The man stepped forward.
"My name is Krish Yadav," he said, offering a nod.
Max responded, "I'm Max."
The little girl, now hiding shyly behind Krish, seemed to understand that Max had saved her.
Krish looked Max over and said, "You don't seem like you're from around here."
Max hesitated but answered, "Yeah… I'm a traveler. I got lost in the jungle."
He paused. He didn't want to say too much. Krish noticed the hesitation but didn't press further.
"Is there somewhere I can stay… somewhere to eat, maybe rest?" Max asked.
Krish thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Come with me."
Max smiled with relief. "I don't have any money," he added honestly.
Some villagers gave him a sharp look, but Max didn't react.
Krish simply said, "You're my guest. Don't worry about that."
---
As they entered the village, Max noticed the unique architecture—houses built from polished tree logs and forest fibers, forming warm and earthy dwellings. The villagers stared at him, as if watching a creature from another world.
His modern clothes made him stand out like a sore thumb.
But what shocked Max even more was how beautiful the villagers were—fair skin, sharp eyes, and features that looked like models. It's like every attractive person on Earth ended up in this one village, Max thought.
They reached Krish's home—a set of three adjoining rooms.
Krish gestured to one of them. "You can stay here."
"Thank you," Max said, stepping inside.
The room was simple.
A bedding area made of dried grass.
A small oil lamp in the corner.
No furniture.
It felt like stepping back into the 18th century.
Max sat down. So this is time travel? Or dimensional? Either way, I've seen mountain folk on Earth that looked similar—but the lifestyle here… this is something else.
Just then, Krish called out from another room. "Want some food?"
Max nodded, "Yeah, please."
He was taken to the kitchen, where a woman was preparing a meal—Krish's wife, Aashi.
She had brown hair, brown eyes, and a soft, kind face. She was the sister of Radha—another woman in the house.
The little girl Max saved was introduced as Aashiya.
The whole family welcomed him warmly.
As they sat to eat, Max examined the food it was unlike anything he had ever seen. Strange vegetables, unfamiliar spices.
When he finally took a bite, the flavor surprised him.
Crunchy, soft, rich almost luxurious.
Not perfect though.
It was missing something… salt, maybe?
Still, it was delicious in a foreign, wild kind of way.