Erode station....

the yellow board was illuminated with a bright sodium vapor lamp. i read the words one more time, i repeated those in my mind, "erode junction". i was sitting near the window and it was almost past midnight when i reached there. the station had a high power light system which was way up in the high and connected with a long metal pillar but the mist was too much that the pillar was not visible and the lone bulbs in heaven portrayed a flying saucer.

every station feels the same. the ticket counters, policemen, tea stalls, book sellers and a thousand different people who most probably will never meet again. somewhere my journeys i had realized that all railway stations smell the same, the smell of coffee, the food and snacks, countless different sweat and other body fragrances, a lot of people and their hopes about tomorrow....

i could hear the announcement of another train approaching shortly, in this crowded night, in general coupe, i felt lonesome. All of it rushed through my mind, i just thought how many hours more?. sachin and selvin, my friends with a 100 different people i never knew was sleeping peacefully beside me...

i opened the glass window and took a deep breath, raindrops splashed in my palm. the train released its brakes with a shake and howled as it sped through the darkness towards coimbatore...

-the journey never ends...