'A Rainy Day Etched Forever in Memory'
A train journey of a young man, Megh turned into an unexpected set of events and gives him a new direction in life.
Disclaimer- This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental.
“Megh? Is this you?” The words echoed in his head as he kept looking out the window of the moving train.
It had been raining a lot lately and the sun was on a vacation it seemed. The clouds looked heavy and drunk. They drifted with the winds randomly, sometimes spreading themselves across the sky like a greyish sheet, with a little tint of earthy blue. Other times when they felt like they can’t stretch anymore, they planned and gradually started to move towards the decided spot.
They were defiant of the wind's instructions, refusing to listen to her and planned to do something fun as they came closer. When they came together, they left behind the dark calming blue, creating a patch of a clear sky, which mystified each and everything under it.
They couldn’t resist the force of wind for too long. They eventually had to break down again, and from time to time, their beautiful curls showed up—those grey-earth blue curls that looked more like heaven than the heaven itself.
It had just stopped pouring but the clouds still didn’t give up and stood firmly flaunting their natural curls, that they dyed black to look more appealing.
The trees looked calm, for the wind had softened, and the heavenly drops felt lighter. They stood calmly enjoying the light shower; finally in a state to make the whole air fragrant, giving the dead breaths a new life.
The surroundings appeared like an Instagram post, pictured by some great photographer who had edited it to perfection, with the dark-bluish filter covering all the patches in sight. It seemed no less than a movie.
Megh was lost in the view. Train rides had been his escape ever since he was a kid, but this time he was travelling for work. He was going to his village.
Initially, a month ago, when he got to know that he couldn’t get any center in his state, he was disappointed, but as the fee payment had already been done, he couldn’t do much about it. He thought to just appear for the exam if he would be well prepared by then; otherwise, he would just skip it altogether.
It was not too important, for he already pretty much knew that he would not get in. But deep inside he was bit thrilled, for it had been so long since he had travelled anywhere.
Here, in his hometown, he didn’t use to go outside much, except for work and some other days where he couldn’t stand himself inside the four walls of his room.
He practically had no friends, except few of his school friends, with whom he used to connect on texts sometimes and rarely calls.
He had turned inwards in the past few years. The parties, food, music and dance that once couldn’t stop him from missing any event, were no longer appealing to him. He didn’t like to talk much among his friends either now and he often found it very difficult to make new friends.
He knew the necessity of having friends, but he didn’t want to force it. And since he had not gotten into any college after passing school four years ago, it got even difficult for him to have any real interaction with people of similar interests.
He spent most of his time in his room and doing the household chores. He switched between reading, watching series and studying. The academic pressure, the feeling of missing out on everything, losing touch with friends he loved once, and the questions from relatives about his career to which he did not have any answers, made him feel like his chest was sinking and his world was narrowing inside his room constantly.
He had big dreams when he was a kid. He used to think that the world would always revolve around him, and all things would always go in his favor as he would grow up. But reality hit him later when he turned sixteen and when class eleventh syllabus started feeling impossible to make sense.
Nevertheless, he was a different person now, a completely different person who had outgrown his every version of the past—from being an outgoing extrovert person to growing into a quiet introvert, from feeling anxious about staying alone and missing his friends to not caring much about not meeting them in months or sometimes even a year, from not being able to sleep one month before exams to not bothering much about them and reading a novel a day before it, and many countless little things—he had outgrown every version of it, at least it comforted him as a thought.
He knew some parts of him were still the same, but he liked this transformed self-better, and at the same time hated him too for betraying the old him.
He still hated the fact that he longed to be in place of the boy in front of him, hanging out with his group of friends in a cafe, sitting next to a girl who was messing his hair. The idea of him being in his twenties and still had not been on a single date yet, left a dull ache in his chest. He craved for someone who would understand him, make him feel special and care for him on the days when he could no longer do it for himself.
He wanted to know what it felt like to hold a girl’s hand, to hug someone long enough without feeling awkward, to have someone to hold him in silence, or to kiss someone on the lips.
He knew that it wasn’t the time to focus on these things just yet. He knew it was a crucial time for his studies and career, and he avoided thinking about all this most of the times. But on somedays, when things would go out of his control, he felt these thoughts spiralling into his mind, making him even more restless about not doing anything with his life, nor living one.
