The village in the jungle

The story opens in Beddagama, a tiny settlement clinging to the edge of an endless, oppressive jungle. The forest presses against mud‑walled homes, its hot, dusty air and tangled thorn‑bushes turning every day into a battle for survival. From the cracked earth to the twisted, leaf‑less trees, the landscape itself feels like a living, malevolent wall that must be constantly cleared with axe and katty.

Among the villagers lives a self‑confident hunter, a man who boasts that the jungle is no more dangerous than his own courtyard. He ventures deep into the green wilderness in search of deer antlers, carrying only his axe and a few trinkets, convinced that his skill makes him invulnerable. When he fails to return, the community discovers his scattered bones and broken tools, a stark reminder that the jungle respects no boast.