The river flowed steadily, its water clear and cold, wrapping the forest in a gentle murmur. Anand sat cross-legged on a flat stone, shivering, wringing the rain from his soaked clothes. Beside him, Agastya moved slowly, methodical, stroking his long, white-streaked beard while carefully drying the modern jacket and pants Anand had worn.
"You… do not usually dress like this," Agastya said at last, his voice calm and curious, eyes inspecting the fabric as if trying to read its origin.
Anand rubbed his wet hair back, feeling awkward. "Uh… yeah, I guess not. It's… modern," he said, shrugging. "I don't really… travel like this anymore, you know? Well, I didn't mean to, uh, end up falling into your river either."
Agastya's eyes twinkled faintly, as if amused by the strange accent of his words. "And what name do you go by, young man?" he asked, finally setting the soaked jacket on a rock to dry.
"Anand," he replied, still shivering. "And… uh… you are…?"
"I am Agastya," the sage answered simply, turning back to the river to rinse a cloth. "You fell from the mountain?"
Anand exhaled sharply. "Yeah. I—well… my mother…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "It's… complicated. I just came to visit her grave. That's why I was hiking."
Agastya nodded slowly, listening without interruption. His gaze then shifted to Anand's backpack, lying half-buried in the wet grass. "And this… bundle," he said, gesturing with his hand. "It is unusual as well."
Anand's eyes widened. "Oh, this? Yeah… that's… uh… everything I could grab in a rush. Mostly survival stuff." He tilted the bag toward Agastya, opening it carefully. "Don't judge, okay?"
Agastya raised a single eyebrow, tilting his head like a curious bird. "I do not judge. I seek to understand."
Anand sighed, starting to unpack: a small, waterproof mat; a lightweight blanket; a notebook; a pen case with six pens; a first aid kit stocked with cotton, disinfectant, painkillers, antibiotics, bandages, and band-aids; a mobile phone sealed in a waterproof case showing 89% battery; a small flashlight; some packaged chips and nuts;pair of t-shirt, pants and shocks and a few pieces of ginger candy.
Agastya touched the mat reverently, running his fingers along its smooth, synthetic fabric. "This… fabric," he murmured, puzzled. "It is… unlike anything I have seen. And these… small objects," he said, lifting the phone with care, "what purpose do they serve?"
Anand scratched the back of his head, awkwardly grinning. "Well… that's a phone. You know, communication, internet, maps… and the battery—well, it still works. Flashlight, first aid kit, blanket… snacks. You never know when a survival situation gets worse."
Agastya stroked his beard thoughtfully, examining the pen case and notebook. "And these writing instruments?"
Anand laughed nervously, holding them up. "Yeah… pens. Six of them. Just… habit, I guess. For notes, sketches, lists… whatever. Never leave home without a pen, you know?"
Agastya's eyes sparkled with curiosity, but his smile remained gentle. "And the small… sweet pieces?" he asked, nodding toward the ginger candy.
"Ginger candy," Anand said with a shrug. "Energy, comfort… you'll understand when you're tired and cold. Just… small life hacks."
Agastya chuckled softly, a deep, unexpected sound. "Life hacks?" he repeated, as if savoring the unfamiliar word. Then he nodded. "Curious. And yet… practical. Perhaps this… forest is fortunate to have you washed upon its banks."
Anand raised an eyebrow. "Washed upon… lucky me, you mean?"
"Perhaps," Agastya said, returning to drying the jacket. "And now… tell me, Anand. Where do you come from?"
Anand hesitated, glancing at the sage. Something about him made lying feel unnecessary. "I… I don't know exactly. I was… somewhere else. A place with… buildings, streets, machines, people always busy. And then I… fell," he said, gesturing vaguely at the mountain and river. "Not sure how I got here."
Agastya nodded slowly. "You speak of… another land. Yet here you are, as if the river guided you."
Anand blinked, raising his hands. "No. Not the river. No cosmic plan or anything. Just… slipped. Bad luck, really."
The sage tilted his head, smiling faintly. "Perhaps. Or perhaps… simply fortunate to meet, in any case."
Anand shook his head, muttering under his breath: "Fortunate? Survived a cliff fall, drenched, bruised… and now he's asking if I'm 'fortunate'? Sure, sounds logical."
Agastya noticed Anand's mobile case peeking out of the bag. "This device… it shines with light and… numbers?"
Anand groaned. "Yeah. That's the flashlight and battery indicator. Don't… touch it. It's sensitive."
Agastya laughed quietly, almost childlike in amusement. "Numbers and light. Curious."
Anand leaned back on the riverbank, shivering but starting to feel a strange warmth. "So… uh… what do we do now?"
Agastya's calm smile never faltered. "We survive, young one. The mountain is behind. The river before us. And perhaps tomorrow, we explore what else this forest offers."
Anand grinned despite himself, shaking his wet hair. "Alright… sounds like a plan. Just… uh… maybe not falling into another river, okay?"
Agastya's smile deepened, and he nodded, returning to drying the rest of the clothes. Anand's mind wandered over the strange morning, the storm, the fall, and now this… man in odd clothes who seemed more patient than anyone he had ever met.
He sighed quietly, muttering under his breath: "Seriously… who is this dude in the middle of nowhere… with this fashion sense?"
And for the first time in days, the forest felt… less lonely
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------