4 The Moon Forest

Nina understood that he wouldn't be telling the truth. "I am gonna take my leave now."

"Ok! I will mail you the trip details by evening."

Nina nodded her head and walked out of the office. Taking a look at the empty offices and Richard's office, she reached the reception, where Emily was busily scrolling on her mobile.

"Bye, Emily!"

"Bye Nina." Emily stood and replied. Though Nina found it odd, she thought that Emily might be respectable to all the staff.

Going home in the cab, Nina searched for ideas to tell her family after her new job. Telling them that she would start a trip in two days was the toughest part. Convincing her mom would be easy compared to her father.

Her mother almost had the same attitude and character as Nina. They always shared a good bond, and the vibe between them appeared wonderful that everyone always thought of her as a friend or elder sister of Nina. Her mother's appearance was another factor that made everyone assume so. With flawless skin and a perfect body, even in her mid-forties made every lady jealous of her.

Despite being a little strict, her father too maintained a friendly and supportive attitude towards Nina. He always gave her the freedom to chose her career but travelling, and that too, to a forest might not be acceptable.

Reaching her home at 4 pm, she put her belongings in her room and slowly marched towards her mother. "Maa! I got a job."

"Wow!! What kind of job?"

"I have to write a document after visiting a place."

"Great!! So, you will be having fun travelling." her mother exclaimed, smiling brightly through her lovely glittering golden-brown eyes. Nina almost got all the genes from her mother except her eyes, which are from her father. For most of her childhood, she scolded her mom for not giving her those eyes. As years passed, she fell in love with her pitch-black big eyes.

"Will dad agree?" Nina sighed.

"Why not, dear? He won't disagree if this is what to love. Moreover, this is the age you should enjoy a little bit." her mom comforted. "I will make you some sandwiches. Relax! Don't worry!"

Nina nodded, but her heart was throbbing. She was in confusion about whether to tell her parents as she was hundred per cent sure that even her mom wouldn't agree with her going to an unknown jungle. After giving a lot of thought, she decided to tell them after looking at Mr.Cook's mail.

While she was lost in her world, her mother arrived with a plate of Nina's favourite egg sandwich.

"I will discuss with dad tomorrow as it's a holiday for him," Nina told her mother with a confident smile.

Finishing her snack, Nina went back to her room. She sat in front of the computer to check if she had received any mail. Her legs were dancing with curiosity to know about the so-called 'Moon forest'. There weren't any new mails, so Nina decided to prepare the list of items that she should pack- Laptop, Laptop Charger, Mobile Charger, Book, Pens, First aid kit, Flip-flops,... As she continued to write, the computer popped up with an email notification from James Cook.

Nina enthusiastically opened the mail, and her excitement doubled, viewing the details. It's a vast forest with beautiful flora and a beach too. The most interesting part was that the people still lived in the forest. Her eyes began to glow with anticipation and joy as she continued reading.

Coming to the last page of the five-page document, her face started darkening, and her lips were turning downwards. Since it was a rural area, urban necessities such as soap, paste, clothes, sandals, etc., weren't available. Nina sighed but was fine, as she could carry them from the city. The note at the end of the document made her cry - "Network wouldn't be present."

Taking a deep breath, she closed the document and read the mail.

"Hi Nina,

Usually, a month or one and half months is given for this trip as the people there have a different culture comparatively, and it's a huge area too. It helps to take your time to adjust and know about the traditions, environment and people. Let me know how much time you require on Wednesday after examining the place.

Thanks & Regards,

James."

"Let you know? How should I? Should I send a pigeon to you? Damn!" Nina vexed, banging her computer table loudly.

Nina took a whole minute to composure and to calm herself down. Finally, she was distressed after telling herself that it was a good idea to eliminate the internet. Withdrawing from the world would help to enjoy and know about oneself. Regarding calls, she could come to the city twice a week to contact her parents.

Coming back to her list, she cancelled the laptop and laptop charger; added paste, brush, soap, umbrella, power bank, earphones, medicines, empty water bottles, pillow and blanket.

She stopped as she felt that it would become heavy if she carried unnecessary luxuries. Signing, she stood up and opened a large luggage bag and filled it with comfortable clothes. Suddenly those clothes reminded her of detergent, which she then added to the list.

How do people wash their clothes, bathe and brush? What do they do without a network? Questions were bombarding her, which made her eager and tense at the same time. She was worried that her parents wouldn't allow her to disappear for about fifty days into a jungle, where no proper facilities would be present. However, she was delighted to visit that mysterious and beautiful place.

Wiping out most of the clothes in her cupboard, she completed packaging her clothes, leaving a little space for the toiletries.

She crawled to her bed after having dinner, she felt as if a dream to true. "Try visualizing the things you like or like to do if you are struggling to sleep" was a suggestion given by her grandfather. From the day she received that advice, she imagined herself on a moonlit beach or doing water sports, before sleeping.

Realizing that she could really do it made her heart pump with excitement. On the trip, she would actually sit on a beach on a full moon day. In addition, in a place where the moon appears closer.