And then that day would end with him staring at the fan, or endless scrolling until the battery died, or until his headache became intolerable from several attempts to stop tears from soaking the pillow more.
Megh was super ordinary, just barely average. He liked to study, sometimes, but those times were not enough to keep him afloat and secure a good spot.
He had tried several things: blaming himself, hating himself for failing again and again, studying on his own, studying by joining classes, reading books about how to be a prodigy and what not, but nothing worked, not yet.
He seemed pretty tired of all of it now. ‘The dream, his dream’ no longer felt like the one that could ever turn into reality.
“What about my life? What about all the other dreams I had? How am I gonna be who I wanted to be, not just in terms of an image but who I really wanted to be?” He often asked these questions staring at the night sky, the only time he felt solace despite being alone in his room almost all day.
The exam day was coming closer and his preparation for the same wasn’t going great. His heart was racing, and he was constantly feeling a knot in his abdomen for the last few days. He didn’t feel like eating much either and when his mother would ask him if he was okay, he would just nod and go back to his room, trying to hide his choking voice and his moist eyes.
The room was suddenly too hot for him these days and he tried to avoid his desk as much as he could, because it made him more restless, as he couldn’t stop shaking his legs while sitting there.
His focus wasn’t being a good companion, and his heart couldn’t stop racing even when he tried to sleep. He gave up the whole idea of giving that exam and wanted to immerse himself in reading. He wanted to buy so many of the new books—having a book collection thrilled him, a big bookshelf on the corner of his room was one of his unreal dreams.
He wanted to ask for money from his mom, but he didn’t like to lie, and saying the truth meant no approval for any non-academic books.
The thought of not earning despite being a fully grown person and still not being allowed to read something of his own choice, settled a deep furrow between his brows, and he would just become still and lost. He wanted to get a job as soon as possible. He looked for ways but still hadn’t landed on anything yet.
Present day—
He was shocked when he received the news that his grandmother’s condition had worsened, and she still was living all alone, managing somehow with the neighbors' help, when her own family is just four hours away by train.
He asked his mom about why they hadn’t taken her here in the city yet?
“She always keeps saying that she’s taking meds and that she’s doing okay. She hasn’t even informed her own kids yet. I had repeatedly asked her to come here but she didn’t listen.
I am very worried too, and I am not sure what to do. Should I call her kids and tell her? She needs to come here somehow and now she can’t even travel alone. Somebody needs to go and pick her up. You know, right, that how she treated us when we lived together?
I don’t feel much compassion for her now, but this is wrong, and we must take her here. It would be inconvenient though...” her voice trailed off in the last sentence and she became silent.
Megh was looking at her face. He knew her relations with his grandmother. But still he felt his forehead tightening and his eyes seeing nothing, just digging the ground with their stare.
“Are you not concerned about her? So what if it would be inconvenient? We are also like her children, even when we are not blood related. And how would it have felt if you were in her place?” He said this without thinking at the moment, but deep inside he felt his heart sinking, realizing he didn’t want the inconvenience too.
But he shrugged the thought, and he spoke after few seconds, “I am going to pick her up. I’ll be leaving in the evening.”
His mom understood his emotions and said looking at him, "Okay. But don’t you have an upcoming exam? What about that? You shouldn’t be too innocent in this cruel world, Megh.” The tone of her voice expressed concern and her tightly pressed lips slight annoyance. He knew his mom well.
He hated the fact that his mom thought that he was too innocent and people could easily fool him. Well, he was soft, but was being kind also a bad thing now?
He clutched the corner of his t-shirt, trying not to let his face show any emotion, and went back to his room without saying anything.
His Mom kept looking at him in astonishment and concern for her kid, who appeared too good to survive in the cruel world she lived in. She sighed and her eyes wandered towards floor too, staring into nothingness.
He sat on his desk and thought “What should I do, huh? Why does everyone keep making me feel like an idiot all the time? I am not an idiot. For God’s sake, I know what I am doing, what is to be done and what’s the right thing.
Maybe I am wrong, but at least let me be, be on my side when I fail. Why to always keep telling what’s right and what’s not? It’s not just her, it’s everyone.” He clenched the arm rest of his chair and stared at the moving ceiling fan.
