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MidReal Story
The story begins with Shikhar, who was always fascinated
Anonymous
Apr 1
Scenario:The story begins with Shikhar, who was always fascinated by his father’s job. His father was a Railway TTE, posted on the railway route of Goa, known for its beautiful scenery. Shikhar's childhood was filled with railway journeys, and he was determined to follow in his father's footsteps and become a TTE in the Indian Railways. He worked hard for three years to secure his job and passed his railway recruitment exam. However, little did he know that his life was about to take a different turn. From a beautiful existence, his life would soon plunge into the most haunted adventure he had ever experienced. He was posted to the North East, known for its beautiful forests, but his journey route was not limited to just beautiful scenery. Instead, it traversed the most dangerous railway track ever encountered by human beings. From the most dangerous tribes to Naxalites, deadly ghosts, and tantrics involved in black magic, every station posed less of a passenger presence and more of a life-threatening situation. Shikhar, once considered the luckiest guy since childhood, now found himself cursing his luck for falling into such a situation. He began searching for the backstory behind all the mysteries and became involved in every little detail. His responsibilities increased in his job as he had to save all the passengers on the train from these deadly incidents on a daily basis. Now, he is determined to take this as a challenge and work as a full-time TTE in the Indian Railways. He also aims to work as a Mystery Buster, compiling every danger and busting ghosts. He calls himself the Mystery Buster, dedicated to saving the lives of people and making this railway route once again safe.
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I have always been mesmerized by the picturesque beauty of Goa.
The crystal clear waters washing the sandy beaches calling you in, the palm trees all around and the scrumptious smell of seafood, Goa is one of the most beautiful places in India.
It was my father’s job that introduced me to this place.
He was a TTE in the Indian Railways, and he was posted in Goa.
Being a TTE, his job required him to travel a lot.
And, like every other government employee, he was given a fixed amount of leaves, which he took once in a year.
He used to save all his leaves for our annual family trip to Goa.
We were a middle-class family, and we never had enough money to spend on costly holiday packages.
So this was our vacation.
We used to board one of the trains from our city and get down in Goa after three days.
And, I always looked forward to these train journeys.
It was like an adventure for me.
I was living my life on the railway tracks.
My dad would take me with him when he went on his duty trips.
I remember I once asked my father, “Baba, what do you do when you travel in these trains?”
He smiled at me and said, “I sell tickets and collect fines.”
I tilted my head slightly to the left and frowned.
And then, he made two big round eyes and started looking for something beneath his seat.
He found it after a few seconds and picked it up with his hand, “This is what I do when I travel with you guys.”
He handed me a small notebook with a pen attached to it.
“TTEs write all the things that happen in their trains in this notebook.” He said, pointing towards the small book.
I took the notebook in my hand, “What do you write here, Baba?”
He smiled at me and pinched my cheek playfully, “I write stories.” He said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Stories of what?”
“Stories of people, stories of their lives.” He explained.
“You are a very lucky boy you know that?”
My mother said as she sat beside me with my baby brother.
“And why is that?”
I asked her as I looked out of the window.
“Not everyone gets to see so many places like you do.” She replied.
“But how is it any different from watching them on TV?”
“It’s a lot different, Shikhar.
When you watch them on TV or in pictures, you only see what they want to show you.
But when you go there and look at things with your own eyes, you get to see everything.” She explained.
“And you know what is even more special?”
she asked me after a few seconds.
She looked at me with a smile on her face.
“You not only get to see them but also experience them.”
I grew up dreaming about traveling to different places just like my father.
Traveling, exploring new places, meeting new people, my father’s job was my dream job.
Graduation from college was like a golden ticket for me.
I could finally apply for the post of TTE.
A lot of people used to tell me that it was really difficult to get selected as a TTE.
Even though they required freshers for this post, they used to take only experienced people.
But I never lost hope.
So I applied for the job and gave the exam.
But I didn’t get selected.
The next year I applied again but failed again.
I applied one more time but failed once again.
It took me three years to finally get selected as a TTE in Indian Railways.
The first thing I did after getting selected was showing my appointment letter to my father.
He was really happy when he saw it.
He lifted me off the ground, “It’s time for you to write your own stories now.”
I had heard about this place before but never got a chance to visit it.
It is one of the most beautiful regions in India.
And not only in terms of natural beauty but also in terms of culture and traditions.
But my excitement was short lived.
