Knock... knock... knock... Someone was coming toward me. I backed away and stood beside my seat. The footsteps stopped right outside the door. For a few seconds, there was complete silence.
Then, gathering my courage, I looked toward the sound of the footsteps—and saw a stunningly beautiful woman in white approaching me.
To be continued—read on:
The breathtaking woman had a smile on her face as she approached me, carrying a suitcase and a large purse.
When she was about to enter, I moved away from the door to make room for her. Smiling, she stepped inside the coach and sat down on the seat across from me.
She placed her suitcase beneath the seat and rested her large purse in her lap. Then she suddenly closed her eyes, as if praying to God for a happy and safe journey.
For a few moments, complete silence hung between us. I watched her while she stared out at the dense fog beyond the window. Several questions began rising in my mind. Where was this woman going alone at such a late hour, on such a deserted train? Was she going to Ludhiana too? And the biggest question of all was this: until a little while ago, the entire coach had been empty. So where had this woman suddenly come from? Just wondering who she was made my goosebumps rise. I closed my eyes, said a silent prayer, and then gathered the courage to speak to the woman in white. I prepared myself to question this mysterious woman who had appeared out of nowhere and said— “Hello. Where are you headed?” She looked at me but didn’t answer. I prepared to ask again, greeted her once more, and said, “Ma’am, where are you going? You’re traveling alone at this hour of the night—aren’t you afraid? You came in smiling, so I know you must be a very brave and fearless girl. Since you’re traveling alone so late at night, I salute your courage and fearlessness.”
The beautiful girl stared at me for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said— “Ludhiana. I’m going to Ludhiana. I like traveling alone at this hour, so that’s why I’m by myself!”
The moment I heard the name Ludhiana, a strange uneasiness began to stir inside me. Her behavior was completely normal. There wasn’t even a trace of fear or panic in her voice. I felt a little relieved.
I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to travel alone anymore. A little while later, the train blew its whistle and slowly pulled away from the station. The woman began looking out the window, while I sat in my seat and watched her silently.
Suddenly, she looked at me and asked seriously— “Are you going to Ludhiana too?” I said— “Yes.” With a faint smile, she said— “That’s good... at least I’ve found someone to talk to during the journey.” Hearing that, a faint smile appeared on my face too. I thought perhaps this journey would now pass normally. But how could I have known that the woman I considered an ordinary passenger at the time would soon become the biggest mystery of my life? Back then, I had no idea what secret was hidden behind the smile on her face. She sat across from me and spoke to me in a perfectly normal way. But some of the things she said made me feel again and again that perhaps she already knew me. I hadn’t even told her my name. Yet after a while, she suddenly looked at me and said— “Sumit, you look very troubled.” The water bottle in my hand fell to the floor, and I looked at her in shock and confusion before asking, “How do you know my name?” She remained silent for a few moments. Then she smiled and replied— “It’s written on your bag.”
I immediately looked at my bag. Sure enough, my name was written on it. My suspicion eased a little. I thought to myself that perhaps I had suspected her for no reason. But how could I have known that, right from the start, she had misled me with something I accepted as the truth? And that was my biggest mistake.
To be continued.