Chapter - 8 The Phantom

Usually while traveling to cities in those days trains were the best method.As Rudra Uncle often used to travel to city and return in the evening.

That evening, uncle had to meet his colleague who was sick just a station away from our village station.

It took him longer than expected and he missed the evening train to our village

By then railway ministry had extended the railway lines towards many villages, new trains were released, hence there were many trains to the village,however one of these trains were towards late in the night.

Rudra Uncle was the only passenger waiting at the deserted railway station for the last train.He took a look at his watch, 8PM.Not a human was at sight.

A small 220-watt bulb lit the small station master's house,the persistent tick-tock of the typewriter filled the air, it was enough to dot goosebumps in anyone's arms, Uncle Rudra walked towards the station master's dimly lit house. Peeking inside, he found no one. Where, he wondered, did the sound come from? Just as abruptly as it had started, the eerie tapping ceased.

A sudden chill swept through the air, and in the flickering light, a fleeting figure materialized at the end of the platform. A woman in a tattered white saree, her face lost in the darkness, stood motionless for a moment before fading away as quickly as she appeared. Was it a ghost, a figment of a tired mind, or something more sinister? Uncle Rudra never knew for sure.

The train's whistle pierced the stillness, its iron wheels screeching to a halt. Uncle Rudra boarded, and with a final whistle, the train departed, leaving the deserted station behind to its secrets.