CRIMSON sunset, stately coconut palms in a scenic tropical background, flowing black-water creek and the fresh water, Lukunani- hidden paradise in the conservancy backlands where nature’s natural exhibits untouched awaited a true lover.

Rahul sat in the anchored speedboat in the middle of the expansive creek, captivated by the beautiful scenes. In the quietness of the twilight, with only the soft sounds of the wind and the birds, he felt as though he had found his own little world.
It was something beyond his imagination, for he had been living all his life in Europe’s Metropolitan cities. All he knew were stories of a home and life in the tropics, told by his grandfather. It came as a great surprise to Rahul when the old man willed the family home and farmlands to him.
“What would I do with that?” he thought. “My life, my future is here.”                                                                                                             
But to fulfill his grandfather’s wishes, in recognition of his inheritance, he invested valuable time to visit the foreparents home.
He’d initially thought it may not be worth the time, but now he understood, with a deeper sense of belonging, the sentiments of his grandfather.
Rahul smiled and shook his head in wonder. “Bless your dear old heart, grandpa. You have gifted me something of heaven.”
Rahul put down his camera as the dim shadows of dusk descended, when he heard the distant barking of otters, and saw them in the horizon, in the sun’s mellow shadows: Creatures of the wild in their playground.
“This is so amazing,” he laughed, capturing it all on camera. Then, something so unexpected happened, it stunned the young man. In the otters’ midst, from within the black water, like an illusion she rose, long black hair cascading down her back, the water glistening on her smooth, dark skin. For one mesmerizing moment, he saw something of such pure beauty, and in the next split second she was gone.
“What the…!” he exclaimed, lost for words, almost dropping the camera. Where did she come from? And where did she go?  By the time he started the boat’s engine to follow the otters, they had all disappeared.
She surfaced behind a coconut palm, a simple farm girl she was, and watched him leave, a little anxious smile on her face. “Who was he with his rich, princely looks? Why was he here?”
In his hotel room that night, Rahul couldn’t sleep, the vision of the girl replaying in his mind. “Was she real?” A question he felt a great need to find an answer for.
“In the wild,” his grandfather had told him, “there are riches untold; and if you ever find a flower of the wild, keep it in your life forever.”
“What does he mean by that?” Rahul wondered. “What flower of the wild?” Whatever it was, he knew in his heart he will find it from the legacy he inherited.
The family house overlooked the creek, with an inlet running behind en route to the citrus and rice farmlands. The forest stood on one side, a silent guardian; the uninhabited caretaker and manager’s house on the other side.
Rahul stood on the veranda in the night, thinking of restoring the old house as a vacation home, when he saw a lone figure standing at the fringe of the forest. For a short moment she stood there, then faded in the thicket of trees. It was the girl from the creek.
He ran down the steps, knowing the only way to find an answer was to find her; and, without fear, but a strong desire to find the strange beautiful girl, he ventured into the forest.
It was quiet and dark, and he searched until he felt he was lost. She was already gone. The next night, as he looked across the quiet creek, he saw her in the water; but by the time he reached the flat, she was gone again.
It seemed to him she was afraid, so he did not give up. Then, one night as he searched for her in the forest, he came into a little clearing and saw her sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree. She rose, still like an illusion, the long black hair falling loosely down her shoulders, and the simple little dress accentuating her slim body.
“Please don’t leave,” he said, hurriedly. “I just want to talk to you; to know you.”
She looked at him for a long moment, not answering, as though considering his request. He moved a little closer to her and asked gently, “What’s your name?”
She lowered her head a little, then looked up, a soft little smile on her lips and said, “Leana.”
He held out his hand. “Can you be my friend, to teach me the life here?”
She smiled and put her hand in his, the beginning of something special, a new life to discover, to love, with the fun and adventures of each day.
He had found something so unique in this little paradise, that he knew he would never want to let it go; his flower in the wild.