As Asutosh comes out of the railway station, it is almost 10 PM. The station is relatively small, with a single room belonging to the station master. A few low-power incandescent bulbs scarcely light the platform. The silence and the darkness have combined to create a haunting atmosphere.
There is no other living being in sight. Even the station master, it seems, has left the platform. No point blaming him. It is a chilly Friday night in the month of December, and the biting cold wind is enough to send people scurrying for comfort under a warm blanket.
Asutosh sighs. He had heard about the notoriously cold winter nights of Birbhum, and as he stands shaking in the cold, he realises just how true the descriptions were.
Asutosh has a fever, which makes matters even worse. He felt quite fine while boarding the train, but his health had deteriorated along the way. His friend was supposed to pick him up from the station, but seeing that the train was three hours late, he must have gone back home.
Asutosh must find a place to stay tonight. He cannot afford to stay out in this cold with a fever. With weary legs, he leaves the cover of the platform in search of a place to spend the night.
Asutosh’s friend had informed him that the village was at least five kilometres away from the station. People usually took rickshaws or autos to reach the village. But considering the lateness of the night, Asutosh can see neither an auto nor a rickshaw. His only option is to keep walking. The road is quite uneven, and he must constantly monitor the road to prevent spraining his ankles. But somehow, the road looks pretty familiar to him.
The full moon in the night sky has illuminated the landscape and helps him navigate the rough path. The view is barren on both sides of the road, with deserted fields stretching far into the horizon. Asutosh can see some trees in the distance, but no sign of any human settlements. With every passing minute, his strength keeps fading. Even with two sweaters, his body is constantly shivering in the cold. Yet somehow, he manages to move forward. Stopping is not an option for him. If he stops, he will probably not survive the night.
Half an hour passes by.
Asutosh is on the brink of collapsing. He is on the verge of losing hope when he suddenly discovers the outline of a cottage in the distance. This rekindles the fire in his heart, and with the last of his remaining energy, he walks towards the cottage. On reaching the cottage door, he finds that the lights are still on inside. He starts banging at the door frantically, shouting for help.
Within a couple of minutes, the door is opened by a man in his late 40s. He is quite surprised to see a stranger at his door so late into the night.
“Who are you?” he asks, bewildered.“What are you doing here at this hour? What do you want?”
“Please help me! I am freezing! I will die in this weather if I stay outside!” Asustosh speaks with difficulty. There is a desperation in his eyes that leaves no room for doubt.
“Come in. Come in,” the man says, moving aside and making way for Asutosh.
Asutosh enters the room. He regains some of his composure in the warmth of the room. The room is quite small, but cosy. The man sits down on a chair and instructs Asutosh to do the same. He studies him from head to toe, trying to understand what he has been through. He then proceeds to give Asutosh a glass of hot milk and waits for him to explain the situation.
After gulping down the entire content of the glass in one go, Asutosh feels a little better. The warmth of the milk rejuvenates him, and he eventually stops shaking.
“I am Asutosh Roy,” he begins. “I live in Kolkata. My train was three hours late, so I got off at the station around 10 PM. I could not find a living soul in the vicinity of the station, so I had to set out in search of a shelter for the night. To make matters worse, I have a fever. I could barely continue in this cold. Thankfully, you opened the door and let me in.” He explains his situation to the best of his ability.
The man listens, astonished.
“Wow! You walked here from the station with a fever? And that too in this cold weather? That is astounding!” He comments, visibly surprised by what Asutosh had endured.
“You see,” he continues, “all the people in the village return home by 8 o’clock during the winter. Even the station master goes back to his quarters as soon as the clock strikes 9. He lives on the other side of the station. My house is the closest human settlement on this side of the station. The village is another 15 minutes on foot. I am Ranjit Bera, by the way. I own a grocery shop in the village. I have been living alone in this house for the last twenty years.”
“I had almost lost hope in this cold,” Asutosh replies. “I was on the verge of collapsing when I suddenly saw your cottage.” By this time, Asutosh has wrapped himself up in a blanket that his host has provided. He is feeling much better now.
“Yes, you are right. But to be honest, you are quite lucky that you got a response from me tonight,” Ranjit says with a smile.
“You see, I have insomnia. I take a sleeping pill every night before going to bed. The pills work like a charm, and I am usually out like a log.
Had I taken a pill tonight, there is no way you could have woken me. Even if you had blown the roof off, I would probably still be asleep.
However, fortunately for you, I finished the last pill yesterday and forgot to buy new ones.”
“Wow!” Asutosh remarks. “Tonight must be my lucky night then.”
Grrrrrr!
The silence of the night is suddenly interrupted by the growling of Asutosh’s stomach. He has not eaten anything since morning, and his stomach is not very happy about that.
Asutosh turns red in shame.
“Can you believe it? I have been sitting here talking to you and have not even offered you any food except some milk! Oh, what a bad host I am! Please forgive my negligence,” Ranjit says, hurriedly getting up and going to the kitchen.
“No, no! It is alright. I did not mean to bother you at all. I have caused you enough trouble already. I can manage without a meal tonight.” Asutosh is quick to respond.
“Nonsense! You are my guest tonight, and you will not spend the night on an empty stomach,” Ranjit shouts back from the kitchen.
