The Signals! – Social Short Story

‘Just another ordinary day!’  Sighed Murthy reaching his work place.

Murthy has been seeing the same things, the same people and hearing the same sounds for about six years now. He has started feeling boredom.

‘At times, I feel I should not have made this option, from passenger train guard to a goods train guard!’ often he told his fellow men.

‘Feels like a Doberman, huh?’ His friends chuckled.

‘Yes, sometimes!’ Murthy retorted.

Being a goods guard in railways, Murthy had a lot of responsibilities like any other guard. He was the caretaker of some one else’s goods, be it grains, dhals, fruits, vegetables, coal, petroleum or the  goods of people who get transferred from one place to another within the country. He was a tough and brave guard and has made some theft attempts unsuccessful in the past. So he could make it into the good list of all. He had shifts at work, eight hours of hectic job followed by sixteen hours of rest. He was earning more than he needed and the railways had provided him quarters, along with other benefits. But still, he found the life daffy. He was single and was alone in his quarters.

Past was something he never wished to brood over. He had always believed that he didn’t have a past. His memory starts from the church school and boarding, when he was in 2^nd or 3^rd standard. He knows nothing about himself before that period, though he had tried asking this many times to Father Jacob at the boarding school. Whenever he asked , Father Jacob told him-

‘Murthy, you were abandoned by someone and thus you came here when you were so small! We know nothing more than that. Everyone here is just like you. You can stop thinking and asking about it . Concentrate in your studies! I heard you are doing well in your class!’

Father Jacob always diverted the topic. Murthy asked one last time –

‘But, Father, who named me Murthy? Most here are having Christian names!’

Father’s face had appeared a little perplexed at this question.

‘Along with you they had found a note telling that you were named as Murthy!’ Father walked away swiftly.

‘How could they, who never wanted me, decide my name?’

Murthy always felt hatred towards his parents. Alive or dead, he never thought about parents.

After that he never bothered to ask anything about his past. Moreover, every one there had been like him, most of them were destined to live as orphans with their parents living at some other parts of the world. He tried his best not to be emotional, but it was an attempt in which he always failed miserably. He made friends with books and he continues it even today.

Being a good student, he could score well in all classes and entered this job soon after his graduation at an age of 21. He was satisfied initially when the self sufficient status lured him. But very soon, at the age of 23, he joined for master’s degree course and successfully passed it. He used to visit the church school and boarding once in a while, meet Father Jacob often, make some small donations, enjoy some time there with the children and come back. Food from outside, a home to rest and the fellow men at stations and trains made his world, and yes, of course the signals! There is not a single day in his life without signals – the flags during day and the lamps during night, with red, green and white colors, the bells the whistles – the only colors and sounds that filled his lonely life!

He sometimes cherished his days as a guard in the passenger trains. It was a strange fascination at first – the busy scene with the heavy rush together with its rich variety, the rhythmic sound and long whistles of the trains, the coolies, the cries of the vendors, and all those hustles that made each station a complete world. There were smiling and tearful faces always. But again Murthy didn’t like parting scenes. And whenever the trains departed, they left each station dull, which was full of life moments before.

‘Saheb!’ some one called him to remind that it was time for the goods to move. He left his cabin at the station. Today the goods are rice sacks and he will reach the destination at night may be 9pm. The train will halt there till 4a.m next morning and get it filled by some vegetables and fruits and return. So he will be back the next day noon or evening. He took the food from canteen and bought two parcels too, one for noon and another for night.

Being a devoted guard he checked for all signals, everything was fine. He blew his shrill whistle, blew the green flag from the rear end of the train.The train started its journey for the day.

Time is a snail! He stared at the gunny bags filled with rice, something to prevent people from dying, but as usual it is not a very alluring scene to see gunny bags stacked one above the other. Some bags were having holes, rice grains were pouring down through it. No one cares about these wasted grains, it could have saved another hundreds of people.

He looked out, it was noon and heat was merciless. He ate the food in one parcel. Many stations passed. Each time he saw the waiting passengers he looked them as if he was seeing that scene for the first time.

The sun set, darkness spread like a veil. After a few hours he reached his destined place. He showed the lamped with red signal and the train came to a halt. The lazy workers there started unloading as if they have got the whole year to unload. But Murthy knew, they would finish the work in time and reload the boggies with vegetables and fruits. He left his cabin in the train, taking his torch, small bag and the remaining food packet, and walked to the usual place where he and the engine driver used to take rest during such freight trips.

Murthy lit the torch as he had to walk a short distance in darkness. The cicadas and frogs were entertaining the night with their free music. Unexpectedly his torch flickered a bit and went out. Now he had to go all the way back to his cabin in the train to take and change the batteries. He cursed the torch and tried to walk quickly in the dark to reach the cabin. Without light, he felt it difficult to find out the batteries, but somehow he managed to take and put them in the torch. ‘Ha!’ He exclaimed. The torch is back to life!

He moved towards the door to get out again. But a wheezing sound from inside the cabin caught his attention. He lit the torch to all the three corners of the four cornered cabin, nothing. He directed the light to the corner just right to him and was terrified to see a female figure standing at the corner. He has been traveling in that cabin and didn’t notice her? Or she got into it somehow when he left? He looked for more people, no, no one else!

Murthy directed the light towards her face. She covered her face. She might be a beggar.

