest living now!"
The first rays of the sun started to fall on the mountains. The chirping of birds echoed.
Junaid looked up at the sky and then said to Ali—
Junaid:
"We should move ahead now. It's time to start our journey to the cave."
The first bandit looked up in surprise.
First Bandit:
"What? You're talking about going into that cave?"
Junaid (in surprise):
"Yes! Do you know anything about this cave?"
Bandit (in a worried tone):
"This cave is very dangerous! It has countless paths. If anyone takes the wrong one, they may never come out!"
Ali and Junaid's faces were filled with concern.
Ali:
"Is there any way to cross it?"
The bandit stayed silent for a moment, then took out an old, tattered piece of paper from his ragged bag.
The map was very old, torn at the edges and covered with dust.
The bandit spoke softly—
"This map was given to me by my grandfather… if you follow it, you'll never get lost!"
Ali and Junaid breathed a sigh of relief.
Ali:
"Thank you, friend! With your help, we'll cross this cave!"
The two bandits smiled and left the area.
Ali and Junaid now began walking toward the cave.
After a while, Ali and Junaid reached near the cave.
They were right near the cave. As they peeked inside, a strange cold wind blew out.
Suddenly, Junaid's face turned pale, his eyes widened, and he collapsed, unconscious!
What will happen next...
What was it in the cave that made Junaid faint?
Will Ali and Junaid be able to cross this cave?
Only 5 days are left, after which Amir Tahir will embark on his journey with the special sword Al-Amaanah!
Will Ali and Junaid be able to stop him?
To find out, read Chapter 13
To be Continued...