Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - 8th Feb 2014, Navi Mumbai
Courtesy - Marry Poppins
Sky color one panel door,black 350 twinspark bullet, removing stone chips from tread grooves of the front tyre, turning on petrol lock quietly, school boots in hand, front outer corridor waterlogged, raining incessantly,thundering noise-wet breeze, ash trouser-sky blue shirt, first step out and the trouser cuffs and fall completely dipped in drain water.
Dark, dingy kitchen, a 6.4 feet sturdy posture, gamey smell of mutton gurda, holding a plate full of it with banana and honey dripping from one corner, blue dumbbells clapping through shining steel rod.
A smell mixed of brown boxer, black Labrador, dog saliva, hash, old monk, jam-packed 201 Karunamoyee bus, gurgling vomiting, new jeans, pastel color, clay box, Nahoom pastries, Chalk dust.
I was standing upon hot iron plynth with rollers, the coffin lids slid open, sound of flames filling my years for the third time and......
...The train jolted to a hault. I was sitting inside empty passenger car, most of the lights turned off inside.This is neither Kharghar nor Panvel. A sudden flash of "11:30 CST" on the indicator of Platform 1 at CST reminded me that I was waiting for Panvel bound train a couple of hours back. Isn't it? I looked at my titan tagged, twisting my forearm to make the faint light available fall upon the dial. It was 1:45am. I realized, the nap went long and it would turn out to be costly at this hour.I peeked out the window and amidst the dark the train did not hault at any platform. How long it might have been waiting here? 10 minutes? But it couldn't have been more than 2 mints that I realized I dozed off. I went near the door both ways, looked out, turning both sides. I couldn't find anything but bushes and shrubs, two more parallel tracks on my left and one more on my right. Across the tracks on my left a long stretch of darkness led to faint highway lights sneaking through the dusty fog and on my right walls breaking at regular intervals. What could it be? A car shed may be. No point of making a leap down, not because I could not see properly on what I could land up, but I was tired to walk such never ending stretch leading to the highway. I leaned against the door, checked my messages. Two unread from Kavita asking me to confirm if I have reached safely. A couple of missed calls as well. 2:10am -and I was sitting, my legs raised and crossed upon the seat opposite to me.
The train started moving again. But it was not faster than it would have run if it were to pass through the signals at those junctions. "Ooye ruk, pakar, pakar, thairja".A couple of male voices, heavy feet thud-ing. I quickly walked up the door. Two middle aged men chasing a girl.I could see her back, her long hair and her side bag making noise of small things clashing each other. I shouted at those men thinking that would make them feel being watched. I was thinking if someone can pull her up and get her inside the chair car. They didn't seem to stop, they were faster than the train. I walked ahead to the front door of the compartment.They were trying hard to catch hold of her.The train got faster, fast enough to leave the girl and the men behind.I could still hear them yelling at the girl. A few minutes later I reached another car shed and fortunately it had a platform to step down. I tried to find the train operator so that he can lead me to the GRP or railway force; but to no avail. How can a car shed be empty with no one around? Felt dejected, I walked through the subway, thinking I might get a cab to reach home. While coming out of the subway I found two more people heading towards the highway, they might have taken the shortcut to reach. I enquired if they have heard any scream or any police can be informed.
They replied "Saab o larki nahi, hijara tha, pocket mar ke bhaag raha tha, pakar nahi paye".
Translated : "She was not a girl, rather a eunuch thief who pick pocketed and fled away uncaught."