Today is just another Saturday morning for everyone. But it is a crucial day for me. I am Saahir, a migrant worker from Kolkata and working in the Mumbai outskirts.

 

My eyes feel cold and puffy, and I can’t see anything clearly because of my sleepless nights.

 

“Bhai, are you ready to leave?”, asked my roommate Munna.

 

I tried very hard to hide my tears and said, “Yes bhai, I am gonna leave. I don’t know what will happen. But whatever happens, I have to reach my home by today. Otherwise, all my efforts will be in vain.”

 

After taking my dull bag, I walked out of our small room. I walked through the darkness as it is 5AM in the morning. I am not going to my hometown for a holiday. My son is in hospital and he’s having a heart surgery tomorrow. I have to get there before tomorrow morning, to pay the bill for surgery.

 

I reached the railway station after a 20 minutes walk. It is a strange scene for me as the railway station was deserted. I entered the entrance and went to the ticket counter, there was also no one inside the counter. I stood there without understanding what’s going on. Suddenly, I could feel a hand over my shoulder. Yes, that’s a Railway Police officer.

 

He asked me, “What are you doing here?”

 

I replied, “Sir, I am looking for a ticket to Kolkata.”

 

“I think you are not aware that all the train services are stopped due to the pandemic.”, The policeman told me politely.

 

Those words went like lightning through my body.

 

I begged him, “Sir, please help me anyhow. I have to get there by tomorrow. Otherwise my son will die, he is sick.”

 

 

 

“Do you have sense?” The policeman’s tone suddenly changed, “The train is not mine to operate according to your wishes.”

 

After a long conversation and argument with that policeman, I realised that he is helpless. But he told me that only the freight trains are using the tracks now. When I started to walk back from the railway stations, my mind was full of that freight train.

 

I was thinking that if I could get on one of the freight trains, I can get to my home even if it’s a bit late. Late is better than never. So I decided to get on one of the freight trains. I walked parallel to the railway tracks by road. Then I entered inside the track and started to walk through the track.

 

I kept walking for hours. My only thought was to reach my son. I would even walk all the way to Kolkata if I have to. It’s almost 11.30 AM. The sun seems to be angry at me as the sunlight is at its peak. I started to feel so tired. I knew that I cannot enter any railway station to drink water or take a nap. So I kept walking.

 

Suddenly my phone started to ring.

 

“Hello, where are you now? I hope you’ll be here by morning. Everything is ready for the surgery. Everybody is waiting for you to come with the cash.” My wife Sarifah is on the other side.

 

“Don’t worry dear. I will be there on time.”, I said to her after wiping a liquid from my face. I don’t know whether it is my tears or my sweat.

 

I hung up the phone and started to walk even faster as I have to keep my word and save my kid.

 

I am aware that I could be attacked at any time as I am carrying a big amount of money with me. I couldn’t send it home through banks as the banks are under lockdown. So I decided to bring that money with me to home. But I didn’t expect the railway to be under lockdown.

 

I started to feel hungry as I was walking from the morning and now it’s almost sunset. I could hear the sound of a freight train from a distance. My mind felt like there’s a rain coming in the desert. I stood by the track waiting for the train. But the train was coming in the opposite direction, that is towards Kerala or somewhere south. I felt disappointed and started to walk again.

 

I could picture my son lying on a bed in the ICU in the hospital waiting for me to come and save him. At some point of time, I fell down on the track and became unconscious. But after some time I woke up and started to walk again. Again I could hear the sound of the freight train. This time, it is from the backside. The train reached near me and it stopped after seeing me on the tracks. The loco pilot came to me and asked me what am I doing. I told him about my situation and my son.

 

The loco pilot said, “This train is going through Kolkata. I could give you a ride.”

 

I felt like I was on the moon. I hugged him with tears flowing out of my eyes and we started our journey to Kolkata. I reached the hospital in the morning and I paid the bill first then went to see my son and hugged him tightly.

 

Suddenly my phone started to ring. It was my wife. I looked into my phone and then looked at my wife who’s standing nearby me.

 

“Sarifah, why are you calling me? I am right here next to you.”

 

“No, you are not. Please wake up. Our son is gone.”, she said with a river flowing out of her eyes and her heart.

 

I was stunned, “ What are you talking about? Our son is fine. Look at him, he is comfortably sleeping in my hands.”

 

I looked at him and he was not there in my hands anymore. And all of the people and things around me started to vanish away. All I could hear was my phone’s ringtone. I suddenly opened my eyes and looked around. I am still at the place where I became unconscious. My phone was ringing. It was her, Sarifah. Before I could answer that call, a freight train ran over my body....

 

 

 

Now I can see a garden of clouds and rainbows. I am not feeling tired anymore. I started to walk slowly through that garden. At the end of a corner, there was a boy picking some flowers. I went to him and he turned to me with those flowers and that was my son.

 

He asked me, “Papa, why didn’t you come to save me?”

 

I hugged him tightly and said with tears, “Sorry my son, I didn’t make it.” He hugged me back.

 

Now all the hallucinations aside. I am with my son now and for eternity....................