He hurriedly started packing his bag after booking the train tickets online. He packed a few clothes, some medicines, a notebook, and an unread novel he ordered secretly along with his textbooks. His mom packed him some food and gave him some cash to be kept safely.
“Be careful and call me after reaching. Take the morning bus tomorrow. It would be more convenient for her on the bus, as the train to here would be in the evening only, and it would not be very convenient to reach the railway station at night unless somebody drops both of you.
Take care and keep your wallet and phone carefully inside the bag,” she said while walking him to the nearest auto stand. He touched her feet and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
The auto dropped him off at the station and as he entered the station; it started pouring heavily. He turned around and looked at the sky. “Thank you, for holding till now. You’re the best” he said, and his lips curved into a smile.
He boarded the train and hanged his bag on his front to avoid any kind of theft. “I am not an idiot. I would prove Mom that I can do everything on my own,” he thought.
Luckily, the train wasn’t crowded, and he had gotten his favorite side lower seat. It was still pouring outside and even though the glass window was closed; he could still smell the earthen fragrance of rain.
He spent almost an hour doing nothing except staring at the moving trees getting drenched and listening to music in the last few minutes. He almost forgot why and where he was going. The thoughts moving along with the train started feeling heavier, and he felt the need for a companion to share the weight.
He pulled out a notebook from his bag and started writing.
“Don’t you think that we all are ghosts? Invisible to each and everyone around us, each of us is just involved in our own busy worlds? You know? I feel like a ghost sometime.” He took a pause, looked around his seat and his fellow passengers, and found it astonishing that how he was invisible to them for the past hour and how he would be invisible all along. He was also surprised that he didn’t notice them either.
“I really am a ghost, I guess. Nobody knows me, do they? I am no one to anyone. I kept longing to be known, but I am invisible. Except mom, do I have anyone who would even care if I died? I don’t know. It’s not sad, it’s liberating, but...
I don’t know. I keep moving, I keep trying, but all I get is nowhere and life seems so futile. What’s the point of doing all that I was doing, of trying? Isn’t this what I really need--to read and write?
I am aware of my duties, but I wish I were a literal ghost sometimes.
This life--full of responsibilities to be fulfilled by killing your soul, and the life which constantly demands fitting into a world that is not made for you, seems just too sick and old. I wish I were a literal ghost, the one with whom I could constantly feel like home.”
He closed his notebook instantly when a voice asking him to make space startled him and broke his composure.
He looked forward, and in front of him was a girl, holding her drenched backpack in her hands and looking soaked herself.
He placed the notebook on his side and moved his legs to make space for her. He was still in wonder out of this sudden surprise and was looking at her, pulling out a towel and a plastic bag containing clothes.
She went somewhere, most probably to the restroom and, came back after some time. She had changed, the drenched clothes in the plastic bag now.
“Hiii,” she said while putting the plastic bag in her already drenched bag and pulled out her phone, which she fortunately put inside a zip lock bag saving it from the uncalled disaster.
“Heyy. Are you alright? How did you get all drenched?” Megh said without thinking.
She placed her bag under the seat and sat down at one end.
“Yeah, I am alright. I just got bit late for the train, and hence I had to run from the front gate to the platform. It was pouring outside, but I couldn’t wait, and the platform was open too, no, that’s how I got drenched,” she said looking at him, but also looking for something on her phone.
Her phone rang, and he heard her talking to her mom, informing she was all right and that she was on the train already.
Megh looked at the time on his watch, and it suddenly occurred to him that his destination was just two hours away now.
She looked at him after the call disconnected, and suddenly, they made eye contact. He felt shy and turned his gaze outside the window.
“Megh? Is this you?” she asked him; the excitement of meeting someone familiar was clear in her voice.
He was shocked. He didn’t recognize her. How she knew him was still not clear to him.
He said shockingly, “Yes. I am Megh. Do we know each other? I don’t recognize you. How do you know me?”
“I am Barkha, Megh!” she said, laughing.
His brows were still furrowed, and he was carefully examining her face, so she finally said, “Barkha, from fourth grade! Remember Rakhi ma’am? She used to make us sit together because our name resembled the same meaning.”
