Week 9 Story: Hidden in the Himalayas

The man grew more and more excited as he watched a dark figure skitter through the trees, ducking between branches and hiding behind trunks. He quickly pulled out his flip phone and took a grainy photo. A few minutes passed and then the trees began to shake as though a large animal was leaping through the trees. He ran back to the cottage and quickly dialed the number for those in his inner circle.

(Sahil's photo of Hanuman; Image Source)

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The phone rang furiously off the hook as the group stomped back into their makeshift home at the base of the Himalayas. The leader, Rohan, ran to answer the phone, shaking with excitement at the news it may hold. As the watcher on the other end reported his findings, Rohan's pulse quickened. At the news that Sahil had even captured pictures, Rohan thought he might faint. He quickly rallied his team and they practically sprinted to Site 17, where Sahil was waiting.

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"Alright gang, we've spent our whole lives preparing for this moment. Today's the big day. Hanuman has evaded us this long, but we know he is somewhere in these mountains, walking the earth as long as Rama's praises are sung. Sahil was able to capture pictures earlier today and they closely resemble the monkey king, so we are led to believe that he is in these parts. He must have a divine message for us or he wouldn't be lurking so closely. Let's split up into teams - I'll go with Anaya to the west. Kiara, you and Himmat take the east. Sahil, as our tracker, you go straight ahead. Sound the whistle if you find something worthwhile, otherwise, we'll meet back here at sunset."

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"Hey Rohan, look at this! It must belong to Hanuman!"

Rohan jogged over to where Anaya was and saw her standing in the biggest footprint he had ever seen. Hanuman had the ability to change his size, so the only explanation for this footstep was Hanuman in his large form. Rohan let out a giddy laugh, his years of searching were finally coming to fruition with his best friends by his side. With a whoop, he sounded the whistle to tell the others of the news.

(Hanuman's footprint; Image Source)

~~~~~~~

Hanuman sat in the tree directly above the group, chuckling to himself as they fretted about looking for him. Of course, he was thankful for their devotion to him, but he also liked to have a bit of fun. If nothing else, it was a way to pass the time. Someday, when the group most needed it, he would make himself known to them. However, today was not that day. Looking for Hanuman brought these friends together and gave them purpose, and he did not want to remove their central cause just yet. As the group split up again, Hanuman leaned back and closed his eyes, reminiscing over his adventures and looking forward to leading his devoted followers on even more. 

Bibliography: 
Bhima and Hanuman from "The Mahabharata, A Summary" by John Mandeville Macfie
Author's Note: 
The original story focuses on the meeting of Bhima and Hanuman, who are actually half brothers by their father, Vayu. Bhima tries to move a monkey laying across the path, but is unable to despite his massive strength, and it turns out to be Hanuman. The two have a lengthy chat and brother bonding time. My story is obviously nowhere like this, but it was simply inspired by the reminder that Hanuman is in fact immortal, as long as the praises of Rama are sung. I thought it would be fun to do a story pulling from bigfoot enthusiasts, but instead having them focused on finding Hanuman in the Himalayas. I tried to use multiple perspectives which is not something I had done, but I think it worked to show the excitement of each group member with every discovery, as well as portraying Hanuman's fun side. I have always seen Hanuman as a bit of a jokester, so I think this fits him, but he also does care about these people and has used their draw to him as a bonding agent for the group to form friendships.