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The old man was excited. "I live in a village on the outskirts of Kankhal forest, and I have seen the miracle with my own eyes. I am the witness to the miracle. It is true! Let me tell you how it happened."
The old man did not know where to start, but started anyway without waiting for my consent. "We were telling him not to go along that abandoned path leading to the forest. Someone in my village saw him going towards the forest and beseeched him to stop because of the dangers, but he would not.
He was almost naked, and we thought he must be deaf or deranged. We all shouted, 'Don't go in there! A big, poisonous cobra lives in that forest and has killed many people! It is so poisonous that it even breathes out poison that kills trees. Nothing grows near its home!'
The young man did not even stop to listen to us. We yelled, 'You fool! Don't you understand? Don't you care for your life?' Nevertheless, the young man continued as if he was on a death mission. Perhaps this man was determined to end his own life. In desperation, I said to him, 'Young man, we can only warn you of the dangers, but it is up to you to decide what to do. We cannot stop you if you want to kill yourself.' He just continued his brisk walk and disappeared into the forest.
We waited at the edge of the forest anticipating the death cry from this young man - a cry we have heard several times before. Thankfully, the cobra never comes out of the forest, but guards its territory with all its might. It hisses loudly to warn intruders away, but if someone continues to approach, it kills the person simply by breathing the poison out of its system. Its hissing is so loud that we can sometimes hear it in our village.
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