{"id":1989,"date":"2025-11-24T01:40:28","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T20:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cosmossailor.com\/?p=1989"},"modified":"2025-11-24T01:40:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T20:10:28","slug":"the-visitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cosmossailor.com\/?p=1989","title":{"rendered":"The Visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 1 \u2013 Signs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being in the IT field, working at night and living a nightlife-based routine had become a habit. It has been this way for years now. Even though it is my own company, all of us \u2014 including the staff \u2014 work from home. I usually wake up around 12 noon, and my two-year-old son, Unnikuttan, also wakes me up. In fact, his method is simple: he jumps on me until I wake up. In a way, that\u2019s a blessing. If he didn\u2019t wake me, I would definitely oversleep.<\/p>\n

After getting up and having tea (which technically counts as my afternoon tea), I spend some time doing small chores at home. During that time, some news channel will always be playing on the TV.
(Fun fact: at home, the TV is switched on from 8 AM when Dad wakes up, until 2 AM when Mom goes to bed.)<\/em><\/p>\n

I watch the news for a while and play with Unnikuttan in between. After 1 PM, our cousin\u2019s son, Abin Shoji, comes home. He has been with us for a long time. Abin is the Vice President of Youth in the Kaduthuruthy constituency of Kerala Congress (M). He also works in IT with my brother Tony. They work together and sometimes, for fun, they bet on some app. If they win, they share the amount. Abin also handles other work \u2014 nursing admissions and real-estate transactions.<\/p>\n

Although I occasionally join them, I mostly spend time in my room. I work for 2\u20133 hours after lunch. I can\u2019t do much more because I get tired of sitting. Sometimes my eyes or back hurt, so I take small breaks. My wife Sharanya also gets tired and bored after taking care of our child since morning, along with assisting the family with household chores. So for a change of scene, all of us go out in the car sometime between 4 PM and 5 PM.<\/p>\n

We go to nearby places \u2014 Peruva, Ilanji, Kaduthuruthy, Kuravilangad, Kuruppanthara, Manjoor, Thalayolaparamb \u2014 places that can be reached within half an hour. Everyone does whatever they like wherever we go. Some walk or run while playing with Unnikuttan; some take photos or shoot videos for YouTube. We almost always carry a laptop so that we can handle any emergency work. We spend one or two hours outside, and on the way back, we stop at a tea shop or restaurant to eat something. This is the favorite part of our trip.<\/p>\n

After eating, we go straight to the pet shop in Njeezhoor town to buy whatever is needed, and reach home between 7 and 8 PM. In the evening, after taking a bath, we watch cricket, football, or a movie. If nothing is interesting, we do something else we enjoy. We play with Unnikuttan and, after he sleeps, we return to work around midnight.<\/p>\n

Once I start working at night, I can sit continuously as long as I need. I work until I finish the tasks I have mentally planned \u2014 sometimes until 5 AM, 6 AM, or even later. Papa wakes up after 8 AM. Some days, Tony and I go to sleep only after Papa wakes up! We don\u2019t work on Sundays, but if clients need something urgent, we handle it. This is our simple routine.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve never had trouble adjusting our routine when needed \u2014 waking up early for long trips, going to the hospital, meeting friends, or handling household work. Life was going smoothly and without any problems.<\/p>\n

\n

04 April 2025 \u2013 Friday<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I woke up later than usual \u2014 almost 2:30 PM. I had slept after 6 AM the previous night. As usual, Unnikuttan woke me by kicking and jumping on me. Seeing me awake, Papa immediately boiled fresh tea for me.<\/p>\n

While I was drinking my tea, Tony showed his phone to Mummy and said something. Mummy looked frightened and kept questioning him repeatedly. I didn\u2019t understand anything. I asked Mummy to bring me \u201cbreakfast\u201d and she went to the kitchen. Within a moment, she brought my plate and left again, looking worried.<\/p>\n

While I was eating, Tony came and said that some unknown creature had been spotted in Njeezhoor (Our Village), and that this news was now spreading across all WhatsApp groups \u2014 and that it was true<\/em>. Hearing that, I stopped eating and looked at Tony. He was reading the news out loud, pretending to be surprised, with a mischievous smile on his lips.<\/p>\n

