The Woman On The Platform

Achintya never expected it would be so late when he left the office. He hurried to the station to catch the last train. As he reached the platform, he saw the train was about to leave. He ran and got into a compartment just in time. Achintya felt relieved. Missing the last train would have caused a lot of trouble.

Achintya Hazra worked in a pharmaceutical company in Kolkata. He had been working there for a long time and was known for his dedication. Because of this, his superiors held him in high regard. He was often called upon for important tasks. Today, he left the office late because of an urgent task. Initially, he thought of spending the night at a hotel, but he changed his mind since his wife, Reshmi, would be alone at home. Also, he had just recently gotten married and didn't want to be away from her.

The compartment was almost empty. Achintya took a seat by the window. The night had fallen, and the weather had turned chilly. He didn't realize when he fell asleep. Though the sleep wasn't deep, he clearly heard a whisper, You've slept enough. Now, get up. These words woke Achintya. He looked around but saw no one. There were a couple of people sitting at the other end of the compartment, but it was unlikely they had whispered into his ear and then moved back. Achintya couldn't fall asleep again. He kept looking out of the window. Station after station passed by, and he kept wondering who had whispered those words.

Seeing his station approaching, Achintya got up and stood by the door. The cold wind calmed his nerves. The darkness and monotony didn't bother him anymore as he thought about reaching home. He had to walk for half an hour from the station. He regretted not bringing his bicycle, which would have made the journey quicker. Reshmi had often told him to bring the bicycle, but it never happened. He thought about how Reshmi might be waiting for him. She never ate if Achintya hadn't eaten. These thoughts kept him occupied.

Suddenly, he felt someone whispering in his ear again. He turned around immediately but saw no one. Yet, he distinctly heard someone say, I jumped off the train here. Was someone playing a prank on him? But if it were a prank, he would have caught the person by now. Besides, he couldn't see anyone. Who had jumped off here? He recalled someone in his neighborhood mentioning that the last train was often haunted by spirits. Was it a ghost whispering in his ear? But in this age of science, who believes in ghosts? Maybe he was just tired from the day's work. If there were a ghost, it would have shown itself. He also wondered if he was mentally disturbed, as people with mental disorders often hear and see things. Meanwhile, his station arrived. He prepared to get off the train and decided to take the main road home instead of the shortcut.

The train stopped at the station. As Achintya was about to get off, he felt someone push him from behind. He fell hard onto the platform, injuring his hand. He tried to see who had pushed him but saw no one. There was no doubt that someone had pushed him. Achintya also wondered if he had fallen because he was tired. After a while, he realized he was quite hurt. His knee was also cut. He sat on a bench on the platform, his hands and legs throbbing with pain. He took out a water bottle from his bag and drank some water, thankful that he had filled it before leaving the office. He thought about how Reshmi must be worrying about him at home.

Once the pain subsided a bit, Achintya prepared to leave for home. But just as he slung his bag over his shoulder, he noticed a woman standing on the opposite platform. She appeared to be a woman because she was wearing a sari. When Achintya stood up, the woman started walking towards him, crossing the tracks directly instead of using the footbridge. Achintya felt uneasy, unsure why the woman was coming towards him. It was late, and a strong wind was blowing. Ignoring the woman, Achintya started walking briskly towards the exit. However, because of his injury, he couldn't walk fast. He kept glancing at the approaching woman while looking for the exit.

Achintya managed to leave the platform before the woman reached him. On the road, he looked back to see if she was following him. No, there was no one behind him. Achintya thought the woman might be living on the platform, maybe a beggar, and had approached him thinking he might have food. It was good that they didn’t talk because he had nothing to give her. Remembering food made him realize he was very hungry.

Achintya walked quickly down the road, deciding to avoid the shortcut and stick to the main road. The shortcut was mostly dark, while the main road was better lit.

On the main road, a few dogs barked at him. He shooed them away, and they ran off. He took out his mobile to call Reshmi but found there was no network. This was strange, as he often had network at night to talk to his colleagues. He put the phone back in his pocket.

After walking for a while, Achintya realized the road he had taken would not lead him home. Had he taken the wrong turn to avoid the woman on the platform? But he was sure he had taken his usual road. How did he end up on a different road? Suddenly, he felt someone whisper in his ear again, What will you do now? This time, Achintya felt scared. Was he really dealing with a ghost? He looked around to see if anything seemed familiar, but nothing did. It felt like he was in a place he had never been before. He decided to retrace his steps back to the station, as he knew the way home from there.

Walking back the way he came, Achintya again realized he was lost. He stood for a while, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He then heard someone calling him from a distance, saying, This way. After hearing it a couple of times, he recognized Reshmi's voice. Yes, there she was. He saw her and felt relieved. She had come looking for him because he was late. Seeing him, she called out to him.

Achintya felt a sense of relief. He had been wondering how he would get home, and now he started thinking about food. He asked Reshmi what was cooked for dinner. She replied, Your favorite prawn curry. Hearing this, Achintya walked even faster.

To his surprise, he easily found the road he had been looking for. He reached home, washed up, and sat down to eat. He finished the prawn curry with great satisfaction. After eating, he went outside to get some fresh air before going to bed. Standing outside, he wondered how he had lost his way. He had lived there all his life. How could he have taken the wrong road? While standing outside, he smoked a cigarette and then prepared to go inside. Just then, Reshmi came out and asked if he wanted her to bring a chair so he could sit outside for a while. Achintya thought it would be nice to sit outside for a bit and told her to bring the chair if it wasn’t too much trouble for her. She brought the chair, and he sat down, thinking about the evening's events. Achintya remembered that after meeting Reshmi on the road, she hadn't come close to him even once. They had only spoken from a distance. Then he thought maybe she was busy with work and couldn't spend much time with him. Thinking this, Achintya fell asleep in the chair.

He woke up to the sound of a train whistle. He thought it was morning, but it was still pitch dark. Achintya was astonished to find himself sitting on a chair on the train platform. He clearly remembered sitting outside his house a little while ago.

The train had already left, and the platform was empty. But wasn't there someone standing on the opposite platform? On closer inspection, he realized it was the same woman he had seen after getting off the train.

Everything was confusing Achintya. He couldn't understand how he had ended up on the platform. Meanwhile, the woman on the opposite platform started walking towards him again, crossing the tracks directly. Achintya stood up and started walking, but this time, he couldn't avoid facing her. The woman, dressed in a sari with her head covered, stood in front of him. She spoke in a voice very similar to Reshmi's, asking, "Shall I bring you a chair? Will you sit outside for a while?" Achintya was baffled. These were the exact words Reshmi had said to him a little while ago. Achintya didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, he saw the woman's feet lift off the ground. This sight was too much for him. He fainted on the platform.

When he regained consciousness the next morning, he found himself in his own bed at home, with Reshmi stroking his head. He later learned that many years ago, a woman had committed suicide in front of that station after her marriage was called off. Since then, she had occasionally scared people who returned home late at night. Achintya also found out that a hawker had found him unconscious on the platform the next morning and had alerted others.