The Last Train

6. The Identity Card

The young boy rushed to the closest food stall with a fifty rupee note crumpled in his palm. He bought samosas. He loved these samosas. They were absolutely wonderful, especially when served with the sauce. He took large mouthfuls of the snack, felt the food fill his hungry stomach. His mouth watered.

Having eaten enough to keep him full for the night, the boy strolled back to his carriage. The station was now quiet. The stationmaster had returned to his cabin and would not come out until it was time for the first train, at 3.30 AM. His feet crunched gravel as he walked between the same rail lines as before, leading right to his shelter in the railway yard. It was a full moon night.

Train carriages looked so mysterious in the moonlight, he thought.

Upon arriving at his railway carriage, he realised that the door had been left open and the light was still on. He had forgotten to be cautious in his excitement. He was lucky that the illuminated carriage had not been seen by the night guard.

The young boy approached the door. As he placed a foot on the stair, something white caught his eye. It was the identity card from the purse he'd robbed. In a haste to get himself some dinner, he had totally forgotten about it. He concluded that he must have bumped into the open purse while leaving the carriage causing the card to fall out onto the gravel. He picked it up, climbed in and held it up against the light.

What he saw next was enough to freeze him even inside this fairly warm carriage. The young boy sat down on the floor in shock as he suddenly realised that he had robbed his own mother, returning home after a tiring day at work.