By Christina K Sangma
“An adventure is calling!!” Sajida texted in our group chat.
Immediately, everyone started replying with confusion.
What do you mean?
“Where are we going?
“What kind of adventure?”
But Sajida being Sajida, didn’t explain much. She simply told us to come to her place the coming Monday, dressed in track suits, with food packed in our bags and plenty of water so we wouldn’t get dehydrated. Her excitement was so contagious that even without knowing what the plan was, we agreed.
The day finally arrived, and we still had no idea what we were walking into. Yet, we left for Sajida’s place anyway, trusting her like we always did.
When we reached, we were a small group me, Neetu, Sajida, Neetu’s younger brother, and Tia. But to our surprise, there was someone else too. Sajida introduced him as Kenny, an old schoolmate of hers, and apparently our guide for the day. That made the whole thing feel even more mysterious.
We started walking, following Sajida like she knew exactly where she was going. As we moved ahead, I noticed we were taking the route towards the hills behind the Assam Rifles regiment. I couldn’t help but wonder, are we going on a trek?
Sajida just smiled, like she was waiting for us to figure it out ourselves. Finally, she said, `we’re going in search of a waterfall.
We all stared at her in disbelief.
A hidden waterfall? Really?
We were baffled. Some of us laughed, some of us questioned her, and honestly, I didn’t fully believe her either. What made it even funnier was that Sajida admitted she had never seen it herself. She had only heard about it. But she asked us to trust her, and in the name of adventure, we decided to go along with it.
The trek started off exciting, but soon it became tiring. It was a sunny day, and the heat drained our energy faster than expected. Every step uphill felt heavier, and our water bottles started feeling lighter. After walking for a while, we finally stopped to take a break.
From the top, we could see the locality below us, and the view was honestly beautiful. Everything looked so small from up there. The more we walked inward, the greener the mountain became. The air felt calmer too windy, peaceful, and so refreshing compared to the noise of the city.
As we entered deeper into the forest, the surroundings turned quieter, almost like the outside world didn’t exist there. The trees were thick and green, and it felt strangely comforting, like nature was protecting us.
Then suddenly, we heard it. A stream.
At first it was faint, like a whisper in the distance. But as we continued walking, the sound grew louder. We looked at each other with excitement because it meant one thing we were close. There really was water ahead. And then we saw it.
A small stream flowed past us, and a little further ahead, it fell down like a waterfall. It wasn’t huge or grand, but in that moment it felt special. It felt like we had discovered something hidden, something not everyone knew about. It felt like a secret that belonged only to us.
We found a plain spot nearby, sat down, and ate the lunch we had brought along. Sitting there, listening to the water and the wind, everything felt peaceful. Even the tiredness didn’t matter anymore.
On our way back, we didn’t take the same route. We chose a completely different path, and that made the journey feel even more adventurous. By the time we finally came down from the hills, it felt like we had gained more than just a memory. We had made a new friend, shared laughter, and experienced a calmness we didn’t even know we needed.
Even though the waterfall wasn’t the grandest, the journey itself was everything the effort, the trust, and the peace it gave us.
And that is what made it unforgettable.
