7 km and the Dreadful Night

The train dropped me at the station fifteen minutes later than the scheduled time. The clock consisting of a red coloured LED light hanging at platform no.3 showed 19:12. I hurried toward the exit taking quick and long steps. Even though it was seven of the evening, the town appeared a wilderness. I could think of a couple of reasons. The first one, it was mid-December of the winter hence blanketed by darkness. Secondly, the place was a small town basically; more than a village but less than a city.

The crowd that accompanied me vanished soon into multitudes of directions. I was wandering alone in that strange town where I landed for the first time, amidst a couple of toto drivers promising me to drop to my destination safely. They were charging a hefty amount after giving several reasons as if they sensed that I didn’t belong there. Unaware of the town’s geographical boundaries, or to be more precise, accustomed to a metro city like Delhi, I booked a hotel 7 km away from the railway station since it was quoting price much less than other hotels in the centre. Seeing no alternative option, I had to take one of the e-rickshaws.

Driver bhaiya, a middle-aged man wrapped in the shawl from top to bottom, escorted me to his e-rickshaw while handling my trolley bag. Only his dark-complexioned face with heavy-temple glasses having bi-focal lenses was visible. I avoided digging into more details about him as I knew it would scare me more that night. His toto looked worn out with no windscreen. Moreover, it appeared as if it was devoid of service for ages. Had I looked at it earlier, I would have taken the other one. But there are certain things which you can’t unturn, especially when you’re a person with ethics. I entrusted him, so I shouldn’t turn back from my words.

There was no sign of life through the path which toto steered through. Streetlights were absent. Only the loose parts of the vehicle disturbed the silence whenever it used to hit some breaker or sink into some ditch. The road wasn’t even. Potholes were coming anytime. A couple of bikes used to overtake us at a great speed, vanishing soon into darkness. To avoid being tricked, I launched Google Maps to check the route map. I did it every couple of minutes, perhaps driven by some kind of anxiety. We crossed a locality consisting of some age-old, dilapidated government quarters. After that, we transversed some 500 metres on a road running parallel to the river. The intensity of the winter multiplied as the cooler air blowing from the river combined with the speed of the e-rickshaw and thumped constantly against me. The absence of a windscreen made the situation pitiable. Hence, driver bhaiya was driving at a much slower speed than usual. We crossed the bridge and travelled along the road running parallel to the other side of it.

E-rick stopped abruptly at a point. On enquiring, Driver bhaiya said that he had to meet someone and would be back in a few minutes. According to the map, we had barely covered approx 2 km. To get the essence of the place, I also got down. On inspecting, I found that it’s actually the outskirts of the town. I could see several street vendors from nearby villages gathered at a point after wrapping up their stalls. They were discussing something, perhaps, the market today, the plan for tomorrow or a suitable way to go home. I felt a bit relieved as it was the first sign of life after I boarded toto. However, I became apprehensive again as the e-rick driver disappeared among that crowd and didn’t return in the time he promised. I fixed my gaze in the direction he went but couldn’t see him coming. Every minute appeared like an hour to me. The darkness and the chilliness in the surroundings were growing at a constant pace. Consequently, the lives of animals, plants and human beings came to stand still. I thought of taking another e-rick only if it would have been available. After some fifteen minutes, he returned in another e-rick, sitting on the back seat and enjoying puffs of bidi. He gestured to switch the vehicles. It was comparatively a newer model and was driven by a young man in his early 30s. Without wasting any time, I quickly sat in that e-rick as I was already getting late. I kept pondering over the reason for this exchange throughout the way till I reached the hotel. It made me afraid for some time, but fortunately, the rest of the journey was smoother than I expected.

The hotel, as it looked from the outside, was the average one. There was insufficient lighting. Only the illuminated banner was outspreading the light to the entrance. A car along with a couple of bikes was parked near the entrance. A tall and sturdy man whom I took as the owner of the hotel was guarding the reception. I paid the e-rick, took his number and walked swiftly to the entrance.

“Sir, there is a booking in the name of Shashank. I’ve already paid the amount. Here is the receipt”, I said and showed him the confirmation email.

He glanced through my mail and said firmly, “I haven’t received any such booking. Aapko yaha rehna hai to pay krna padega”.

I was taken aback by his reply. I requested again, “Sir, ek baar check to kro. Kal ke date me kiya tha maine”.

At my request, he launched the app on his phone. I helped him with my details. After scrolling twice or thrice, he was able to find it. I took a deep breath to relieve myself.

Seeing that I’d used the coupon and the charges for a night dropped down below the usual rate, he again said, “Itne kam me hamare yahan hotel nhi milta. You’ve to pay 300/- more“

He knew that this man couldn’t go anywhere at this hour. Hence, he tried to utilise this situation to make a profit. I grew impatient. I thought of returning to the centre of the town. I looked for the e-rickshaw but it was gone. The road was deserted. There was no chance of getting any vehicle at this time. Nonetheless, I tried to maintain my composure and said again, “This isn’t right. Jab booking utne me ho gayi hai to mai extra kyo du?”

“Bhai, mai itne kam me room nhi deta kisi ko. Rehna hai to rho, nhi to kahi aur dekh lo”, he replied raising his voice in his Haryanvi accent.

Till then, I understood that there is no use in arguing. I said that I can only give 150/- more. After considering for a while, he agreed but reluctantly. He called his attendant, Baldev, and asked him to take me to room no. 215. Baldev was an old man in his early sixties, wearing a rugged jacket, a winter cap and a muffler that was coiled around his neck twice. I followed him quietly. Baldev’s every step was measured as if he knew every inch of the hotel. While walking through the door, I knew that most of the rooms were vacant. After strolling for about 15 minutes and climbing multiple stairs, I was finally inside my room. There was a king-size bed with a mattress and a blanket over it, all in white colour which has turned yellowish due to repeated use. In the name of furniture, only one bedside table and a plastic chair were there. The room too, was dimly lighted. Baldev returned in a while with an unsealed bottle of water and a menu of a certain restaurant.

The first thing which I looked for in the room was the charging point. Luckily, there was one near the bed. I plugged in and after charging for a while, it started fluctuating. I changed the plug-in point but the result was the same. It would charge for a while and then would get disconnected. It happened in a sequence. I left it in the hope that at least it would charge to some extent. But all in vain. The next I tried switching on the geyser to freshen up. But even after fifteen minutes, I was unable to feel any rise in the temperature of the water. It kept dispensing the water that could freeze you up. I looked at the watch and found that It was 8:30. Accustomed to sleeping late, thanks to college life, I decided to watch TV which was fitted on the wall near the door to pass the time. I switched it on and came across a blank screen. I tried using a remote but there was no any result. I could’ve used cellphone but I had to save the battery for tomorrow. I rushed downstairs to complain about the same but couldn’t find anyone. The reception along with the corridor was empty. Exasperated, I thought it is better to lock myself inside the room. The hunger within me had died, hence, I sandwiched myself between the bed and the blanket and tried to sleep. But wait! What’s this! Even after covering myself with the thick blanket they provided, I was shivering. I didn’t know when I slept, but when I woke up, it was five in the morning. Anyhow, the restless, chilly, and frightening night got over.

I tried charging my phone again and luckily, it started working, the geyser started dispensing hot water and the TV listed the choice of channels.

And guess what!

I checked out of the hotel as soon as possible.

P.S: I travelled at only 20 bucks to the city in the morning.

-Shashank