It was night, in its depth, some rare sound of vehicles passing and the good train passing once around midnight. The sound of the train was prominent because the train track, although at a distance, was at the front side of the house and could be clearly seen and behind the train track was a scattered forest.
Mr Walia woke up and put on his eyeglasses and he stared hard at the forest side. From the past two days he was sure that someone was standing there and that someone was particularly focussed on this house. It was hard to be sure though, the darkness reaching out of the forest made it quite difficult for anything to be seen clearly in front of it during the night. But Mr Walia could make out the faint outline of the man standing.
Mr Walia was usually a calm and composed person. A history professor by profession and he loved to travel around. One of his colleagues, Mr Taneja who shared the same fondness for travelling, found this small old town that was labelled a hidden gem for travellers on the internet.
The bookings were made online; a small house was rented. The first day was a beautiful experience for both. But at night as Mr Walia sat in the balcony, having a drink or two alone, enjoying the fresh view, that was the first time he noticed someone standing near the forest. That night the man stood in a moonlit area and was thus more visible. Mr Walia was aware but ignored the presence. It could be anyone for any reason, what would a tourist know?
The next night when he noticed, Mr Walia became worried whether they were becoming the targeted victim of theft sometimes tourists had to face. He asked Mr Taneja to see as well but Mr Taneja wasn’t sure there was anything there.
After the third and fourth night.
“We are going out for a walk tonight,” said Mr Walia
“It could be dangerous, there could be wild animals,” said Mr Taneja
“There are no wild animals here, they are more towards the dense forest near the hill,” said Mr Walia
“What if there actually is this man and he is dangerous or armed? Besides we will be on our way back tomorrow, let it go” said Mr Taneja
“What if he gets to us in our sleep tonight? What’s the harm in a little adventure? At first sign or feeling of trouble we will be back” countered Mr Walia and Mr Taneja stayed quiet.
At night both middle-aged men walked slowly towards the spot where Mr Walia had seen the man. Mr Walia carried a stick, Mr Taneja carried his smartphone unlocked, recording and ready to call at any sign of trouble.
Mr Walia focussed his eyes but oddly he could not see anyone that night, but he had to be sure and both the men kept walking. Nearing the train track, for a split-second Mr Walia thought he saw someone and Mr Walia rushed ahead lightly running saying loudly, “Wait, we need to talk.” Mr Taneja followed, trying to keep up the pace. Both of them unfit didn’t make it far before tiredness caught up.
“He was right there, the coward ran away,” said Mr Walia
“I hope he doesn’t come back seeing our tired condition. Let’s go back; in this condition we are not outrunning any trouble,” said Mr Taneja
Mr Walia looked around one last time and decided to return. They saw the goods train approaching and decided to let it pass, allowing themselves more time to catch their breath.
While Mr Taneja focused his smartphone camera on the approaching train, Mr Walia looked back towards forest and as the train passed by, the headlight of its engine for a second threw its light on the forest and amidst the trees Mr Walia saw, not one but at least seven-eight men staring back. Mr Walia’s throat became dry, the train was still passing, there was nowhere else to go.
The train eventually did pass and Mr Taneja shook Mr Walia so that they could be on their way back. Both of them returned and Mr Walia stayed quiet, glancing back from time to time. He didn’t tell Mr Taneja about it till they were back in the safety of their homes.
written by Anuran Chatterji
Early Morning Memories 