Are you traveling alone?

"one ticket... to Madhyamgram". I was gasping heavily.

"Oh ... thank God I have got the train"!

I got on the ladies compartment and it was completely vacant. I was very happy to see the vacant compartment.

"Oh...I can remove my mask at least until anyone comes" I thought in my mind.

I had to go 1:30hrs by train to reach my M.Ed. college which was at Madhyamgram, Kolkata.

I was enjoying the clickety-clack sound of the train, the sound of horn and whistles. I was thoroughly enjoying the side scenic beauty also. There in the train, a continuous cassette was playing awakening about Covid. Yes, it was reasonable though, but the endless playing was annoying me.

The train crossed a few stations but except for some hawkers no passenger got into the train.

Though it was noon, but I started feeling a bit uneasy. I didn't know why! To ignore the bizarre feeling I started reading a book named "Winner stands alone" by Paulo Coelho.

Paulo Coelho is one of my favorite authors whom I love to read. But that time I didn't even concentrate on the book. I stood up and glanced all over the compartment, none was there.

"What has happened today? No one is getting into the compartment! Maybe due to the restrictions of Omicron!" I thought in my mind.

I was feeling a uneasiness, my sixth sense was alarming me something that I didn't know.

And just then I heard a coughing sound.

"Oh...so at least one person is here" I murmured.

I stood up again and saw a lady poorly dressed at the last of that compartment coughing frantically.

"Drink some water and wear a mask. Don't you know corona is increasing?" I said in a suggesting tone.

She was coughing and was not paying any attention to me. That seemed a little bit offensive to me for some time, though I immediately withdrew my thought and went to her with a bottle of water and offered to her politely. She took the bottle and drank water.

When she was drinking water I was thoroughly examining her. Her eyes were awkwardly white as if she had anemia. Her skin was brown. It seemed like she was a poor lady more likely a beggar.

"Please take this mask and wear it" I offered her a mask.

"I don't need it...we the poor don't need it." She talked for the first time.

"What? What kind of thought is this? Who told you corona will not catch poor?" I said with a little bit angry voice and ordered her "take the mask and wear it now".

She had taken it unwilling and when her hand touched mine, it was icing cold. I sheered a bit and said, "please wear some warm cloth". She started saying, "there was my house at the bank of the Icchamati river... because of the cyclone 'Amphan' I lost everything...my house...my clothes, my husband and my elder son too. No one came to help me... I lost everything... everything".

I was feeling pain to her, my heart was aching. With a choking voice, I said, " I can feel your pain, but what can you do now! Let it go and do a new start".

I went back to my seat where my bag was, to bring some money to give her. I took a 500rs note from my bag and as soon as I turned back I heard a scream, as if just right after me. I was startled. I peeped outside from the train's door. None was there, she was not there. "Do I just hear a scream? Where she has gone just now? Even the train didn't stop, no platform had come!" I said on my own. I was puzzled. I was searching her every corner of the compartment and I heard some new words in a new tone somewhat the same as the lady, I was talking to. From the microphone that was continuously announcing Covid rules alerting people to wear masks etc. that woman's voice was coming, saying that "please save my younger son, he is taking his last breath, save him, save him..." And that tone was playing in a loop. I don't know how long time it was repeating the words. I was feeling very obnoxious and I started searching for something or someone I don't know in every corner of the compartment and at last, I saw a teenage boy wearing only a half pant staring at me steadily and giving me an erratic smile.

The next day I found myself in a railway hospital and from the staff I came to know that I was found unconscious from a train compartment. They were asking me formal questions but I skipped all and asked straightly "where is the boy? Where is the lady?" Everyone was surprised there. A person said, " but you had found alone there, do you have any other with you?" Now it was my turn to be surprised. I told them all that was happened and everyone's face was dead white and after a lot of requests I came to know that some months before a poor widow lady suffering from corona attempted suicide by jumping from a train's ladies compartment. She was suffering from Covid. Her villagers had driven her and her son as they both were Covid positive. They were homeless, hungry, without treatment, and failing to bear the pain may be the lady attempted suicide and died. After some days her son was also found dead in the same train compartment. His cause of death was corona. They also said that I was the third person with whom that incident had happened in the train compartment. I was wobbled upon hearing all this. I was traumatized. It had taken several months to be normal again.

Now each time I get into the train, my mind keeps spectating each co-traveller, who knows who is dead and who is alive, sitting among us!