The Brown Book

 

Bleary eyed and hoping that the train hadn’t left Renu rushed to the station that would take her to the end of her project. The company that had commissioned her had made all the travel arrangements and this last leg was to be completed by road. It was her mother’s suggestion, “Why don’t you take the daily train that the mines used to transport people from the main station. “

“The mines have closed down and the train tracks might be in disuse.”

Her mother sighed, “My father was an engineer who pioneered the laying of some of the tracks in that area. As children we could accompany him in his inspection saloon and it would be parked at a siding. Once in a while we could get a joy ride on the Millstone Mines goods train as it was mostly used for moving stones.”

“The mines have been inoperative but now the owners want to earn money from the vast tracts of land that they own. “

“We visited one or two of the mines and they had small townships. The managers had large bungalows set in manicured gardens and there were many facilities for the families.”

 Renu was dismissive, “Staff had to be compensated for living in the wilderness.”

“It was a long road trip that conveyed people from the nearest railway junction. What are their plans as there are deep quarry lakes and mining ruined the surrounding areas.”

“Through the years the roads had been widened and time has allowed Nature to take its course. The forests are coming back and it is impressive. The owners want to repair the disused buildings and market it as a Nature resort.”

“Do the train trip if possible and come back by road. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“I’ll enquire and if possible give it a try if the train service is still available.”

Renu followed up her mother’s tip and called the office. She spoke to her travel coordinator Mr. Singh, “Could I take the train to the mines and return by car.”

Mr. Singh sounded hesitant, “The railway connection from the siding is for transportation of goods and there are no provisions for passengers. The company has booked cars for your visit.”

“As a part of the project I want to look at the train route to the mines. It would help if you could find a way out.”

A couple of days later Mr. Singh called, “There is a passenger train that runs biweekly from Charghat to Sathpera and from there it is a short drive to the mines.”

The stress of constant travel and surveying new places had taken its toll on Renu. She was relieved that the company had sent somebody to meet her at Charghat.

Mr. Gajdev welcomed Renu and said, “I’m sorry but you will have to hurry as the train will leave in a few minutes and the first class cabin is at the front.  It mostly goes unoccupied so you should be safe.” 

There was a warning whistle and she barely managed to board the train as it chugged out of the station.  The floor wasn’t too clean and she decided to stow her bag on the overhead rack. It was then that she noticed the man sitting in the corner seat. He was neatly dressed and his face was hidden by a book. He didn’t even look up once to acknowledge her presence.

Renu was grateful that her co passenger was silent and she didn’t have to make any effort making inane conversation. The view outside captured her attention as the trees that bordered the tracks were lit up with the blazing glory of the Spring flowers. The landscape rushing by and the slow rhythm of the wheels were almost hypnotic and her eyes closed slowly with much needed sleep.

Renu woke up with a jolt as the train screeched to a stop. She was reassured that Satphera was still some time away. The short snooze had refreshed her and she glanced around to check on her fellow traveler. He must have got down while she was asleep. She was alone and it might be prudent to check her belongings. Luckily nothing appeared to be missing or disturbed. She noticed a book covered in brown paper next to her bags.

 Renu couldn’t recollect if he was carrying any luggage. The man hadn’t taken his eyes off for a minute from his reading. Had he forgotten it or purposely left the book behind? Curiosity got the better of her and she decided to pick it up. It lay firmly stuck between the slats in the overhead rack. No amount of pulling or pushing allowed her to extricate it. Her fingers were bruised but the book lay embedded within the slats. The useless attempts left her frustrated and she wondered why she was so keen to see the contents of the book.

Alighting at Satphera Renu noticed that the book was nowhere in sight. May be her efforts hadn’t gone in vain and the book had fallen to the ground. A cursory glance told her that the book wasn’t on the floor. She had run out of time and would have to let it go.

Back home Renu said, “If the company does a good job of restoration then Millstone Mines can be an attractive proposition.”

Her mother asked, “How was the train journey?”

“I was too exhausted and was asleep for the better part but I had a strange experience.”

“Was it crowded?”

 “There was only one man who left while I was asleep. He was noticeably silent and reading a book that covered his face. The funniest part was that he left……”

Renu was cut short midway by her mother rolling her eyes, “You had a ghost sitting on the other seat.  It was Mr. Rao reading a book with a brown cover…”

“What nonsense he was human. It was the book. How did you know that it had a brown cover?

“As usual you don’t allow me to complete my sentence. Mr. Rao was a Millstone Mine employee who was on this train and his dead body was found on the railway tracks. Some people said he had been bumped off and others claimed he had taken his own life. The day he died he was holding on tightly to a book that wasn’t found after his death.  Many believed that it contained incriminating evidence against some staff members. Others said it was his daughter’s diary and he was out to get her for carrying on with a local hoodlum. Whatever it might be but there was a prolonged search that proved fruitless.”

The unexpected information left Renu at a loss for words. She tried to remember details about Mr. Rao but all she could recollect was the book that shielded him from prying eyes.

“Do you know that the book lay on the luggage rack even after he disappeared?”

”Exactly, it is as if he is provoking the living to find out what lay between the covers. There are some who rise to the bait and try and the book disappears.”

Renu sat quietly trying to recreate the scene from memory and smiled wryly, “I tried my hardest, bruised my fingers but the book remained stuck between the slats.”

“I hope your fingers weren’t badly hurt.  How many times have I warned you not to touch unknown objects specially in public places? I hope you’ve learnt your lesson.”