The Train Journey

"Chai, Chai, hot Chai "

Niya was jolted out of her nap by the sound, her head resting against the bars on the window. As she took a sip of water from the bottle, she noticed that the window seat opposite hers was now occupied. There was a little girl, about 5 years of age, sitting there. It seemed that she was playing a game on the mobile phone. She had her books spread around on the seat as well. 

Niya realized that during her nap, her book had fallen down near her foot. As she bent down to pick it up, the girl asked her, "Do you want to see the train make a turn? you can sit here and see the engine". Niya smiled and craned her neck, her forehead touching the metal bar on the window. While she looked at the engine, it blew its horn twice loudly." Niya starting counting the bogies from the engine, then stopped mid-way, realizing that she was not five anymore. She looked out of the window, as the evening sun was settling down. Rocky hills dotted the horizon, with huge boulders sitting menacingly close to the edge at many places. Toddy palms were swaying in the wind, as though they were choreographing a dance move with the train. Niya went back to her childhood. Growing up in a middle-class family, they did not have the resources for vacations to the touristy places. So every year, the family would travel to their hometown in a train. There she would pester her parents for a couple of comic books, which she would re-read the entire year as her parents did not believe that comic books are something that is needed. Seeing the books with this young girl, she felt happy that she did not quite share her same fate.

"Amma, I need chips," the young girl told her mother.

As the mother was opening up the packet, she started making a fuss, "Hurry up amma, you are taking too much time."

Niya could have never talked in such a tone to her parents. 

It was getting dark, and the folks started to switch on the lights. One light-bulb was blinking away, as if it was mimicking a fire-fly. 

"Oh-ho, what is this. There is not enough light for me to read." said the little girl, visibly exasperated. Then she started pestering mother for another packet of chips, as she continued playing on her mother's mobile phone.

The train had slowed down to a crawl. It seemed as if it was nearing a station. 

"Books, Books for Children... Aesop's fables, Monkey and the crocodile..." a shrill voice rang in the bogie. There was a vendor walking towards them, with a little girl in tow. She seemed about five and was carrying some of the books that her father was selling. From the look of it, the duo had not made much in sales that evening.

The vendor approached their aisle and looked at the family next to Niya.

"Please have a look, Madam. Your daughter will enjoy reading these books."

"I have read them all, I don't need them," said the little one, hardly glancing over from the mobile phone she was holding.

Niya looked at the little girl who held the books in one hand and her father's arm in another. She was looking at the open chips packet, then she looked at her father. He tried his best to make a sale, but it was not his day. The father looked at the little girl, all she could do was give a miserable smile.

They left the aisle, and were standing near the exit, perhaps wanted to get down at the next station.

"Give me 3 books. Any 3 will do. What will be the total?", Niya asked, as she opened her purse.

"That will be 50, madam. Thank you"

Niya started reading one of the books she bought. "The Boy who cried Wolf..." The train had stopped for a minute, and sounded the horn twice, and with a jerk, it started.

Niya again looked out of the window, trying to see if she could find the father-daughter duo. She saw the little girl beaming, with a small packet of chips in her hand, sitting on the platform near her father.