Gitanjali is furious with her cousins — Ajay, Ajit and Aveek —who call her ‘Hathni’, she-elephant, to tease her. But the nickname sticks, and curiously enough seems to set the tone for their holiday in the jungles of Kalagarh. A dangerous face-off, cries of distress at night, an eerie ride through the jungle . . . turn out to be elephant encounters of a very strange kind! And at the hub of it all is Gitanjali, who seems to share an unusual bond with the big, gentle creatures.

This is Ranjit Lal is at his best. His naturalist’s eye gets full play in the lush setting of the Kumaon Hills, Corbett country, as he spins a spine-tingling tale that is taut with mystery and tinged with his trademark humour.