It finally clicked for him, and he started laughing too. They both had a good laugh before they could finally talk and catch up.
“What a coincidence, isn’t it? I really didn’t recognize you at all! How could you even figure out it was me? It had been more than a decade!” He asked.
“Yeah, this is why they say that the world is so small. I recognized you from your watch.
You still like spider-man? I remember you bringing a watch to class one day, and the teacher scolded you a lot. You were still so obsessed with Spider man, and honestly, your face hasn’t changed that much. You still look like you.” she said giggling.
He looked at her and thought how she could even remember that, and said, “You have such a sharp memory, Barkha.
You looked familiar too, but I couldn’t figure out it was you. Anyway, what’s up? How are you here? Didn’t you shift to Punjab in fifth grade? Your dad transferred there, right? So, when did you shift here?”
“We shifted back here two years ago. My dad retired, and he wanted to come back to his hometown, so here we are,” she said shrugging her shoulders, and continued, “Nothing much’s happening. After passing out from school, I enrolled in a college, finished my degree, and now I am working as a story writer in a small publication here. That’s the sum of all these past years.
What about you? What are you doing these days? How’s life?”
He was stunned for a second when she said she was working, already, that too as a writer.
He thought, “What should I even answer now? I am a loser in front of her. But better be honest, Megh. You would be an even bigger loser in your eyes, if you lie about who you are. Just tell her that you’re still preparing for college entrances. It’s all right.”
He took a deep breath and finally said, “That’s a great thing, Barkha. You’re doing well for yourself, that means. I am happy for you. Mine is quite a different story, though.
I am still not in college; I am still preparing for entrances. But I am trying.” He took his gaze away from her as he said this, expecting her to look at him in shock and disappointment.
But it stirred him when she said, “Okay! That’s nice!” smiling, not in a condescending or sarcastic way but in a way that felt like she really meant it.
“Are you preparing for medical entrance? That was your dream all along, right?” she asked in that same way, genuinely.
“Yeahh.” He sighed, although he still wondered how she could remember it after these many years, but since he was already once surprised by her, this time the wonder was subtle.
“Do not worry. These things take time. You are trying at least, and if this is what you really want, it actually makes you a winner, more than anyone else, who is successful but didn’t go after ‘their thing’. Keep trying, Megh. You will surely get there soon,” she said and paused for a moment.
He was silent too, and to avoid looking at her, he turned to the window for help again. The silence wasn’t intimidating, if anything it brought comfort to Megh.
He longed for someone to understand him, but when he was finally being understood, after quite a long time, it provided his pacing heart the warmth it badly needed.
She looked at him and thought, “Maybe, I should not have asked him this. He might be feeling I was just judging him.”
Just then, he turned his head towards her and said, “Thank you so much for saying this, Barkha. I am trying but I am not sure if I am going to continue it now.
It hurts to be dependent on your parents for everything, you know. I must look for ways to be capable enough to take care of me and my family now. Honestly, things get pretty tough sometimes.” He paused suddenly with a jerk and tried saying something but then grew silent.
“Megh, what the hell? We are meeting a classmate after more than a decade. We do not have to overshare our stuff, dude. What she will think now, huh? That I am a loser desperate for attention?” he thought and after a short pause, said to himself quietly, “Calm down now. Why am I even overthinking? It’s all right, no. I just shared my feelings; is that a bad thing? She’s more mature than me; she’ll probably understand.”
She broke the silence and said, “You’re right. Life does get tough at times. It’s all right. I know for sure that you will find your path soon; after all, Megh (clouds) always find their way.
And on top of that, you are a living, breathing Megh; even whole Gagan (the sky) will give you the way”. Her lips broke into a smile and, Megh was also smiling ear to ear.
“Goshh!!” he said laughing. “You indeed are a writer, Barkha. Now, I know why you’re such a great writer. Share some of your work please. I am dying to read them now.”
She was flattered, the rosy glow on her cheeks clearly visible.
“Yeah, sure. I am always ‘dying’ for more people to read and actually understand my writings. I hope you have time, though. I must warn you of the time it takes to read few of my works.” She said rolling her eyes.
“I have plenty of time. No worries. Just share them.” This time, he was being sincere and genuine.
