Shehnaaz was taking a nap when she heard whispers going around. She rubbed her eyes, as the sound got clear and she realized someone was calling her. As she opened her eyes, a person in black stood before her with interrogating eyes. It caused her to gulp in fear. Who the man was? She covered her dupatta properly on seeing his fiery eyes.

Glancing at the register in his hand, checking a name. “Ticket…”

Shehnaaz nodded, opening the potli she had. The only material she had carried with herself. Handed it to him, he stared at the ticket keenly. “I knew it! Just get out of the train. This ticket is for Kolkata and you’re moving towards Mumbai,” he shook his head. The family beside Shehnaaz got concerned on listening to it, while Shehnaaz was staring at the ticket collector with no clue.

“She missed the train?” One among the group questioned him. He nodded in agreement; they shared a sympathetic look at Shehnaaz.

“What are you waiting for? Get up! You need to move on to the next station.” On finding she wasn’t providing her with any reaction, he turned impatient. He hadn’t met for the first time with such people, always the train was filled with such passengers. Of those having no ticket, some carried old ones and while the rest walked on completely different trains. His profession did test his patience.

“Jo mai bol raha hu sunayi nahi de raha hai kya?” (My words aren’t getting in your ears?) He was fuming in anger.

“Main ki kita hai?” (What have I done?) Her eyes show confusion showering in her brain. Though she wasn’t understanding his language yet she got a hint, something she had done that was wrong.

“Ma’am ji aap galat train mein chali aayi ho.” (You have landed on the wrong train.) Shook his head, “now stand up.” TC wasn’t going to set her free easily.

“Arjun… speak to him. It’s soon going to turn ten, where she will go tonight. She can get out in the morning…” A woman who was sitting in the opposite direction to Shehnaaz spoke, requesting his husband to speak.

“Disha…” She pleaded with him through her eyes, and he had to interrupt a stranger's matter due to it.

“Sir, can’t it be possible for her to spend a night in the train and morning walk out.” TC was going to interrupt but Arjun continued. “She seems from a decent background,” glancing at Shehnaaz. As she tightened her grip on the potli turning scared on two strangers talking in some foreign language, that too staring at her. Disha's smile was providing her with some hope that those individuals weren’t cruel.

“I am living her on your responsibility, maybe in a future station the seat might be reserved and I don’t know what you will do at that minute.”

“We will manage it,” another person came in their support. Seeing the passenger wasn’t going to agree, he moved from them.

Shehnaaz was least aware what planning was going on, she stared at the stranger for a minute, soon looking out of the window. “Tumhara naam kya hai?” (What’s your name?) She heard a melodious voice after a few minutes. She ignored it at first but when the same word was repeated, she searched for the source. The same girl who offered her a smile, was waiting for a response.

“Shehnaaz…” Muttered, her nervous eyes staring straight into her grinning one.

“Kaha se ho?” (From, where are you?) A voice came from beside her, the man who seemed to be her husband.

“Chandigarh…” Shivering with each interrogation planned towards her.

“Punjab se… wah!” (From Punjab… wow!) Disha enthusiasm increased with each word. “Kaha ja rahi ho?” (Where are you going.) Shehnaaz had no reply as she wasn’t remembering the place of her destination. The word she had heard for the first time in the railway station. “Kya hua?” (What happened?) On seeing her turning anxious, the way a student turns when an unknown question is asked.

“Mumbai?” Arjun randomly questioned her and she nodded in agreement, turning the rest suspicious.

“Then why the TC was claiming she landed on the wrong train.”

“Was he having something in his mind?” The cycle of discussion initiated among the passengers.

“Wait people! Let’s check her ticket first,” Disha asked for her ticket on Arjun's suggestion. As they glanced at it, they got to know it wasn’t TC but the girl lying. Throughout the circumstance Shehnaaz was staring at them with innocent eyes, unable to understand what was happening.

“Mumbai, kyu jana hai?” (Why do you want to go to Mumbai?) Disha had an unknown concern for the passenger along with her. A girl whose clothes indicated she came from village locality, her hands grabbing the small sack of cloth close to her heart. Displaying she was turning anxious with each passing second. Her dark brown orbs, staring at each individual with a suspicious gaze. It all was indicating towards her not comfortable with the train journey and on coming to know about it she landed on a different train had grown Disha’s concern. That was the reason she pleaded to her husband to request the TC. And upon knowing she wasn’t aware of the city she was having a journey to, was building her curiosity to know about the girl beside her.

She wasn’t provided with any response, and Disha wasn’t planning to compel her either. She was only attempting to make her comfortable beside her but if her questioning was troubling her, she halted with it. Arjun handed the ticket and soon the husband and wife got busy in their conversation. Shehnaaz felt at peace on realizing she was no longer a center of attention for anyone. Engrossing herself to glance at the nature around her. It was her first trip by train, earlier she had only seen it passing from the railway track near her village.

