The haunted compartment

The haunted compartment

Shwethan is a 21st century youngster, who believes in learning through experience. Currently he achieved a job in a call centre. As he is young he is alloted the night shift of the work. It is going to be his first day at the work place. He is a little deprived of happiness because the chilly winds of Uttarakhand are too cold as if transforming his blood cells into ice. He is seated on a bench at the railway station. Nearly by 6’o clock darkness curbs the place. The fog and haze get stimulated to fall and seep onto the canvas of the earth which wash up the scars of steeped past memories left behind. The station master’s cabin is by the station which is all in the mist.

He could just see the pole lamp and in its mist bathed light the blurred image of station master’s cabin which seems to be abandoned. Abandoned in a way that quiescence and wretchedness have taken it as a residence. The platform is in a strange silence. By the station master’s cabin in the dark he could take a glimpse of thick forests and smell its essence. The scenery and the moment are extremely beautiful curtaining something ominous in their silence. In this pure quietness the train outraged with its horn squealing which seemed to awaken the wretchedness lying behind the veil of beauty.

Winds are paving their way into his ears through the marvelously etched ear crimps. He is well worn in a black jacket which stretch till its tight cuffs and waist.

Engine bells chimed into his ears connoting an unknown message. He is tall. His face is oval and skin is in peach complexion. His nude eyes look expressively beautiful and with strands of thick hair dangling over it. He wears spectacles, nevertheless his eyes attract attention. It was sharp 8’o clock when the train arrived. He lifted his bag and started towards his coach. Hardly had he stepped inside the compartment when the door of the next compartment opened with a creaking sound. A girl emerged from inside with very careful steps. She had a long, black hair. The wind passing by covered her face with the strands of her smooth hair. Her next move according to his psychology was that she would unveil her face to him. But no, she didn’t respond to any stimuli or the wind. She was a short girl of around 5 feets and her hair was fluttering in the air drooping down to her waist. The girl stood still and the guy kept staring at her finely carved features. The train signalled with the horn to depart from the station. He retained his conscience and boarded the train. From his compartment he shouted to the girl “suno yaar train chalne wali hai, andar chale jao”. There was no response, she was yet calm and silent, slightly she turned away from the footboard and started peeping into the alley between the moving train and the platform. He was horrified comprehending her intentions. The train has recovered its speed. With a tone of patience and confusion. “tumhe thand lgegi andar chali…..” his tone got cut off in the middle with the sobbing voice of the girl. Before he could utter anything further the girl jumped from the train into the platform gap.

The train arrived at the station. Shwethan was interrupted by its squealing and got diverted from the story he was writing. He closed his book and started towards the train. While he was marching towards the platform his eyes fell towards the engine and on a distant compartment, almost 50 metres far (2 coaches). A girl wearing an ice blue jacket was looking at shwethan. He smiled at the lassie. Retrieving her conscience she returned into her coach without returning his gesture. The train was ready to depart. Shwethan climbed the train. He sat at the window seat and got engaged in a book. Writing was only thing shwethan was passionate about. Besides his job he wanted to make a career in writing. He loves it, and he likes to make horror stories, most importantly he liked adding himself as a character of the story.

Head supported on the grills of the window Shwethan was enjoying his nap when suddenly he felt a shiver in the train and his eyes fluttered opening in the cold breeze. In the veil of the night filled with the haze he could hardly see anything. The train took a left turn. The train was turning round, he could probably see the same girl at the third window of her coach. The whole train was empty except for these two. “Just a guy and a girl in a 650 metre long train?” Shwethan surprised. The pickney was busy in her own world. While shwethan was packing up to get off the train. When he reached at the door he found stains of blood on the handgrip and the footboard. The blood was fresh. When he looked ahead he found the girl nowhere.

Arising from the dark compartment attached by the coupler the girl came near Shwethan who was examining the blood stains on the train parts. She coughed in a sign to grab attention. He turned towards her with wrinkles of worry seen clearly on his forehead. He enquired her “How did you come here?” searching the compartment lost in darkness. “Did you feel that sudden shiver in the rain?” she talked to him for the first time. Her voice was low with high pitch in her tone. Shwethan was lost searching something in her pale, round face. She understood his approach and diverted him saying “I was alone there and I’m frightened because we’ve reached the last station again.” This fact brought him back to his senses. When he looked outside, he was on the same station where he had boarded the train. But something was unusual on the station. A guy resembling him who did exactly has the same book and bag was sitting on the same bench he sat. When the train horned the peculiar man closed the book and walked towards the train. “Can you see that man coming, who is like me!” Shwethan asked her in a hurry. The girl looked outside to witness this new strange person. She found nothing but an empty station surrounded by thick forests resonating silence and wretchedness. “No one’s coming.” the girl replied. When Shwethan saw again, the stranger man had vanished in the mist bathed darkness. He was confused. Handling the situation the girl said “Let’s just relax and sit inside, we will call for any helpline, but just stay calm and close the door; it’s too cold outside.” They went inside and she sat on the opposite birth to the Shwethan’s.

Nothing was a topic of conversation between them in this heated adversity. “My name is Neha” she reached for a shake hand. On this gesture Shwethan retained his conscious and warmed her cold hands saying “I’m Shwethan, it’s my first day on a call centre but passionately I’m a writer.” Neha was not too impressed with his method of introduction but yet for the sake of her esteem she gave a smile. He was again lost in her when a loud bang sound was heard and the lights went off. “Hey do on the flashlight of your phone, please, I couldn’t find mine.” Shwethan requested Neha. There was no reply and this sober silence was a matter of concern. Neha has a phobia of darkness. She couldn’t speak out with fear. She tried to reach him, but when she tried to touch him, her fingers felt the essence of nothingness. Neither the breeze nor his warm body, but just vacuum and empty space. When the lights came back they both shouted seeing one another. Neha was in a dilemma, why couldn’t she feel him in the dark while it seemed as if senses were back in the brightness of light? Her hand was on his chest. To escape his eyes when she looked out of the window in embarrassment she saw that stranger man resembling Shwethan standing on the station. The train is revolving into nothingness? And who was he? When she looked back at the Shwethan sitting before her, he vanished as if he got penetrated into the birth (part of the train) leaving his belongings on the seat. When she saw back at the stranger person, he was staring at her and he threw a wicked smile at her. Neha was extremely horrified, but she couldn’t wait there paralyzed, watching him come and kill her. Finding nowhere and only the dark thick forests she climbed down the train and ran to her highest potential.

The next day, police found the dead body of a girl on the railway tracks. The fog and haze cannot really wash up the remnants of the past!