STAINS OF THE PAST

Beginning of an end

The monotonous sound of footfalls kept reaching his ears. Occasional laughter somewhere amidst the cacophony of indistinct chatter made him understand that something amusing and funny was being discussed. Like a blotch of grey color, he stood in this vibrant colorful place called the Vandervalt station. Clothes of green, white, magenta, mauve adorned the rich people accompanied by the subtle fruity smell. He was not a man one would expect to see in such an extravaganza of excellence. But he was helpless. Old habits die hard, and necessities are immortal. The station was made by someone who had a taste for medieval architecture. And thank god for that because the station could easily pass for a beautiful castle, the ones described in Grimm's fairytales. The taste of fresh baked breads and tea and coffee and sweet delicacy filled the air along with a distant sound of accordion. The walls were colored with a very dilute shade of pink, almost white but not absolute white. A huge clock stared at David's face as he peered at it. Half past 9, it showed. It was just a matter of 10 minutes before the train arrived. It was tough, but he could bear it. White shirt with a loose fitting grey tie covered his torso while legs were draped with solid grey pants. He started tapping his foot with his brown oxfords. All he could think in his sullen mood was a perplexing question.

Why was I here?

After a few minutes of foot-tapping and occasional wandering of eyes, the train finally arrived. The very characteristic sound of a steam engine roaring in its full power subdued the chatter and music. Slowly and slowly it came towards David, waxing and waxing at a constant rate.

Hooooooooooooooonk. "Clear out, I am arriving" the train said in its own language.

Finally the train reached in stationary state, causing an opposite effect on the living beings. People started moving. Slowly and carefully they got inside their on respective carriage. Each carriage was divided into six compartments and each compartment belonged to one traveller. The train was famous for this arrangement. Something the rich enjoyed. Time and place to think and brood, alone. David got in his carriage and then in his compartment.

Engraved wood with intricate artwork, accented by pink and white inlays. Deep red leather seats and a light brown wooden table in between. It looked more like a hotel than a train.

"At least something must be there to justify the price they are asking for" David muttered slowly as he kept his bag in its place.

Ziiiiip. he opened the chain of his bag and reached inside for something, trusting his hands to do the seeing. Amongst soft, warm clothes, gloves and few papers and pen, his hands found a small plastic container. He pulled it out at once which made a sound of tablets hitting a container. A sound he was used to listening. The anti-depressant pills were meeting David more than usual, more than they were supposed to. But they couldn't help it. Neither could David. His head was constantly hammering inside, eyes straining so much that he struggled to open them. His body ached, he felt as weak as a piece of paper, thin and frail, although he was a strongly built man, towering at 6'3. But these days he looked much shorter because of the curve that showed up on his back, making him stand in an arching position.

He sat there, looking outside the window, still the same rush, people smiling, laughing, loving. It made him uncomfortable. The curtains came to his rescue.

He could see clearly that the tickets he held were booked way before that today, but what he couldn't see was why he got the one for shared carriage. The last carriage usually was given to people who were a bit less punctual, pooling four to five in one carriage. This David was well aware of, he knew that he may have to share his cabin, which he dreaded. He preferred silence, preferred loneliness. He hated laughter, hated company. He took in another tablet, knowing that it could make him drowsy, dull his senses, even make him hallucinate. But he didn't care. So what if one guy amongst these faces people cannot walk properly or talk properly? They weren't sharing his pain, why must he share their concerns? He explained this to himself.