As a kid she often ran through the fields, waving at the train. As if someone inside would wave her back, she smiled remembering it. As a child none would accompany her, everyone kept their children away from her. With the fear that her presence would lead their children's life in danger as they labelled her as curse. Glimpsing at others present around but on finding them engrossed in their work, she raised her hand attempting to give a small wave. Lot’s of emotion was involved as well, she was uncertain if she had passed the state, but surely, she had passed her village. Having no idea if ever in future she would return back to her native place. Would anyone miss her absence? She had none to care about her. None who would wait to have a glance at her face. The way she had seen her aunt waiting whenever Sushi had given the news of her arrival.

It was the biggest celebration, Sushi was walking back in the village after five years. Ganga's eyes were craving to have a look at her, so was Pritam's condition. He expressed it loud enough to his wife, having arguments on it frequently. Pritam was against sending his only child to an unfamiliar place, rumours were enough in the village about city life. Many innocent lives were destroyed by the glamour yet Ganga was stubborn to let Sushi abordement her dreams due to it.

Ganga had lived a unsatisfied life and wasn't intending her daughter to face the same. Though she loved her daughter the most but showed the same amount of dislike towards her niece Shehnaaz. Pritam had grown concerned towards the kind soul, Sushi not being with them. His attachment had grown towards the girl, who was one year older than his daughter. Shehnaaz smiled as she remembered him, the only person who would turn anxious on realising her absence she thought.

***

It has been three days since he was getting up early in the morning and was leaving for a jog. Actually the jog was not the main reason for him to get up early. All he just wanted was to get a sight of the girl, who saved him from the snake that day.

It was beyond his knowledge, his building restlessness to meet that girl. The innocence on her face and the pain in her eyes has something which he was unable to forget. And whenever he closed his eyes, her face flashes before him, especially those eyes. He was wondering at his own behaviour as it's never happened with him before.

That was why for the past few days, he was roaming around the pond. In a hope that he might get a glimpse of her. But he got distracted by that melodious voice, it echoed near the pond. The voice was heard but the owner was invisible. Karan was accompanying him once and as a routine they moved towards the pond.

“So this is the mysterious place?” Rather a question, it was a statement, Sidharth wasn’t intending to respond to him back. Karan moved towards the pond, spying it suspiciously. Sidharth rolled his eyes on seeing it.

“Karan, what the hell are you doing?” Getting enough of his mischievousness, he was testing his patience from the minute he had conveyed about the two mysterious women.

“I am trying to analyse, what if she comes from the water and goes back in?” Sidharth directed, ‘it wasn't a funny look.’ Karan suppressed his laugh on seeing Sidharth turning pissed on him.

At that minute, there was a slight movement in the pond. As a splash of water fell on Karan’s face, “what the!” He yelled in horror, for a second convinced that his joke was turning out to be the truth. “Sid, see there…” Pointing at the object moving in the pond, both stared at each other baffled. As the object was moving up, they gasped in fear. But a second later discovered it wasn’t the chudail they were talking about but a frog jumping outside.

“Man!” Both laughed out loud sharing hi-fi.

“I was on the verge of running,” Karan confessed, causing Sidharth to end up laughing more.

“You believe her to be a chudail,” he shook his head.

“Or what? You claim that you heard her voice but hadn’t seen her. Then suddenly you meet a girl who saved you from a snake and on me arriving at the spot, she disappears. Daily you hear her singing but today she hadn’t come. She can’t lure you with her melodious, sizzling voice because…” With those words out Sidharth was going to hit him but Karan was smarter to get the hint and ran from there. Sidharth was on the verge of walking behind Karan but the voice halted him in his tracks.

Unknowingly his legs were walking in their own direction. His mind no longer had control over himself, Karan wasn’t wrong. That melodious, mysterious voice had the power to hypnotize Sidharth senses. He no longer was interested in any one around apart from knowing who had the charm to entice him. Walking among the rows of trees, not able to get a clear view as the fog was surrounding him.

Jo tere na huve toh kisike na rahenge 
Deewani tu meri, mai tera paagal piya

He was wandering his eyes in every corner but from trees nothing came to view, it was a daily occurrence. Where did the person disappear from the trees? Sometimes he did doubt whether his ears were ringing as none heard her other than him. Karan would joke about her being a ghost. He was on the verge thinking she had left when a certain jiggling of something was heard, grabbing his attention.

It was something he hadn’t heard before, he moved in the direction. Someone in red moved from there, he was able to get a clear view as it was blurring due to the fog surrounding the area. But he had a slight view, causing a smile to spread on his lip. “He wasn’t hallucinating! The soul was for real and one day, he would find her real identity.” Having the determination he turned away from her world to his.

•••

Sorry for the late update, I was tested covid positive and I am recovering, so will have to deal with regular updates.

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