The ticket checker again clarified, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you, children need a ticket to travel on this train.’ ‘But… But how could she have any money with her, let alone a ticket?’ ‘Relax, mister. I got this. Here you go,’ the little girl assured me while giving white lotus grabbing directly from her heart to the TC!!! ‘What!!’, I whispered to myself. ‘Now you. Please hurry; I have to go to the other people too,’ the TC urged himself. After moments of confusion and awe, I inserted my hand through my heart. Suddenly, I found a lotus too, but this time, it was grey. I handed it over to him.
‘Hmmm,’ he paused for a moment. ‘Off to the next passenger then; safe travels, sir.’
‘Whole thing gone totally off the rails,’ I thought myself. ‘Or am I going insane?’. ‘Hey, mister. Are you lost in your thoughts?’ the little girl asked curiously while slowly pickpocketing my wallet. ‘What are you doing? Give it back.’ I shouted while extending my hand. ‘No, no, I want to see it first; what’s inside?’ she replied excitedly!! ‘Woah! Who is she? She is so cute! She has bright, beautiful eyes!’ She brought out the photo with excitement. ‘She is my wife, for god’s sake,’ I told her while giving up trying. ‘Now give it back!’ ‘What’s her name?’ she asked curiously while closely examining the photo in her hand. ‘I don’t know,’ I replied with a grin and smile ‘Why don’t you guess first?’ ‘Ok, how about Tasnim?’ ‘What! How did you get right on the first try?’ I was in awe. ‘Are you a mind reader?’
‘No, I guess it’s just luck,’ the girl replied while returning my wallet.
After passing a few stations, the girl said, ‘I have an urgency. I will come back soon.’ ‘Ok, if you need help, don’t forget to reach out.’ ‘Ok, mister. Thanks for your kind words again.’ Her face was full of satisfaction. She seemed happy.
Even though it was foggy outside, I kind of liked the train riding experience. From my compartment, many old men and women have already left. So I felt at serenity watching the fog outside the window alone.
‘Wait a minute,’ I thought, ‘It’s been a while. She should’ve been here by now.’ Then I started slowly walking towards another compartment. I couldn’t find her anywhere. ‘Did she leave at any random station? She could be in danger.’ I thought while panic shivered down my spine.
Then I saw her from a window! The little girl was walking towards the deep fog! She could be lost there forever.
I pulled the chain in the compartment to stop the train. The driver came running. He was an old and frail man. ‘No, son,’ he said with sadness. ‘Don’t pull that chain again. People must be where their destiny needs them to be at the right time.’
‘Stop your philosophical ruckus!’ I cried out loud, ‘I have lost a little girl right now who disappeared in that damn fog! She was like a little sister once I had!!’
‘Don’t worry, my son,’ he assured me gently. ‘She didn’t go in that fog. She went to heaven.’ ‘What, no way!’ I replied with disbelief. ‘I literally saw her lost forever in that fog.’
‘My son, What you are seeing is your destiny. Your fate is yet to be decided. That’s why what you saw is fog. She was saintly. That’s why she watched pleasant things. Her station came in time. Thus, she left. Our life is like this big train. We are all just passengers on this train. But none of us know when we will leave the train for their station.’ The driver assured me that it was okay.
‘Noo..,’ I started crying. ‘And I lost her again.’ Seeing me in pain, he hugged me and patted my back. ‘Don’t worry, son, who knows… Maybe you will meet her again.’ The driver signaled to start the train without him.
Suddenly the driver grabbed my hand aggressively and threw me out of the door!
Then I woke up. ‘Was it all a dream?’ I thought to myself. ‘Was God taunting me with pain?’ Then I saw the white lotus. ‘Does it matter?’
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Writer
Sadi Reza
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE