Barasat Junction: The Last Train at 11:47

The Last Train of Barasat StationRohan goes home every night on the 11:30 train. His office is in Sector Five, Kolkata, and his house is in Madhyamgram. Every day he has to change his train from Barasat Junction. During the day, Barasat station is extremely crowded, thousands of people, shouting of hawkers, sound of trains, smell of tea and jhalmuri. But after 11 PM, the whole picture changes completely. Platform number 3 becomes totally empty. The lights flicker dimly and make strange sounds. The tea shops and jhalmuri shops all get closed. After the announcement of the last train, a strange and heavy silence falls. That silence feels very creepy and unnatural.For the last three days, Rohan has been noticing a strange thing. A girl. Every day at exactly the same place, beside the old pillar at the end of platform number 3, she stands alone. She wears a white salwar kameez, her long black hair is neatly braided, and she holds an old blue colored bag in her hand. The girl stares straight at the empty railway tracks, as if she is waiting for some train that will never come. There is no irritation on her face, only deep, painful waiting.On the first day, Rohan thought maybe she was waiting for her boyfriend or someone from her family. When he saw her in the same place in the same way on the second day, he felt a little weird and curious. On the third day, he felt deep sympathy for her. Such a beautiful girl, standing alone on an empty and dark platform so late at night. Something dangerous could happen to her.The fourth day was Friday. From morning, the sky was cloudy and heavy. Around 11 PM, light rain started falling. Because Rohan left his office very late, his train is 20 minutes late today. The platform is completely empty today. Because of the rain, there is not a single person. Only that girl is still standing today, getting wet in the rain, but not moving at all.Rohan could not control himself anymore. He closed his umbrella and walked slowly towards the girl. Going close, he saw the girl is really very beautiful, but her face is abnormally pale, as if there is no blood in her body. The rainwater is not falling from her body, as if water is not touching her at all. Her clothes are completely dry.Rohan said softly, Excuse me? I have been seeing you here for the last three days. You stand here so late every night. Do you have any problem? Do you need any help? I can call someone for you.The girl slowly looked towards Rohan. Her eyes are very deep, black, where a lot of pain and loneliness is stored. She smiled very gently and said, My name is Sumana. I am waiting for the person I love. He said he would return on this very day. His train will come today itself. He promised me.Rohan said, But there is no train today. The last train left at 11:20 itself. Where will you go? Where is your house? Come, I will drop you to your home. It is not safe to stay here so late at night alone.Sumana looked at the dark sky, then said in a sad voice, My house is very far from here. On this same day in 1998, my boyfriend Ajay told me to wait for him right here on this platform. He said he would come back with a good job and marry me. I have been waiting here since morning. He said he would come by the 11:47 train. He will definitely come.Rohan was shocked. He laughed a little and said, 1998? Are you joking with me? That was 28 years ago. I think you were not even born then. How is that possible?Sumana's gentle smile vanished instantly. Her two eyes suddenly became completely black, where there is no white part at all. Her voice changed completely, became very cold, very heavy, as if coming from very far away, from under the ground. The air around suddenly became ice cold. The sound of rain stopped completely.Sumana said, Yes, 28 years. I was standing here in the exact same way on that day also, beside this same pillar. On that day also it was raining heavily like today. There was a huge crowd on the platform, because two trains had come together at the same time. I had moved a little forward to the edge to see Ajay clearly. Then someone from behind pushed me very hard. I fell straight onto the railway tracks. My head was hit very hard on the track. I had screamed loudly, but no one lifted me. Everyone was busy catching their own train. The platform was covered with my blood. My train never came. Ajay also never came back.A cold shiver ran down Rohan's spine. His umbrella fell from his hand. His legs started shaking badly. He wanted to move back but he could not move.Sumana came one step forward. Rohan clearly saw, her two feet are not touching the ground. They are floating two inches above the ground. Now a clear and fresh blood stain is visible on her white salwar. From her blue bag, water is not falling, dark blood is falling drop by drop.Sumana said, My body died that night, but my waiting did not die. So I am still standing here today. Every night at exactly 11:47, a train comes. That train