The Pending Journey

Landscape outside the Train Window

The shrieking sound of the engines signaled start of a train journey. I had willingly chosen to travel by train, though this could have been easily covered by air in lesser time. The first thing i did was to switch off my cell phone and snap all ties with the world outside. My appearance conveyed my status and lineage but  nothing beyond that. I wanted to be anonymous for the rest of the journey with no semblance of my occupation in life nor the preoccupations of my mind. 

There was this book of short stories that i had carried along with me and decided to read through.The stories were short ,lucid, meaningful and very relevant to various stages of human life. As i gleaned through, the realization dawned upon me that these creative pieces talked about  myriad facets of life. Our dreams, ambitions , aspirations, love , hate , relationships , career, family and work . To my surprise it seemed to me that the author was someone very close to me in real life. His observations and portrayal looked quite realistic and true. I was amazed by his mental abilities to read human mind and behavior. I understood each theme but somehow found myself moved away from these subtle humane experiences.

My work had become my instrument for happiness and pride. With arduous labor i had built a career that was rewarding , scintillating and blooming . A  loving family to support , material possession ,good money to take care of the rest of the life and still a question. Had i lived or just passed through life ?? Sadly i had to admit i just lived day by day engrossed in web of my own doings. The milestones that excited me when i was young, no more looked menacing. No tasks seemed daunting enough to gear up again.  No cause seemed larger enough than life. Probably when you reach the zenith there is a sense of hollowness and vacuum. After years i had lifted my head to look around the world, to feel the fresh air, to see the multiple colours and realized it had been long i have been running.

Wish  i had taken this journey years back and read this author to be able to decide to run a bit slower !!

Posted in: Short Story