Looks Can Be Deceiving

Give an account of an exciting or interesting train journey you have had. (writing practice)

Long vacation was at sight. The Deepawali had begun. We all had our tickets booked to go back home from the hostel. Our college had special agreement with “Easy Travel Company” to ferry the students to the college and from the college. Thus we had bought train tickets of ‘smooth bullet’ to go back home to Darjeeling.

This particular journey eventually turned out to become a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment.

It was the fourth of October. We were scheduled to reach the station at seven in the morning. Rinchen, Gaurav and myself hurried to the station and we timed everything perfectly. The journey would take four to five hours before we could catch local bus.

After boarding on in our cabin, Gaurab shouted in excitement, “Wow! Seems to be a good start, there’s no one else in the cabin but us”.
 

“We are one hell of lucky fellows, aren’t we?” Rinchen added.

We all agreed. Then exactly at seven, the train started to roar with a piercing hoot.

There were four bunks in our cabin. Gaurav took the upper bunk, Rinchen took the bottom and I occupied the bottom bunk from another bunk. The top on my bunk was left vacant.

Rinchen, whom we used to call ‘Kumvakarna’ literally dozed off within a few minutes. Gaurav took out his call and got indulged in it. I on the other hand kept fantasizing about things to do when I get home.

Suddenly, a man in his early forties, clean shaven, neatly dressed with rich red coloured tie entered our cabin carrying a briefcase. He smiled warmly in a very friendly manner and rested his case on the floor.

He then requested me to move to the upper bunk. I could not disobey. He had a very mild tone and spoke with great manner. I assumed he should be a teacher or something like that.

We didn’t talk as the train kept whistling by.

A few minutes later, a ticket master entered our cabin. I showed him our tickets as I was carrying all three with me. He then turned to the gentleman and asked, ‘Can I see your ticket?’

With his usual polite ascent he said, “Of course you may, I have them right in my briefcase”

He pulled his briefcase and took out a bunch of keys. He started to try unlocking his case with the keys one by one.

I was totally surprised to see him carrying such a huge bunch of keys.

When none of the keys were able to unlock his case, he looked at the ticket master and calmly said, ‘think I left the keys in my wife’s purse. She’s in the other cabin. I’ll just go and get them’

The polite and subtle tone from him lips did not leave and reasons for not letting him go.

The ticket master then told him to get it quick rather in an irritated way.

Two.. three... .. five minutes passed but there were no signs of that gentleman’s returning. Now was the time that we all were looking at each other’s face and wondering.

Such a wise, polite and gentle looking man could not be a cheater. I was in deep thought and I guessed the ticket master too was in the same state of mind that I was.

The ticket master said to us ‘now boys, there are a lot of bad people travelling, so you better watch out. The security guards can’t always keep a close eye on every one of them. Looks can be deceiving, so trust no one. Understand?’

We obediently nodded our head in acceptance.

Just then we heard a cry of a kind of disorderly mob from the passage outside. We all rushed to check what was really going on.

We saw that very gentleman pull the alarm chain planning to jump off the train once it comes to a halt. Angry people were trying to catch him as he was dodging around while trying to escape.

‘Thief ! thief!” everyone was shouting.

Before the train stopped, a guy who looked like army grabbed the gentleman by his collar and brought him down to the floor.

Just in time, the security guards showed up and brought everything under control. No one from the public was able to lay their hands and feet upon that gentleman, thanks to the wonderful task done by the guards to bring the situation under control.

Everybody got back to their respective cabins

When we entered out cabin we were surprised to find Rinchen still fast asleep.

The train reached the next station. The gentle looking felon was escorted to the police station nearby. There was slight probe into the incidence among the witnesses.

Rinchen knew nothing about the situation and made the inspector say ‘Kumbakarna’ with a little smile. Gaurav looked at me and I looked at him and laughed while RInchen shrugged in embarrassment.

The interrogation made our travel a bit longer than it should have been. We were stranded at the station for more than half an hour or so. We had to sign here and there, talk to different police officers and to the commuters too.

We then safely reached Darjeeling at two thirty in the afternoon.

It was one of the most memorable journey till date and most importantly learned a very good lesson, that looks can sometimes be deceiving.