A lesson from beyond

by Aroma Agarwal (India)

I didn't expect to find India

The rocks beneath the train hurdled. From crying babies to cursing parents, the lullaby that the tranquilising mountains sung, seemed to cradle every unsettled mind to sleep. I was looking out the small crevices on my windows and gasping at the adventure i had held myself onto until i heard an obnoxiously hoarse voice coming from a small Punjabi man, dressed in loud white colors, "There we go, Simran. Put some more butter". The man was certainly excited for his honeymoon as evident from his enthusiasm about his appetite. " The heart wants what it wants" , he justified as his wife tucked onto his sleeves, barely noticing the beautiful patch of wet mud architecture that guarded the entrance to a tunnel our train was supposed to pass through. The train chugged through the entire length of the river as it led to the woods, deep and dark, covered in a spectre gray blanket. There was mystery along the foothills of Terrai region, the kind of mystery that implored me to dive deep into my thoughts, the ghast thoughts of me being a runaway. The results were far away, yet there was this limping fear that raced in my mind along with the trail of trees that paraded from the top of the mountains. All i needed was silence but the couple sitting besides me seemed to have a problem with the same. "Madam you seem to be a loner. Would u like to talk about it?", said the puny man. Too soaked in the state of serendipity that I was about to achieve, my heart wanted me to ignore him. " Oh no, sir. I have some unfinished business to attend to", I replied instantly facing away from them towards the window. "Oh dear, you seem like a troubled child", said Simran, trying to embrace me in a warm console. I shuddered, for an introvert is not used to this. Gradually, the train appeared to have been derailed and within a swish and a flick it ran as smooth as a buttered knife. I indulged in a conversation with the two beautiful people. Within another five minutes, the man had offered me a bite from his carousel, "You seem to have lost weight since u started the trip. Please have some". I was hungry indeed. Soon, the couple dozed off and i was all by myself like the solitary reaper when kaboom! There was a thud and the jolt had made everyone rise from their seats. Chambal station had arrived. The platform was no less than the sets to any bollywood movies, too exhilarating to be seen from the windows. I grabbed my phone and my wallet and jumped down the train to find some vendors selling kahwa . At that point, kahwa was mere mercy and i did not lag behind. "Bhaiyya, one cup please", i asked the vendor. With an incesant whisper below his breath, he scanned from top to bottom,as if taking an X-ray. The vibes from that person were not the friendliest. Yet, I sat down at a crooked bench besides the shop and sipped my tea as I got gaze fixed towards the hollow hammering of the woodpecker that came from the woods right facing the bench. I was about to finish the tea when i found the images getting blurry and sounds appearing distinct. I had realized that something was wrong when i heard the train whistle. I jolted up and started running only to find that i fell down and dozed off. The next thing that I remember was waking up in a hut made up of molten bricks and clay, just as a house of the local villager. I was taken aback and started fiddling to search for my phone. I heard the door creak, a familiar voice approach and within seconds, I knew I had misjudged, again. The vendor along with his wife brought me the very kahwa and said, "Your father is on his way and shall be here any second. That couple has been accused of theft and dacoity. Enjoy this kahwa and feel welcomed". Little did I know, vibes could be cultivated and love could be cynical too. Indeed, these two were the local connections worth remembering for a lifetime.