“I saw you writing something too. Do you write? Please show me what you were writing. Pleaseee!” she requested, pointing at the notebook on his side.
“No, not possible. I was just journaling. I wasn’t writing anything, honestly.” he spoke laughing and sliding the notebook towards his back as she tried reaching out for it.
“Fair then, I’ll also not share my pieces. They are more or less my journals only. If you’re not willing to show, then okay, let it be that way.” She said, crossing her arms and looking outside the window.
“Okay, okay. But just the last page okay, don’t you dare leaf through other pages, and there is a condition. You will also pull out something of yours for me to read. Now.” He conceded finally.
She pulled out a link on her phone and said, “Here. Now you also give me the notebook.”
“Here. But there’s nothing interesting in it. You will find out for yourself when you read it. But stick to the deal.” He said, his face growing slightly anxious as she began reading it.
He scrolled to the pdf of what appeared like a poem, with a proper professional cover and all.
He began reading it and came across the stanza--
‘I know you can’t trust me enough, for I have never done something to prove my abilities,
You might not see me as an asset but a burdening liability,
But the passive aggressive questions of curiosity hurt at times, for they are the truth afterall,
I am not who you expected me to be, but I am trying to give my all.
He was stunned and very impressed. It felt like it was written just for him. His respect for her increased manifold, and he went ahead and read the whole poem, forgetting that she was also reading his work.
When he finished, she had already finished reading, and the notebook was lying closed on her lap. He handed her phone back and said, “Girll!! This is amazing!! You write so well, honestly. I would love to read more of these. Have you written a book yet? It must be a huge hit. This is really beautiful, Barkha.”
She broke into an ear-to-ear smile again and said, “Thank you. I am glad you liked it. I have submitted my latest poetry and short story collection to a publisher. I guess the book would come into existence soon. You write well too, though. It’s really true, and actually, you have given me an idea for my next piece. I would title it as- ‘We All Are Ghosts’.
It is really true that we all are just ghosts, invisible to everyone around us, coming into actual existence rarely. I will definitely share the link with you when I’ll be done. Thank you for this idea,” and she broke into a soft giggle.
“Haha. That was a nice one.” he said laughing, thinking she was just fooling around.
“Seriously, I will write on it,” she responded again in a way that felt genuine.
“Okay. This is weird. But I will be excited to read your take on it,” he said, looking at her and then shifted his gaze away.
“You know, Megh. Please don’t think that I am trying to preach you or something here. But life unfolds very differently for every one of us. It’s all right to have your own route and to take as much time as you need. It’s not only about reaching the top, the journey matters too, doesn’t it?” she asked him, but her gaze was caught by the darkness covering the sky gradually.
The rain shower was looking like shooting stars being sprinkled on the earth from heaven. The way they lit up and looked white against the bright spot around the top of the light poles, amidst the thick blanket of darkness, was mesmerizing.
Megh looked outside too, and they both were lost looking at the same view. They were silent, but their eyes spoke a lot. They expressed the sheer pleasure and wonder of nature, twinkling with the very stars they were watching.
Barkha got startled when her phone rang. It was the station alarm from her ‘your journey’ app, serving the purpose of informing her about her destination station when it would be just ten kilometers away.
She said, “Shoot! I totally forgot about the time. The next station is mine. I am visiting my cousin, actually. But it was so nice meeting you, Megh. I never thought today would be this memorable. Wish you all the very best for your upcoming ventures. You are going to rock your life, okay? Do not take too much stress and keep sharing your views about my pieces whenever you get time.”
A subtle sadness emerged inside him, knowing that she would be leaving now. But he did not had time to think about all this right now.
“Same here. It was pleasant meeting you, Barkha. I hope this station would be covered, otherwise you’ll be drenched twice today. The rain is in no mood to stop today” he said, looking out the window as beautiful stars kept falling.
“It would be my pleasure to read pieces by a great writer like you. Just please share the link. And what is the name of your book? I’ll try to purchase it in paperback and place it in my book collection. It would look beautiful there.
And honestly, I am so proud of you. I can’t even imagine that I know a writer as a friend in my life. It was so good meeting you today. Thank you for everything,” he continued, and stood up along with her as she carried her still wet backpack on her shoulders again.
