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A Trip to Fort Manroo
We had just taken our First
year exam of FSc (A-Levels) & we all were enjoying our holidays. We
decided to go on a one-night trip of fort Manroo, a hill station by the boundary
of south Punjab near Multan (my city). Many boys asked their parents for the
permission but they didn’t get it… few were not ready to travel through van
& few were not ready to spend a night there. At last, four of us, Jahanzaib Adnan (Zabi), Azeem Hafeez, Hassan Shahzad & I got ready. We all got
permission
from our homes. The preparations had been underway from a week ago. On 1st
may, 1998, we four started our journey at 6:15 am morning by a van. We took six
seats as there was a chance of one other boy (Hassan Wasim) to come & join
us but he didn’t reach in the morning. First, we took a van, which was going
to D.G.Khan (Dera Ghazi Khan) a small city, situated on a drive of 2 hours from
Multan. In our journey, a man was sleeping next to me. We thought that he was
not hearing our conversation & so we started chatting but when we reached D.G.Khan, he woke up & appreciated our conversation. So then, we realized that
we should take care next time. From D.G. Khan, we took another van for Kher (a small
valley at 5500 feet above sea-level) now we took five seats so that Zabi & I
can adjust our legs. Now, a woman was sitting next to Hassan Shahzad. She was
with full veil. We looked at all the passengers of our van carefully. There
seems to be no one literate & so none would be able to understand English,
as that area was not a developed one. Therefore, We started talking in
English. We were very happy that we were doing an intelligent thing. We chatted
in a loud voice. Many times passengers saw us by turning their necks as we
were at the last seats. Zabi started giving names to the passengers. We enjoyed
that journey very much. When her (the lady next to Hassan) stop came, we
noticed
a register in her hand. Alarms rise in our brains. In addition, when we saw
the place where she went after boarding out of the van, we all became still.
No voice & no breathe. Then suddenly we all raised a huge laughter coz She
was a doctor… Then we started remembering what we had said throughout the
journey, as she had understood everything. There was nothing special except of
Zabi’s abusive language. So now, we chatted in neither English nor Urdu. We
took some rest after reaching at Kher. Then we hired a S.S.R (Jeep) &
reached at Army mess in fort Manroo. It was booked for us for one night by
Zabi’s father. When we reached there, we found no one. We thought for a while,
that if no one came then what would we do. However, a man came in 5 minutes. He
opened the room & we took some rest. Then we went to the market, which was
at least 3kms away from our mess by walking. Then we took lunch there. It was a
driver hotel type “moom ki daal & tandori rooti”. It was delicious as we
were hungry too. Then we bought cold bottles from a shop, then went to the
highest point of the Fort Manroo, & then drank them there. We took some
photographs, & then we went to an old graveyard. It had graves of last years
of 18th century & early years of 19th century. There
was also a grave of a princess. She died when she was just 23 years old. We said
(by joke) that her ghost would be moving aimlessly there. Then we went to a
park, & then from there we started the thing for which we had come to that
place. It was hiking. We started our journey from the park to a point
“Pyala”. That entire journey was through mountains. We enjoyed it a lot. It
took us more than an hour to reach there. It was now 6:40 pm. The sun had
drowned behind a mountain. Azeem & Hassan had no strength left to travel
more & it had also started to become dark. Therefore, Zabi & I decided
to travel more leaving Azeem & Hassan there. We went through a strange path
through mountains. It must be made by water. It was a 3 feet wide way, it was
darker there, & so the place was seemed to be frightening. Our hearts had
started beating fast. We reached at the end of that path & saw a strange
thing. A big black… Don’t worry, it was not a dragon or a dinosaurs. It was
a black wall in front of us. It must be of 30 to 40 feet. The most interesting
think was that it was made of some strange material. It seemed to be small
pieces of solid rocks but when we touched it, it turned in to sand in our fists.
We were astonished to see that. We took a little part of that material &
placed it with in our bags. Now we started our journey back to the place where
Hassan & Azeem had been waiting for us. We reached there at 7:7 pm. We drank
bottles there. It was almost dark then. Now we went to the mess & took some
rest. After taking rest we went to
the market, we all decided that we would take tea & biscuits from market, as
we were not so hungry. When we reached market, Azeem started saying that he had
become hungry. First, we took biscuits & tea then Zabi also became hungry
so Zabi & Azeem took some dinner & in this way, they filled their
stomach. Then we phone called to our houses. It was 10:47pm then. We started our
journey back to our mess. We reached at mess at 12:07am. Then Zabi, Hassan &
Azeem started playing Ludo & I slept. At 1:00am, they woke me up &
offered me to play as they had finished their first game. I refused to play
& Hassan also slept so Zabi & Azeem started their second game. Then at
2:00am, they woke me up again, told me about the finishing of their second
game, & told me to sleep on my bed as they were playing on my bed.
Therefore, we all lay on beds. then suddenly Azeem cried, “there is something
under my bed” we all woke up. We saw here & there but there was no one.
Actually, it was the curtain near the bed & it was moving coz of wind coming
through window. Therefore, we all lay again. Then again Azeem cried,” my
curtain is moving very fast, it must be the ghost of that princess” so we woke
again. We asked him not to disturb us. But after a while, he jumped from his
bed to my bed, as he was frightened. We all woke up again & we started
cutting jokes on him. At last, it was decided that Zabi, Hassan & Azeem
would sleep on one double bed & I would on the other. Now, I was about to
sleep when Azeem again jumped on my bed & said that he was not comfortable
there. My sleep was almost ruined so I asked them that I would not allow them to
sleep. We woke Hassan up & started playing Kasoti. We continued this game
till 4:15am & then we slept.
2nd May. At 7:15am,
Azeem woke us up but we refused him & we slept again. Then at 8:15am, we
woke up. We took our breakfast. Zabi, Hassan & Azeem went to see David Lake
& TDCP’s hotel they had bags on there backs & they were looking
foreigners so when they reached at the hotel a man came & said, ”water,
water, water” he was considering them some English men, Zabi replied,” abe
kya khe raha hai?” (What r u saying?) So he got to know that they r local.
Then the honor of the hotel had a little chat with them, they were in a naughty
mood so they thought of an idea, they asked the honor of the hotel, “where
is the army mess?“ the man told them the way in detail. Then he asked, ”from
where have u come? “ they replied, “from army mess.” The man considered
them mad & left the scene. They drank bottles there & came back. I was
sleeping when they came back. Then we went to market & took our lunch.
From there, we took a van & then started our journey back to D.G.Khan at 2:15pm.
We reached DGK at 5:15. We drank bottles & then again started our
journey…& reached Multan at 8:00 pm. In this way this glorious
trip ended.
Writer…Nauman Khan…17-1-2000
