The girl and the balloon

The train was an hour late and I sat under the only fan that seemed to be working on the long stretch of the platform. It was October and yet the summer heat had no intentions of leaving. I bought myself a cool drink and sat sipping it and pointlessly swiping through my mobile phone.

People hardly looked at each other’s faces today as all eyes were on the 5 inch screen and the world revolved around it for each person. I looked up and saw the handful of people on the platform busy doing the same.

A small girl seemed to be the only enjoying the day outside playing with her balloon. I watched the innocence in her eyes ,the happiness in them as she pushed the balloon higher and watched it fall. Her mother busy on a call,called out to her to stay close.

I smiled as the balloon came towards me ,as if the child inside me was opening its eyes.She came running towards me as I gently pushed the balloon into the air and she stopped a few paces ahead of me to watch it drift away.

It had been a long day,a very long one infact.I closed my eyes and pictured the last time I was here, about 6 years back with my college friends. She was there then.I could see her walk towards me on the platform,her dhupatta waving in the wind and her sling bag on her side.Was I that stupid to not realize  what I was doing and what was actually important…I had let her drift away from me as I gave more time and love to my work and lesser value to her and what she loved each day.

I wished I could rewind time..to go back and make things right with her and everyone else I had dropped on my journey.I realized I valued each of them and the void was too painfull that I filled it with work .

I imagined the years ahead for the little girl in front of me,she would go through her schooling,carrying heavy bags to class,monthly exams,uniform and sports time.Her first crush,her entrance exams,college,her first love,the fun days of college and what not.She had a lot in front of her,but to her,right then, all that mattered was the balloon in front of her.

The announcement system was under repair and we were clueless when the train would turn up.Some people were impatiently walking across the platform.A young man was trying to impress a girl sitting across him. A cobbler lay on the floor fast asleep as a stray dog sat upright on a chair watching the girl and the balloon.

It was when the dog suddenly jolted to its feet on the chair looking straight ahead that I realized what was going to happen… a sudden whirl of air took the balloon away and higher from the girl..she mustve chased the balloons string, as when I turned I saw a frame of her on the edge of the platform and in the next second she was gone and just the balloon was there.

I blinked twice and looked around to her mom who was still talking on the phone and a dozen others still staring into their phones. The dog barked, and the girl screamed as she fell.

A strong gush of air blew over the platform as the sound of the approaching train made the mother scream aloud, as people gathered along the edge to watch the scene that was unfolding.I ran forward and without a second thought jumped onto the track.Was I out of my mind! Where did I get this courage to act for someone elses cause! This wasn’t me.. She lay there unconscious with some blood on her forehead. Death was coming..

I lifted her up and flung her over into the hands that stretched out.I could see that the train was hardly 100m metres away and I I felt the pain in my stomach.I could make it out,but something kept me there…Runnn..Runn for your life I heard screams echoing.I ran…

I ran as fast as I could..the same way I had run away from her..from my friends and everything else I had lost on my way…I ran..I ran as that was all that I could,unless ofcourse I was still sitting there under the fan looking at my phone, and there I was.

Someone pushed me aside as I came back to my senses.The ambulance had arrived.People were gathered around the tracks and the mothers cries could be heard far and wide.I realized  that I was sweating, but I was standing right there,under the fan ,not stirred an inch.The dog stood there looking into the tracks and for a moment it looked at me and then its eyes shifted to the balloon that still drifted above the crowd in the wind,above the girls torn body.I ran away from the crowd as I realized I had a train to catch,a meeting to attend, a life to move on with.I ran away.