Distant Horizon -Chapter Two

In case Shyamal had really missed the train, he could still avail the Black Diamond Express, which left Howrah at quarter past six in the morning. In that case he would reach Rampurhat station (from where Tarapith is a short distance away), at least an hour later because he had to change to another train in between. In that case, the family would have to wait for him there.

"It is because of you that we are in trouble. Dad went to the platform to read your ticket. Why did you change your decision not to accompany us? Even last night you said that you wouldn't come." Sayan was unhappy with his grand father.

"It's because of your father's request that I agreed. I am old and infirm, you know. Therefore I wanted to avoid this journey. Now I am in real trouble. What shall we do? Shall we get down at the next station?" He wanted to know.

"We can't do that. Your son will reach Rampurhat by any means. He is on fast for performing puja at Tarapith. We can't go back now." Sefali was firm. Her father-in-law got tired with so much of talking and kept quiet now.

Sefali and Sayan continued the debate.

"That's why I told Dad to go for a cell phone. It would have helped us in locating him now."

"How could you locate him? The cell phone would have remained with your Dad. How could you send a message to him?"

Sefali wanted to prove her son wrong because she opposed his move earlier.

"I would have borrowed someone else's phone here and communicated with Dad.  No one could deny me that."

"And if the mobile phone were with you?"

His mother thought that she had won the argument.

"Still easy. In that case, Dad would ring back from the station."

"It is difficult to argue with you. You have ready answers for everything on earth."

Sefali gave up.

The train ran very fast now. All the three of the family thought that something had to be done immediately to find out a solution.  But they were in a fix.

Two traveling ticket examiners (TTEs) asked them to show their tickets. When Sefali explained the whole thing, the checkers refused to budge.

"We are not buying your argument. Do you have any proof to show that your husband had the tickets?  That he missed the train was just an accident? How can we believe that a railway man could be so careless?"

"My Dad is an employee of the Underground Railway at the city. He is not aware of the ways in which main railroads operate. If you had a son like me could you leave us like this and intentionally miss the train?"

"My Dad really got confused. There was a free for all at the entrance and my dad couldn't board the train. My mother is not telling you a lie. Why she should do that?"

Sayan spoke the truth.

The checkers realized that the argument might be valid. A child could not probably tie so many loose ends and fabricate a story.

"We believe this boy. In case some one comes checking again, try to convince him also."

They left the place thereafter.

Sefali was visibly happy with her son as she conveyed, "I am lucky that you are with me."

"You are talking like the neighbors."

"How?"

"Oh mom! I am referring to the last stanza of the ‘the valiant' by Tagore, wherein the poet said: 

"After the armed robbers were vanquished by the small boy, the neighbors would be thrilled to listen to the story and exclaim; luckily the boy was with his mother!"

"Are you equating the checkers with armed robbers?"

"Almost!" Sayan nodded in agreement.

Next to his grand father's seat was an elderly woman. By the window side opposite Sayan was some other gentleman. Many passengers were not lucky enough to get seats. They jostled at the aisle and blocked movement of passengers.

As soon as the train reached Burdwan, a swarm of vendors invaded the coach with their wares, mostly eatables and ploughed through the already crowded aisle without bothering about the inconvenience caused to bona fide passengers. Their shouts created so much noise that hardly anything was audible beyond the din.

Sayan had so far nourished a faint hope that by the sleight of some magic wand his father would appear, all of a sudden. But he was wrong. His eyes scanned that part of the platform, which was visible from his window. But there was no trace of his father anywhere in the vicinity.

His mother was asking him to eat something. She had brought dry food items in a big tiffin carrier, expecting Sayan to make good use of it in course of the journey. But the turn of events spoilt the whole thing.

Sayan still didn't feel like eating anything. He wanted to locate his father hoping against all hope. It suddenly occurred to him that through the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure resembling his father, swiftly disappearing in the crowd.

Was he right? 


This book is available from amazon.com  ISBN:  1430323094