I caught up in the middle of unknown (fiction)

(This story is purely fiction) It was night, and it was raining. I was in the middle of the muddy road with no vehicles and no one around to see. All I could see were tall wild grasses, trees, and climbing vines. The sounds of owls and distant fox cries echoed through the air. Where am I? And who put me here? I was pretty sure it was a forest. I saw a board that mentioned "Periyar Tiger Reserve." A sudden dread flowed from my feet to my head upon seeing the word "Tiger."

I analyzed all the possibilities of how I ended up here. I am a short story writer. But whatever I write, there are always people who say it’s generated by AI. They tease me about my writing style. But I never take it personally. I don’t know grammar properly, but does that mean I shouldn’t write anything at all? If I don’t write, then how can I improve my English?

It feels stupid to think about all this while I’m in the middle of a forest. At least for now, my bad English won’t impress the hidden tiger. I can’t scream for help. I’m crying. My body is still shaking. I don’t feel like moving around because who knows what’s out there. Suddenly, I noticed the sound of a flowing river nearby. I moved the leaves with my hand and saw a river.

I started to piece together what had happened to me. My friends and I were visiting Pandikuzhi Waterfalls, and we were chilling there. Even though it’s prohibited to swim there, our thrill-seeking tendencies pushed us to dive in. All of a sudden, one of us got caught in the current and started drifting away. We tried to save him. I swam as fast as I could toward him and managed to grab him, but the water pressure was so intense that I couldn’t hold him for much longer. Suddenly, another friend reached close to us. But, unfortunately, the current was so strong that it started pulling my body away.

I think the river wanted me. So I decided to go with it. I reached the edge of the falls and then I don’t remember anything.

Maybe after I fell into the waterfall, I was carried to the shores of this forest. And I believe now that’s what happened. I’m trembling as I realize that I’m lost. I fear that no one will come to help me out of this dense forest. I don’t know what my family is thinking right now. Maybe they are sad and believe that I’m dead. But I still have a flicker of optimism left that somebody will come and help me.

SM