‘Who are you? When and how you got into this cabin? Find some other place. This is not your resting place. Get out!’

The hands covering face now folded with a pleading.

‘Please save me! I am not a beggar. They are after me, to kill me. I got into the boggy next to this cabin yesterday evening and has been hiding there. Now the people have come to unload it, so I got out through the other side and got in this cabin as soon as you left. Please save me! Please!’ She fell on his feet.

Murthy didn’t know what to do, he had never come across such a situation before.

‘Hey get up! All beggars are good actors, all have fitting  stories and crocodile tears. So how can I trust that you are not a beggar who came to thieve?’

‘Please believe me!……I am not a beggar or thief. I am a student in Sri Sarada College. My name is Jalaja….please save me!’

Murthy asked her to get up and wanted to see her face. He lit the torch again and found a cute young girl, all tired with shabby clothes and a faded face. His  mind told to believe her. If he wanted to save her, he can’t leave her there, it is not safe to take this young girl to the resting place of the workers. At last he decided to remain in his cabin the whole night. Luckily no one enquired where he was.

‘Ok, so you say ,you are Jalaja. So who were coming to kill you and why?’

Murthy was still skeptical about the motives of the girl though she was young and thin. But he being healthy and bold he was not afraid too. She asked for water and he gave his mineral water bottle.She drank it full.Tired Jalaja cried many times while she was telling her story. The young girl from the village had lost her father in her childhood. She was brought up by her courageous working mother. Her mother worked many hours daily in the company to give her food, education and protection without the help of her uncles. When mother passed away a month ago, she was like a little chicken left by her mother hen’s protection. Her uncles wanted to literally sell her to some one, as they claimed to be her guardians. Thus to protect herself she ran away secretly from her home the previous day. Some men were following her, but some where they missed her. She ran with all her strength and reached that railway station, from which the freight train has started. She believed they were still after her.She couldn’t find a safe place.She didn’t know how, but in the attempt to save herself she crept into one of the boggies where some sacks were already stacked. She hid behind that. At some point she fell asleep. When awake she was suffocating among the sacks but some how she managed to get a little air, so that she was alive now.

Murthy was moved with an urge to protect the girl. He knew he could hand over the girl to some one like the police, but he was sure she won’t be safe anywhere. He wanted to protect her. He found she was too tired without food for the past two days and gave her his packet of food. She ate that greedily and seeing her a little brightened face, Murthy felt happy. He told about his job.

‘I think you are a kind man. Can I get some job in your home like a servant? I can help your wife. I don’t want to wander, they will find me someday.’

Murthy told he didn’t have a family. He told her his history. She listened. They both remained silent. A little moonlight was creeping into his cabin now. She finally told, ‘But …I think….you are a good person!’. Murthy smiled, or blushed?

He already had some soft feelings for this cute girl. It was sympathy and empathy, but Murthy felt something more. He liked the girl, he wanted to protect the girl. He thought it may sound so ‘filmish’ if he told that he loved the girl, but he knew deep inside his heart that was the truth. Two lives changing overnight?! Can that be real? Love can happen without checking socio-economic-astological compatibilities, it  happens when one soul identifies the other, sometimes it may take too long, sometimes it will be quick.

Murthy stammered. ‘I realize you have completed your 1^st year in graduation, so no doubt you are above 18. I can support your education, if you like to continue your studies. In the meanwhile, if you like, you can spend your……ehhh….. I mean only if you like, spend your life…….mmmm…can you be my wife?’

That’s how Murthy made his first proposal to a minutes-before met girl. With a tensed face, he looked at Jalaja. She was already asleep. He felt shame, or shy, but remained there in the cabin, looking at the starlit sky. He also fell asleep, tired with out food.

He was woken up by something hitting his shoulder at 5am the next morning. He looked and saw Jalaja holding the torch. Suddenly the previous day’s happenings came to his mind. She has hit him with the torch on his shoulder to wake him up.

‘So when will we leave from here?’ He was slightly amused by the question. He looked outside. The workers are busy filling the boggies with the vegetable and fruit sacks, only a few more sacks are remaining, so they will be leaving back at the scheduled time itself, much before 6am.

‘I will be leaving at 5.30am. Goods are already loaded into the boggies. And I don’t know about you, you can find your own way. There will be some poor homes or asylums that…..’  Jalaja burst into tears. Murthy became dumb.

‘Then why did you ask me to become your wife?’ Murthy was shocked.

‘So….weren’t you sleeping?’

‘I heard you and I was relieved. I could get a good sleep after many days! But if you said it as a joke, ok, then I am leaving here…’

‘No!’ Murthy had an odd feeling. ‘I was not joking, I was asking you seriously!’

With tears flowing from eyes, Jalaja smiled. ‘I am happy to have met you. I believe God saved me to meet you!’

‘O Murthy!!!’ someone was calling. Without replying to her, he looked out again, putting his head outside the cabin. Now, the engine driver was heading to him. Murthy got down from the cabin and made a small talk with him, and told him that he was very comfortable in the cabin.

The goods were loaded and it was time for them to leave.

Murthy looked at Jalaja. She smiled at him. She looks so different now, so cute and calm. ‘Do people change like this so swiftly? May be..’, he thought.

It was still dark. Murthy showed the lamp that emitted the green signal.

He knew, love is not just a feeling, it is a strong decision too!