Do you ever see wild animals?

In our village, the wild animals are like our neighbors – always keeping us on our toes and adding an element of excitement to our daily lives. Every now and then, we catch glimpses of majestic wolves roaming the outskirts of our village, their haunting howls echoing through the night. And on some particularly daring nights, we’ve even had the rare visit from a jaguar or tiger or a bear… their presence sending shivers down our spines.

I recall one vivid memory of hiking in the mountains and stumbling upon a family of graceful deer, their tranquil presence a stark contrast to the more fearsome predators that lurk in the shadows around us.

Nestled among the mountains the nights held an eerie secret. The moon would cast its silvery light upon the bamboo groves and the large trees.. painting them with an eerie glow. But we dared not venture out after dark for our sleepy village was not just home to wild creatures like wolves and tigers but also to mysterious tales of dark spirits that roamed the countryside.

The villagers would speak in hushed tones of howling, strange noises and even sightings of dark spirits taking the form of animals. Some claimed to have witnessed the spirits hurling mud or causing bamboo branches to crash to the ground with an otherworldly force. My parents have always warned me that whenever am in my village I shouldn’t be scared of the voices and all the noises and rustling made behind me and I should never be walking alone at night .Each night as the sun dipped below the horizon, the fear would seep into our bones and we’d hurry to close our doors, sealing ourselves away from whatever lurked in the shadows.

The tales grew more chilling when we heard of the dark spirits mimicking human voices, luring unsuspecting villagers into the night. The bamboo groves and towering trees became a hellish maze of fear after sunset and we dared not step foot outside our homes, even to enjoy the moonlight. I think such instances are more common in villages but I too have some unexplainable experiences. I even went on to research the toddlers footprints with only 4 toes the next morning. ( seriously I still can’t believe it but having witnessed it myself i can’t deny) and many of my village grannies have told me some scary stuffs about it…

But despite the terror that gripped us, the villagers resisted the urge to harm the wild creatures, understanding that they too are a part of the natural world. And so, under the cover of darkness, we lived in fear and admiration of the untamed spirits that roamed our village, our hearts pounding with the knowledge that something supernatural lay just beyond our doors.