“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the title. The short story one is titled “Memories with Gagan” (Memories with clouds) and the poem collection is named “Aakash is Deep (Sky is Deep),” I know they are seeming bit childish, but I liked them so much that I didn’t change them in proofreading.
Thank you so much to you too, Megh. I’ll look forward to connecting with you more, Mr.Ghost.” she said breaking into laughter.
They both moved towards the exit door slowly, trying to balance their shaking bodies on the train moving at full speed.
As they reached the gate, the train started to slow down gradually. The station still couldn’t be spotted, but it felt like it could arrive any moment now. They both stood there silently, gazing at the weather outside and waiting for the station to arrive.
Megh suddenly remembered something and spoke in a hurry, “We did not share contacts. How we will be able to connect later on?”
The station came closer, and he could sense himself panicking, but he stood there bringing no emotions to his face.
“Ohh, yeah! I forgot. Well, let me know your number and I’ll text you” she said in response.
He hurriedly dictated his number while the train was slowly pulling up on the platform. She saved the contact and said looking at him, “Seeya soon, Megh. Take care!”
A gust of strong wind messed their hair as the train finally came to a halt.
She stepped ahead and holding the handle on both sides, she leaned her head forward still standing inside.
“See, this station has got me covered. I will take a taxi at the front gate. I won’t be drenched now,” she said, smiling and stepped down from the train.
“Yeah, yeah. Looks like it is really a lucky day for both of us,” he smiled back and stood there.
“Take care, Barkha. See ya,” he said as he felt the ground below him starting to move.
He clutched the handle tightly with one hand and leaned his head forward as they both kept waving at each other until the train picked up full speed again and left the platform.
He turned to go back to his seat, but the sudden sense of absence hit him, and he stood there at the gate.
It had gotten completely dark now, and rain had started to slow down. He felt a strong blow of moist wind on his face, the earthly smell of rain it brought with itself, not only refreshed him but his soul.
He kept gazing outside, standing there until the train halted at the next stop and other passengers came to front to deboard the train.
Finally, he gathered himself up and whispered under his breath, “Maybe someday again. She was so nice, wasn’t she? It felt good to have met a friend after so long. And..this was like an unexpected date, right?” his cheeks flushed a little on this thought and a soft smile bloomed on his face.
He returned to his seat and saw his notebook still lying on Barkha’s spot. He picked it up and opened the last page where he was writing earlier.
He pulled out the pen and started writing again-
“Maybe it is not just me who is a ghost, and maybe I can come into existence too, at least I would exist for some people.
Maybe it’s true that we all have different lives, and we all will have different timelines. Maybe it was okay for me to try and stick with a thing I thought was my dream.
I stood by myself and isn’t what that really matters? Maybe this is the thing that really matters: to stand by yourself even when you are unsure, to give yourself a chance, to exist for yourself in the worlds of ghost.
I guess I should no longer consider myself a loser. I will fulfill my responsibility; at least now I know what needs to be done.
This is the first step; I’ll slowly reach towards existing for real too. Just some more time, Megh, we will buy loads of books for us.
And now, I will try being more kind towards me and my life. It’s not that bad, is it?” His face was calm; his eyes felt serene.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed and broke his concentration. He pulled it out and it put a big smile on his face; it was a text from Barkha.
She was texting from the taxi and was asking him to save her number too. He saved her number and told her to inform him once she reached safely, when another message popped.
“Megh, don’t get mad, please, but I accidentally read one more page from your notebook. I did not mean to, I swear, but as I kept the notebook away after reading the last page, a blow of wind turned a few pages, and when I went ahead to close it, I saw there was a poem written and, then I could not resist myself from reading it. You were so engrossed in reading my poem that you did not notice.
I hope you will not be upset about it. But dude, it was fantastic.
I mean, you could be a writer yourself, Megh. It was raw, poignant and achingly beautiful. It was fantastic. I promise I didn’t skim through other pages. I closed the notebook after reading that one. If you have written more, do share them with me, and if you would like, I can even help you publish it. It was awesome!”
He was a bit surprised reading that text, but he appreciated her honesty and didn’t mind her reading it. He did not remember about which poem she was talking about, so he flipped back few pages, and after seeing, he broke into a shy smile.
