Chapter 21: The New Predator of the Poisonous River
In the previous chapter, you read:
The mysterious old man tells Ali and Junaid about a secret bridge to cross the poisonous river, but his voice is weak and slow. Before he could finish speaking, there was another knock at the door...
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Now moving forward…
Thap-Thap...
The sound of knocking on the door made a hint of irritation appear in Junaid's eyes. Clenching his fist, he muttered—
"Who could it be now? Could this be another trouble?"
Ali: "Could it still be an enemy?"
Behind the slightly drooping eyelids of the mysterious old man, there was a strange silence. He took a deep breath and slowly said—
"Enemy?... Maybe! But it is also possible that it is someone else… something else!"
Agreeing with him, Sheikh Hamza said—
"Ever since we entered this hut, the knocking at the door hasn't stopped!"
The mysterious old man smiled faintly and shrugged—
"Besides, the door is broken… whoever it is, will come inside anyway!"
Understanding his point, Ali nodded in agreement—
"You are right!"
Outside, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard, as if someone was running blindly in the dark. Inside the hut, everyone became alert. And then...
Thud!
The broken door swung open with a loud jolt, and... a frightened man entered!
His face was drenched in sweat, and his eyes were filled with fear.
He was none other than the mysterious old man's servant.
Seeing him, Junaid sighed in relief but still spoke in an annoyed tone—
"You...! Seeing you, I thought trouble had arrived!"
Concerned, Ali asked—
"You… what brings you here?"
The servant was breathing heavily, gasping as he replied—
"Bad news!"
Placing his hand on his forehead in frustration, Junaid sighed—
"Oh no! Bad news again? It seems like there's no time left to hear any good news these days!"
The mysterious old man asked seriously—
"What bad news?"
Worry deepened in the servant's eyes—
"A new giant creature has appeared in the poisonous river, and it looks terrifying!"
Shocked, Junaid exclaimed—
"What did you say… another dangerous creature in the poisonous river?"
Nodding gravely, the servant replied—
"Yes, and it is no ordinary creature… it is extremely dangerous!"
The Mysterious Old Man curiously asks—
Mysterious Old Man: "What is this dangerous creature?"
The servant steps forward to explain—
Servant: "A gigantic black snake has been spotted in the river, its eyes glowing bright red, and its enormous venomous fangs protruding from its jaws.
It is said that when it attacks its prey, its hiss alone is enough to make anyone faint!"
Thinking for a moment, Junaid says—
Junaid: "What's new about that? There was already a snake in the poisonous river!"
The servant immediately replies—
Servant: "No! The snake you are talking about has mysteriously disappeared. And the one I am talking about is not an ordinary snake… it is seven to eight times bigger, pitch black, and its fangs are always exposed.
This snake patiently waits for its prey and can launch an attack with its tail so powerful that no one can even anticipate it!"
Sweat appears on Sheikh Hamza's forehead. In a nervous voice, he says—
Sheikh Hamza: "If you are telling us such terrifying things about this snake, then it must be true!"
The mysterious old man speaks seriously—
Mysterious Old Man: "We must come up with a plan to survive both this snake and the deadly crocodile!"
With confidence, Ali says—
Ali: "The morning has arrived, and my goal is to cross this poisonous river by noon… no matter what it takes!"
Seeing Ali's determination, the mysterious old man smiles—
Mysterious Old Man: "Very good, Ali! Seeing your spirit, I can say that you will cross the river by noon!"
Sheikh Hamza agrees—
Sheikh Hamza: "If you say so, then Ali and Junaid will definitely cross this river!"
Excited, Junaid says—
Junaid: "Then let's go, let's cross it!"
In a serious tone, the mysterious old man says—
Mysterious Old Man: "We need a plan!"
Curiously, the servant asks—
Servant: "What kind of plan?"
The mysterious old man explains—
Mysterious Old Man: "While we are crossing the secret bridge over the river, the deadly creatures lurking in the water will attack us—especially that terrifying crocodile and the snake!"
Ali nods in agreement—
Ali: "You are absolutely right! We must come up with a plan, particularly against the crocodile and the snake!"
Suddenly, Junaid thinks of something and says—
Junaid: "May I say something?"
The mysterious old man smiles—
Mysterious Old Man: "Yes, Junaid, go ahead!"
Junaid: "I think we should make this plan outside the hut because I feel suffocated in here. If we discuss the plan under the open sky, it will be much better!"
Sheikh Hamza agrees with him—
Sheikh Hamza: "You are absolutely right, Junaid! Discussing the plan outside will be better!"
The mysterious old man nods in agreement—
Mysterious Old Man: "If that is what you all wish, then let's go outside the hut!"
Everyone steps out of the hut. As they come outside, they see—the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the chirping of birds echoed around.
Smiling, Junaid says—
Junaid: "The weather is absolutely beautiful today!"
Ali speaks seriously—
Ali: "The weather will only be good for me when I cross this river and retrieve the map from Ameer Taahir's hideout!"
The old man smiled and said, "Well said, Ali! Your strong determination is an inspiration to everyone."
Sheikh Hamza looked up at the sky and said, "The weather is nice, but it doesn't take long for it to change."
Ali turned to the mysterious old man and said, "Now, please start the plan. If we keep talking like this, it will be noon before we know it!"
The old man nodded and said, "You're right. Let's begin the plan!"
Everyone focused on the old man, ready to listen to his strategy.
In a serious tone, the old man said, "Crossing the bridge over the poisonous river, our two biggest challenges will be just two deadly creatures!"
Junaid immediately responded, "Those two deadly creatures are—the crocodile and the snake!"
Ali took a deep breath and said, "We must come up with an effective plan to deal with these two dangerous creatures!"
With a puzzled expression, Junaid said, "But we will be crossing over the bridge, while the dangerous creatures will be below. Can they really reach up there?"
The old man looked at Junaid and explained, "You are mistaken, Junaid. That dangerous crocodile and snake can strike their tails in the water and leap up to the bridge!"
Junaid was startled, "Oh, so that's how it is!"
Sheikh Hamza spoke in a worried tone, "But what will be our plan against these two deadly creatures?"
The mysterious old man spoke in a deep voice, "I have a plan that might help us!"
Ali, excited, asked, "What is the plan?"
With a mysterious expression, the old man said, "Listen, I have a special potion that, when applied to an object, makes it stick in place for a short time!"
Curiously, Junaid asked, "But how will we use this potion?"
The old man replied seriously,
"As soon as the crocodile and the venomous snake jump up, we will use this potion on our weapons.
This potion will trap them in midair—they will fall, but they won't be able to recover!
The moment this potion touches their bodies, they will be stuck as if caught in invisible chains!"
Sheikh Hamza asked in a concerned tone, "But will it be enough to apply it only on Ali's staff? Multiple creatures might attack us at the same time!"
Junaid nodded in agreement, "You're right!"
The old man smiled and said, "Sheikh Hamza has a sword. We will apply the potion to it. When they jump up, we will strike them, making sure the potion touches their bodies and takes effect."
"I will also carry a stick and coat it with the potion."
"Ali already has his iron staff. We will apply the potion to it as well. Then, this potion will work against the deadly creatures!"
Ali, filled with enthusiasm, said, "This is a great plan! We will follow it!"
While the discussion was still going on, a strange sound suddenly echoed through the air.
Junaid, now on high alert, turned to Ali and asked, "Ali! What is that sound?"
What is this strange sound?
Is it a sign of an approaching danger?
Find out in the next chapter – Chapter 22...
To be Continued...