I stared at her in confusion and asked, “How do you know my name?”
She remained silent for a few moments. Then she smiled and said, “It’s written on your bag.”
I immediately looked toward my bag. I thought my name might really have been written on it, but I didn’t try to examine it carefully at the time. Then my slight suspicion faded. I told myself that maybe I had suspected her for no reason. But little did I know that, right from the beginning, she had misled me by telling me something I accepted as the truth. And that was my biggest mistake.
And that was my biggest mistake.
To be continued...
I had told myself that maybe I was simply afraid for no reason. After all, it was nighttime, thick fog surrounded us, and strange things had been happening to me continuously for some time. In such a situation, it was natural to be suspicious even of an ordinary incident. Anyone in my place would have suspected something too, and that was exactly what I had done.
The beauty was now looking out the window in a perfectly normal way, a smile on her beautiful face. After a while, despite myself, I asked the nameless beauty, “If you don’t mind, may I ask your name?”
She looked at me and replied with a smile, “What will you do after knowing my name?”
I became a little flustered.
Then I said, “Nothing... We’re sitting together on this journey, so we should at least know each other’s names. After all, it’s such a late-night journey. You already know my name, and that’s made me even more curious about yours. That’s why I’m asking.”
She laughed softly and said, “You can just call me ‘Ma’am.’”
I smiled too and said, “Okay, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine, Ma’am. But you already know my name, so you can call me by it.”
For a few moments, she stared into my eyes with a mysterious smile. Then she took a long, deep breath and said, “Sumit, you think too much, and overthinking is bad for your health.”
Her words startled and surprised me. I gathered my courage and asked, “What made you think that?”
Looking toward the window, she replied, “Because no ordinary person would sit in an empty coach for this long and pay so much attention to every sound and every little thing.”
I took a deep breath after hearing her. She was right.
I said, “You may be right. But some things happened to me tonight that have left me troubled. I couldn’t understand what had happened to me, and then when I saw it again, I just fell silent.”
She turned toward me. For the first time, her face grew serious, and concern appeared in her expression. She asked, “What happened to you?”
I remained silent for a few moments and looked out the window. When she asked again, I looked into her eyes, and despite myself, I began telling her everything.
Getting off at Jakhal Station... An empty coach... A deserted station... Moving to another coach... That family... And after that, the mysterious voice I heard— “Don’t get off this time...”
She listened to me without saying a word. I went on to tell her that a mysterious man had said to me, “This isn’t your first time going to Ludhiana...”
The moment she heard that, a strange expression crossed her face. But the next instant, she composed herself and asked, “What did that man look like?”
I tried to describe him to her. She listened carefully. Then she suddenly said, “Maybe he was a railway employee or someone selling food and drinks.”
I immediately said, “No, he didn’t look like a railway employee or someone selling food and drinks. He suddenly appeared in front of me and then disappeared into the fog.”
She smiled and said, “In fog, you can’t see a person from far away. Then, when he gets close, he suddenly appears in front of you. You probably thought he had appeared out of nowhere and then left.”
I remained silent for a few moments after hearing her. Perhaps she had said that to calm my panic, and what she said made sense. I nodded and said, “Maybe you’re right.”
She looked at me and said, “You don’t need to be afraid. As long as I’m with you, nothing will happen to you. And your God is with you too.”
Her words brought me some relief. But I had no idea that, at that moment, the person I needed to be most careful of was that very woman.
The train was now moving forward at high speed. Thick fog lay outside, and every so often, the blurry shadow of a tree or an electrical pole appeared beyond the windowpane, only to vanish immediately.
After a while, she opened her large purse and took out a bottle of water. She took a sip and then said, “Have you had any water, or would you like some more?”
I said, “Yes, I had some a little while ago. I don’t want any more right now.”
She put the bottle back in her purse. Then she suddenly asked, “Do you often go to Ludhiana?”
I said, “No, only when I have some work there.”
She was silent for a few moments. Then she asked, “Have you traveled on this train before?”
I said, “Yes, but tonight’s journey is very strange—and a little disturbing too.”
She smiled. “It is strange...”
I looked at her. “You feel that way too?”
She immediately changed what she meant.
“I mean, traveling this late at night in such thick fog does seem strange in itself.”
I didn’t pay much attention to her explanation. But her questions began circling in my mind.
Why was she so interested in me? Why did she keep asking about my journey, my route, and the reason I was going to Ludhiana?
Then I asked her too, “Why are you going to Ludhiana?”
She was silent for a few moments. Then she said, “I have some very important work there.”
I asked, “Family?”
She looked at me and said, “Yes... It’s very important work. You can think of it as something personal.”
I didn’t ask anything more.
Suddenly, sadness began to show on her face. I thought she might be going to Ludhiana for some personal reason.
After a while, she rested her head against the seat and closed her eyes. I thought she had fallen asleep. But just a few minutes later, without opening her eyes, she said, “Sumit...”
I said, “Yes?”
She said, “If the next station comes and the train stops for an unusually long time, don’t get off without reading the station name first.”
A shiver suddenly ran through my body. That same old voice began echoing in my ears— “Don’t get off this time...”
I looked at her. Her eyes were still closed.
I asked nervously, “Why did you say that?”
She slowly opened her eyes. Then she looked at me and smiled.
“Just because... You were already frightened, so I said it as a little joke.”
I looked into her eyes.
Her smile was perfectly normal. But a question had already risen in my mind— How did she know the next station was coming when there was still so much time before we reached it?
I tried to look outside through the window. The fog had grown even denser. The train gradually began to slow down. And a few moments later, a sign appeared outside. I strained my eyes, trying to read it. But when I saw the name in front of me this time, my breath caught.
“Hisar...”
I nervously checked my watch. Then I looked at the beauty. She was looking straight at me. And the same mysterious smile remained on her face.
In a very low voice, she said, “Do you still think you’re going to Ludhiana right now?”
I couldn’t answer her question.
Because outside the train was, in fact, Hisar Railway Station. I was beyond stunned, and only one question kept repeating in my mind— “How did I end up in Hisar while traveling to Ludhiana?”
To be continued...