Night Stop


 ­­­­­         The train screeched to a halt.  When Giri looked out of his tinted glass window he could see nothing.  It was dark outside and the reflection of his face and the other sleeping passengers could be only seen.  He was restless and walked down the semi-dark passage of the compartment and reached the swing door which he opened taking care not to make a sound.  Passengers were asleep.  With the same caution, he unlatched the door and opened it.  The AC air in the compartment was cool no doubt but the freshness of the open air was unmistakable and Giri took a long deep breath.  His lungs filled with the slightly warmer fragrant air now gushing in from the open.  It was dark outside except for the light thrown out from the train window especially from the non-AC ones.  However, since at night, the lighting was subdued, mostly the blue night light.  It gave an eerie feel to the atmosphere. 

2.           Giri got down.  The train looked huge and mountainous from the ground.  There were some people with torches up near the engine.  Apparently, it was not a signal issue.  The engines headlight cut a tunnel in the darkness. It showed only vegetation and a small dark hole at the end not revealing anything or any landmark.  The world outside the train especially during the night is very different.  The cosiness or protection is not felt outside.  It was very dark all around and the moon was not visible.  There was no sound except for the crickets.  A very slight breeze caressed or tickled Giri’s face. The night sky was lit up with a thousand stars.  Could hear someone coughing and perhaps a child’s cry.

3.           Giri stretched himself and soaked himself in this natural fresh environment.  He heard a ringing of the bell, like that of school.  This reminded him of his school days, the cool dark classroom and the bright sunlight outside on a summer day.  Then he perceived the sound of children reciting the national anthem. Now, where could be a school in this jungle or at this time of the night.  He was pulled towards the sound.  A trail was visible and he walked a little to investigate.  Now he could clearly hear the sound of children as they rushed into their classes after maybe the assembly.  The track twisted around trees and he moved a little ahead when he saw some light coming through the leafage.  He moved a little further and the view became a little clearer.  He was surprised to see a small school with a patch of light in some of the classes.  There was no light outside.  The overall shape felt familiar perhaps.  It is funny how the brain tries to match any new picture with one already stored.

4.           Suddenly, the engine whistle shattered the stillness and gave him a shock.  He realized that the train may move and he turned around and ran the way back trying not to take a wrong turn.  After a couple of turns, he could vaguely see the train which had started to move with another short whistle.  Panic struck and he started to run desperately.  In his hurry, he tripped along the rough ground.  He painfully picked himself up and was now really worried.  His bag, his purse, everything was on the train.  In this unknown jungle, he would be totally lost.  He cursed himself for having stepped out of the compartment. 



5.           The train had started to move a little faster and Giri garnered his entire energy to make a dash and catch the train.  As he now ran along the track to match the speed of the train, he felt the floor of the train very high and even the bottom of the handle looked impossible to reach.  The trackside stones of uneven levels did not help in any way.  With little or no visibility, he was mortally afraid of another fall that might be even fatal.  With the train now accelerating it was becoming a nightmare both literally and figuratively. 

6.           Up ahead he saw a bridge in the light of the engine.  It is a matter of few seconds and he would have lost the chance of catching the train. He started to pray.  He remembered his parents, his sister and the job for which he was going to join.  He felt he was hallucinating.  Things started to happen in slow motion.  He tried to increase his speed and in an ultimate attempt jumped up and caught the handle at the very bottom where it bends and gets attached to the train.  The trains speed pulled him beyond his speed. With the enhanced momentum, he managed to hoist himself and get a foot on the last step.  At that instant, the train entered the bridge.  The train jerked over a sharp uneven joint and Giri felt his hold on to the handle slipping.   Down below there was nothing visible.  A dark abyss.  Was there water, or was it dry, how far down was it.  His fingers started to peel off one by one.  The last was just the forefinger with a dangling thumb below the handle.  Although it must have happened in a split of a second, he felt that it took a lifetime as his hold was completely lost and he went into a free fall in the fearsome darkness, into death.  No scream was heard.

He landed with a thud as the train suddenly braked.


 


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