Five minutes pass, and he comes out with a plate of rice, dal, and some sabji.
“I don’t have much to offer you, but I hope this will be enough to satisfy your appetite till the morning.”
“Thank you very much! This is more than I could have hoped for,” Asutosh replies. He eats ravenously, finishing the entire meal within five minutes.
“I am indebted to you for tonight. You have no idea how much your hospitality and attitude mean to me,” Asutosh speaks, his voice trembling with emotion. He wipes away a tear forming in the corner of his eye.
“You are most welcome. It is my duty to help a fellow human in need,” replies Ranjit with a broad smile on his face.
“Oh, by the way, I had been meaning to ask you something for quite some time. What led you to come to this village? Was there someone you came to meet?”
“Yes,” Asutosh responds. “I had come to attend my friend’s son’s 10th birthday celebrations. But the damned train ruined everything.”
“What is the name of your friend?” asks Ranjit, his curiosity getting the better of him.
“Sanjay Majhi,” replies Asutosh.
“Sanjay Majhi?” Ranjit exclaims, bewildered.
“I know Sanjay very well,” he continues. “Sanjay’s family is quite well-known in the village. But you must be mistaken. His son’s birthday was one month ago, on November 20th. I was invited to the party. I clearly remember. Most of the village was invited. It was quite a grand event.”
Asutosh smiles at the sight of Ranjit’s perplexed face.
“I never said his son’s birthday was today,” he replies calmly.
“But you just said you had come to attend his birthday.” Ranjit is even more confused by this response.
“Let me tell you a story, then. I hope that will shed some light on things,” Asutosh takes a deep breath and starts his monologue.
“Two weeks ago, a man boarded a local train from Sealdah station to attend his friend’s son’s birthday party. It was very cold that day, and the man had caught a cold the previous night. His family persuaded him against travelling so far, but he went anyway, not wanting to disappoint his friend. There was a railway accident that day, and his train was delayed by three whole hours. His temperature had already risen throughout the course of the journey, and when he got off the train at the desolate, poorly lit station, he was running a high fever.
There was no one to be found in the vicinity of the station. His friend had inevitably gone back home after waiting for him for a couple of hours. He was all alone. Shivering in the cold and feeling extremely tired, he decided to look for shelter for the night.
But alas! Even after walking for 20-odd minutes, there was no human settlement in sight. His energy was almost exhausted, his vision became blurry, and he was on the verge of losing his consciousness. Then suddenly, he saw a cottage in the distance.
He willed his way to the cottage and knocked on the door frantically. The lights were out, but the door was closed from the inside. He shouted and banged the door with all his strength. But there was no answer.
What kind of person can remain silent at the misery and suffering of a fellow human? He thought to himself.
After trying in vain to get a response for a few more minutes, he realised that there was no use. Turning away dejectedly, he resumed his solitary journey through the chilling night.
After dragging his feet for five more minutes, he collapsed on the ground near an open field. He shook violently in the cold and slowly lost consciousness. The last thought that crossed his mind was the betrayal of the cottage’s resident. Asutosh stops for a breath. An otherworldly calmness descends on his face.
Ranjit’s face turns pale. A sudden thought flashes through his head. A month ago, the villagers had found a person lying on the nearby fields, stone dead. The village doctor had said that he had died due to hypothermia. Although Ranjit had not gone to see the body, he clearly remembers the event.
Could it be….
Asutosh deduces Ranjit’s thoughts from the expression on his face.
“You have remembered correctly, my friend,” he says, a smile forming on the corner of his lips. “I died that night. Died holding a grudge against you. A grudge that has tethered me to this earth for one whole month. Every Friday night, I would find myself at the station at 10 PM, shivering in the cold. I could still feel and sense everything just as I had that night. An unseen force drove me to repeat the actions I had performed on that cursed night. I walked wearily to your cottage, banged on your door, turned away, and walked for a few more minutes before collapsing on the ground at the same spot where I had originally died. When I woke up again, it was another Friday, and I was back at the station. This loop has been continuing for the last three Fridays. To be honest, I did not know if anyone else would ever see me. I was afraid I would have to live through this loop throughout eternity. But all that changed tonight. Tonight, I saw your lights on. You came to my succour, taking me in and sheltering me. I have been overwhelmed by your hospitality.I have heard your explanation and realised that whatever had happened that night was not your fault. Tonight, all my grudges have disappeared. A heavy burden has been lifted off my chest. You have broken my tether. You have set me free.” Asutosh stands up.
Ranjit is awestruck. He is unable to move. He stares fixedly at Asutosh.
“Thank you, Ranjit. You are a good human being. I bless your kind heart. May you be happy as long as you live.” Asutosh moves towards the door.
“It is now time for me to take my leave. Goodbye, friend!”
With these final words, Asutosh disappears out the door.
Ranjit gains control of his body as soon as Asutosh disappears. He rushes to the door and looks outside. But there is no one in sight. The still moonlit night stares back at him. As he closes the door behind him, Ranjit realises nothing will ever be the same again. This surreal encounter will remain etched in his memory for the rest of his life. Tonight, he had spoken to a ghost. He had sheltered a soul. And in doing so, perhaps saved it.
He sits in silence, overwhelmed—not with fear, but with a strange peace. One small act of kindness may not change the world—but it can change the fate of a soul.
