Twelve o'clock.
Amal made the last passenger of the night pass.
This is his day off; he has just entered the house after finishing work. Like today, his work ends here.
He will be able to sleep peacefully for two hours today. Every day, goods trains carrying oil or coal run on this line at night. So night duties definitely do not cause sleep problems.
After many days, he got such a duty-free night. He will enjoy the night comfortably and sleep peacefully.
Today, without wasting any more time, he went to get a broom to clean the bed in the house.
He had kept a light broom in the next room just for cleaning the bed. He brought it in his hand.
He pulled the bed sheet taut and swept it clean with the broom. He always had the mosquito net up. It was rolled up. He took it down and tucked it around the bed.
He didn't put a night lamp in this railway room. He kept a kerosene lamp burning at night.
Just a few more days. After a few days, he would move to a room in the Sahib Quarters. He didn't like this dilapidated room. Besides, everyone said that the room was haunted!
Those who had spent the night were scared after spending just one night. He still spent a few days. He complained. His request to change rooms was granted.
He lit a lamp in the middle of the room, got into bed, and went to sleep chanting the name of Ram.
The monsoon season was almost over. In the autumn sky, clouds like cotton wool were rushing in the light breeze and trying to cover the clear moon at times. Due to the force of the wind, they couldn't cover the moon. Sometimes, therefore, light and darkness were playing hide and seek.
Work and work. As soon as Amal lay down, she became drowsy from exhaustion.
Suddenly, a gust of wind extinguished the lamp in the room. The moon had also set.
He got up. He peeked outside the room once. It was pitch black outside the room. The railway company had not installed any lights around here.
Why? He didn't know. A neon light was on nearby. Even if he went for ten minutes, he would find it. The night light seemed blurry to him these days. And these small lights looked like stars in the sky to him.
He entered the room and unlocked the door. He got into bed and lay down. He had to sleep a little longer. His eyes were drawn to them by sleep.
Just then, a sound from the outside door reached his ears! He didn't pay attention in his sleep. That knocking sound again! He fell asleep!
He lay quietly on the bed with his ears pricked up. There was another knocking sound. This time it was a frequent sound. It felt as if someone was trying to open the door from outside and enter.
He got up silently from the bed! He picked up the blunt knife kept near the gatepost! He walked towards the door with his feet! He was about to open the door with his left hand, when he heard the sound of crying.
A woman's voice! As if she was crying in a strangled voice! Sometimes she kept saying in a pitiful voice, "Let me go, let me go!"
Now he understood. A woman was knocking on his door to save him. The devils must have caught him.
His humanity also called out to save him. He opened the door and went outside. His knife in his hand.
He saw a girl squatting under a big mango tree in the garden in front of the door. He went forward to help her. At that moment, he stood up.
He didn't notice anyone else around. Going forward, he asked her, "Are you okay?" She nodded and said, "Okay."
"Where did the devils run away?"
He pointed his finger at the light. In the darkness, he tried to see as far as he could with his eyes wide open. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear even a hint of footsteps anywhere.
He walked a little further in the hope that he could reach them. He was very brave. He would punish the criminals, so his morale had increased. He walked a little way at a very fast pace, but he couldn't see anything. He returned to the base of the mango tree.
He was surprised when he returned there! The girl was no more. Where did she go? She was there? He started looking around frantically for the girl. He started to think that those devils had taken her again, hadn't they?
He was looking for her everywhere. At that moment, a sweet voice came from behind the tree.
"I'm this way."
"Hey.... Who...?"
He could hear that voice gradually moving away. There was sweetness in that voice. It seemed to stir emotions in his mind. A kind of longing is awakening in his mind. Nothing good or bad comes to mind now. Only emotion. What a feeling of pleasure.
So he could no longer ignore that call. His feet started moving forward subconsciously, following that call.
His eyes no longer felt dark. The trees in the bushes and jungle seemed to be moving out of his way. The girl had now emerged from behind the bushes. He could see it clearly.
Her skirts were flying. As if he was desperately trying to catch her. He could not reach her.
With a charming smile, he called forward. Occasionally, he looked at her with a slight bend of his neck and increased his emotional excitement with a light touch. He was no longer in control. His body seemed to be running in the wind like a disembodied spirit.
The neon light in the distance seemed to be running in sync to avoid catching him.
Suddenly, he did not realize when the lamp had come close to him. Now he could see her clearly. The shimmering silk cloth had made her look enchanting from behind.
The trick of dressing her on top of that. The way she wore it had adorned her body in a beautiful way.
Now her running had slowed down. Her body swaying and moving made her even more majestic. She had also become motionless. Her body had become paralyzed and did not want to move forward.
Order the light seemed to be turning towards his face now. He could see that there was a lot of hair covering his face. He couldn't see his face properly.
Oh! Suddenly a light seemed to be rushing towards him? Yes. That's right. The place seemed to be lighting up with light.
Oh! The train whistles. Why is the car now? It's still looking at me. It's standing right on the line! He shouted loudly. Run, run, and move away. The train is coming. Move away from the line.
Before he knew it, the car rushed towards the train at high speed. It crashed into him!
Amal sat there with both hands on her head. She didn't know anything else.
Hearing her screams, the guard who was nearby rushed over. He picked her up unconscious and took her home. When she regained consciousness with much effort, she cried out. The guard was also surprised!
He said, "Where is that train after twelve o'clock?"
In the morning, it was reported that a woman's body was lying on the line. She had been run over by a night train. In the morning, Amal went there to see.
He was surprised to see that! That saree, which face, that girl lying dead on the spot. The train wheels had separated her body from her waist.
He was shocked! Everything was true except the train journey was a lie. He had been cut off before he could see her. Her disembodied body had pulled him to show her. He was not surprised to think that.
He was surprised to think, then, is there a disembodied body? I mean ghosts! They also come to us in human form. Exactly like living people.