Tony explained the news shared by our ward member, Sarath Sashi, in the WhatsApp group. According to the message, someone had seen a leopard-like creature near the church in Kappumthala (10th ward) in Njeezhoor at around 11 PM. The person had reportedly escaped an attack. The 10th ward member, Mr. Thomas Panakkan, informed forest officials, who inspected the site and suspected the presence of a wild animal, advising people to be vigilant.<\/p>\n

What? An unknown creature in Njeezhoor? What a joke.<\/em><\/p>\n

There is absolutely no way wild animals reach here. There\u2019s no history of such incidents \u2014 at least not in the last 75 years. I even asked my 75-year-old father. This is a town area. There\u2019s no route for wild animals to reach here. And this news was from a WhatsApp group \u2014 hardly an official source.<\/p>\n

Suddenly I remembered something \u2014 just a few days ago, it was April Fool\u2019s Day!
So that must be it\u2026<\/em>
Someone must have created an April Fool prank. It probably circulated around and finally reached our group. At least a few people must be scared. Tony was teasing Mummy and laughing, and I nodded knowingly. I laughed too, saying I wouldn\u2019t fall for such an obvious trick. I went to my room and resumed work.<\/p>\n

\n

A Twist<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ten minutes later, I received a WhatsApp message from Abin:<\/p>\n

\u201cA leopard-like creature tried to attack a person named Mr Jomon near Kapumthala Church at 10.30 PM last night\u2026\u201d<\/strong>
(full forwarded message edited\/omitted here for brevity)<\/em><\/p>\n

Tony had already explained the same thing, but Abin personally forwarded it to me. I sent Abin a voice message telling him it was just an April Fool joke. But when he firmly said it was true, I felt a sudden doubt.<\/p>\n

I immediately called our ward member, Sarath Sasi. Only then did I realize the situation was serious. On the night of the 3rd at 11 PM, a person named Jomon had indeed seen a leopard-like creature. Before that, a person named Abhilash Thottakkandam had also reported seeing a similar creature. Forest officials inspected the area. They couldn\u2019t confirm the species from the available evidence but still asked people to remain vigilant and report missing pets.<\/p>\n

Reading all this together, something felt wrong. Forest officials would never issue public warnings without reason. They must have found some indication\u2014but avoided alarming the public to prevent media pressure and chaos.<\/p>\n

A large, tiger-like creature cannot simply be a normal wildcat. The wildcats, civet cats, or wallabies in our region are well-known, and anyone who sees them can easily identify them. But here, people insisted it wasn\u2019t one of those.<\/p>\n

That scared me.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

A glance of our Village’s Wild Side<\/p>\n

\n

Fear Takes Over<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I was terrified. I knew very well a leopard\u2019s strength, abilities, and hunting behavior. I had seen videos of tigers ambushing 50-kg deer, lifting them into trees with ease.<\/p>\n

Even though not a big cat, a leopard\u00a0 (if it was a leopard)\u00a0 could cause serious trouble. In forests, they hunt wild boars and deer, but in rural areas, their behavior changes. They kill small animals first, then stray dogs, then domestic animals. There are videos of leopards killing goats, chickens, or even dogs.<\/p>\n

And yes \u2014 leopards attack humans if necessary. Children, even adults. We saw such a horrific incident in Tamil Nadu just this January.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t willing to take risks. I have a child, elderly parents, and a loyal dog. I didn\u2019t know what creature had arrived here, but I convinced myself that it could<\/em> be a leopard. The location where it was seen is just 2 km from my home \u2014 a five-minute walk for a creature like that.<\/p>\n

And, honestly, our area is a perfect habitat \u2014 thousands of acres of overgrown plantations and abandoned lands with caves, waterholes, and plenty of prey. A place leopard would never want to leave, if arrived.<\/p>\n

For the first time in my life, I understood the fear villagers experience when wild animals appear near their homes. This wasn\u2019t the pity we feel when watching news stories. This was raw fear \u2014 fear that something could happen to the people we love.<\/p>\n

I kept staring at the rubber trees at night, listening for the slightest sound \u2014 a rustle, a growl, the dog\u2019s chain rattling. Even though I knew nothing was there, I couldn\u2019t shake the uneasiness.<\/p>\n

\n

Taking Precautions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The next day, I decided that fear alone wasn\u2019t enough \u2014 preparation was necessary.<\/p>\n

I mentally prepared myself:
\u201cIf we are ready to face the worst, we can withstand anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

So I set strict rules:<\/p>\n