S(c)andalwood

***
Place - The Western Ghats, Kumara Parvat Forest.
Time - Afternoon, a hot summer day in April. The day before yesterday, to be precise.
***

"How beautiful! This forest is enchanting," - a fellow trekker

"Yeah," - me

"They say, there are elephants around here?"

"Yeah they say, I saw the dung at a couple of places," I provide more info.

"Oh! Hope we get to see one," fellow trekker is an optimist.

"Yeah," - and I am hoping.

"See there? There I sense sandalwood trees!" - fellow trekker to his fellow trekker.

I turn my eyes in that general direction.

"Oh! I wish I could take a few grams with me," fellow trekker's fellow trekker to fellow trekker.

I have my doubts about the identity of the tree. But, I keep quiet for the time being.

"Coool! The smell is divine, isn't it?" - fellow trekker's fellow trekker to fellow trekker.

I am a bit confused. I can't see any sign of a sandalwood tree, and these guys are smelling it.

"Ah! Now that's called pure," - fellow trekker is happy. Divine fragrance!

With a couple of sentences, I am going to bring them down to earth, and I do -

"Guys, hold on. I am wearing sandalwood perfume today" - How so unromantic!