He wrote, “Arey, (casual Hindi expression) it’s okay, no big deal. You did not read other things intentionally, right, and that’s it.
It’s fine, I don’t mind. Hahaha. Infact thank you so much; I did not know that I could publish a poem of mine.
I just wrote it casually. I really appreciate you offering to publish it. Thank you so much; I will share if I write something new now. Let these be between us till then. XD,” he typed hurriedly and was still smiling.
“Okay, next stop is mine, I better pack my stuff.
Text me once you reach.
See ya,” he typed, finishing the text and hitting the send button.
“See ya, Megh. Stay careful and let me know too once you reach.” A message from her popped again.
He heaved a sigh, the one that felt nice, and slipped the phone back into his pocket and kept the notebook and pen inside his backpack.
He carefully checked for any items fallen out of his bag accidentally, and after making sure that everything was in place, he stood there and took a good look at the seat as “Megh? Is this you?” echoed in his head. He smiled and turned towards the exit gate.
The train hissed and jerked suddenly; he was about to lose his balance when another passenger from behind held him. He turned to him and thanked him profusely for saving him from the fall and stood beside him, holding the handle tightly this time.
His heart was racing from the near-death fall, and he thought, “What if I had just fallen today? Wouldn’t it all have been better, if all these things just ended once and for all?
I wouldn’t have felt a thing, no?” He was lost in his thoughts when a fellow passenger’s kid accidentally played a song on his mother’s phone, breaking his train of thought.
The lyrics— ‘Jo hota hai, so ho jaye, haan jhagad lunga..par himmat na kabhi bhi haarunga, mai lad lunga...ho jhagad lunga..” hit him hard and he squared his shoulders.
[Translation of the lyric- "Whatever happens, let it happen, yes, I will fight.. but I will never lose courage, I will keep fighting... yes, I will fight.."]
“Megh, what were you thinking, huh? Are we gonna give up this easily? How can you think something like that? We have lots of things to do and we’ll do them. We’ll fight bud, we can’t give up just like that!! We will fight bro. I am never going to let this thought come to my mind again,” he thought as his eyes became moist.
He clutched the straps of his backpack tightly with his fingers as he closed his eyes to feel the gust of cold breeze on his face.
The train gradually slowed down, and he thought, “It was really a lucky day today,” looking at the sky.
The train halted, and he stepped down. He was feeling hungry by now, so he decided to book a taxi first and eat his dinner on the way.
As he was about to exit the station, he saw a familiar face. It was his relative uncle who lived in the village.
He went ahead and touched his feet and realized that it was his Mom who called his uncle to pick him up from the station as it had gotten dark, and it was still raining lightly.
He felt the warmth spreading inside his chest, as he had the biggest smile on his face, and he thanked his uncle so much for being there.
After reaching the car, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
The call was picked up immediately, and he was saying, “Mamma, I am with Uncle. Do not worry now. Did you eat yet?” as his uncle smiled and started the car.
It was really a good day for him, and this day would change his opinions a lot. He would go on to become a writer himself in the next few years and would publish his own book too. He and Barkha would become good friends again and would help each other a lot.
He would own his dream shelf of books, not just in one corner of his room, but rather in a whole dedicated room full of books of several kinds.
The top shelf would proudly flaunt Barkha’s collections along with his newly published novel-- “Megh ka Bhoot” (The Ghost of Cloud).
He would still not achieve a lot of things he wished to when he was younger, but he would bag the biggest achievement anyone could ever achieve—faith and pride in oneself.
The End.
P.S. - Thank you so much for taking this journey with Megh. He would love to know your views on his story. He is very grateful for you staying till the end. Do let him know how you felt about this and how his story could be improved. Thank you so much for you reading :))
P.P.S - If you enjoyed reading this story and would like to support my writing, you can help me out here. Every bit helps me keep creating stories like this.
Thank you so much for reading :))) <333
Until Next Time,
Take Great Care!!
And Stay Hydrated :))
Seeya soon :)))
Loved it ♥️♥️♥️
I am glad you did add the poem, it made the story a lot more richer, given that if you see you picked such a simple plot of a train journey, but you made it work brilliantly.
Keep writing more of these nice stories I guess!!
Really loved the quality you are putting here on substack with these well put short stories