The moment I heard about the track that I was assigned to.
Railway tracks are quite common all over the world.
But this one is a bit different.
It stretches over 180 kilometers and what makes it unique is its construction.
The terrain is so rough that it took almost 2 years to build it.
And more than 300 workers lost their lives during its construction.
The last time a train traveled on this route was almost 20 years ago.
Since then it has been closed.
The reason?
The track is too dangerous.
It has more than a hundred tunnels and bridges and after every few kilometers there is a sharp turn.
Derailments have always been a problem here.
Over the years there have been many accidents on this route and more than 500 people have lost their lives on this track.
The Central Government had announced that they would close this track permanently and make a new one which would be safer.
But the government changed and so did their decision.
I was surprised when I read about it in my job description.
But I knew I had to do it.
The moment I got down from my train, I was welcomed by my officer.
A tall man in his early thirties with a friendly smile.
He introduced himself, “I am Major Manish and I will be your officer.
He took me to his office and handed me my uniform.
After getting me to sign a few papers, he started explaining things to me.
“You will be working on one of the most dangerous rail tracks ever built.”
“What makes it so dangerous?”
I asked him.
He smiled at me, “You don’t know about it?”
I shook my head.
He looked around for few seconds.
“Get me a coffee.” he said to one of his subordinates who was standing in the room.
I looked around in confusion.
The officer leaned closer to me.
I didn’t understand why he was doing this.
“Many people have died on this route, Shikhar.”, he said in a hushed tone.
“What do you mean?”
I asked him nervously.
“There are many things that go bump in the night.”
I looked at him with wide eyes.
“Many people have died on this railway tracks over the years.
Not just because of accidents, but also due to other things.”
“What other things?”
I asked him, feeling scared now.
“Tantrics and Black magic.”
I looked at him in confusion.
He continued speaking, “This area has always been a hotspot for tantrics who practice black magic.
They have made their ashrams in these forests.
Many people who go into these forests never return.”
I swallowed nervously.
He looked at me and said, “It’s not much of a problem now though.
Because there are no villages around here.
But still there are many danger lurks around every corner of this route.”
“You will find out soon.”
he said as he left the office.
After packing up our things, we went to the train which would take us to our destination.
I was so excited to start my new job.
But after listening to Major Manish, I was scared as well.
I didn’t know what kind of danger I would face here.
But I was determined.
The train started moving on time.
I was waiting for my first official duty which was to collect tickets.
I was walking through the compartments when I saw Major Manish sitting in a corner.
I walked up to him and sat in front of him.
He smiled at me.
“Good to see you, Shikhar.
Not everyone can handle this place.”, he said.
“I can handle it.”, I replied confidently.
He looked at me for a few seconds.
“You will have to handle it.”, he said in a serious tone.
I nodded my head.
“You will have to take care of all these passengers that you see here.”
I nodded my head in understanding.
“And their luggage as well.”
I nodded my head again.
“And don’t forget to keep an eye on your crew.”
I nodded my head again.
He leaned closer to me.
I swallowed nervously.
“There are many things that you will witness on this track which you won’t be able to explain.”
I looked at him with wide eyes.
“Many passengers have seen weird things on this track.”
I looked at him nervously.
“Many people have died on this track as well.”
I swallowed nervously again.
“You may also find out why this track has been closed for so many years now.”
I looked at him in confusion.
“You will have to make a report on every station that we pass from here to our destination.”
I nodded my head.
“Which will include all the incidents that would happen on this track.”
“I want you to be careful, Shikhar.”, he said in a serious tone before getting up and leaving from there.
After that I started collecting tickets from passengers like a good TTE would do but that wasn’t my only job.
After a 10 hour journey, we reached the Northeast.
The Northeast was a beautiful place.
There were emerald forests everywhere.
The diverse culture of the people which lived here was amazing.
There was a different language, tradition and food in every state that I passed through.
It was like I entered a new world altogether.
But the railway track that passed through here was a different story.
It was considered as the most dangerous railway track ever encountered by humans.
It was like the construction of this railway track was done in a hurry.
It connected some small villages together.
But even if I had person living in those villages, I wouldn’t have believed it.
The forests that these tracks passed through were so dense that sunlight couldn’t pass through it.
Even if it was 12 P.
M in the afternoon, it would look like it was evening at those places.
The forests were also said to have the most dangerous tribes living there.
It was said that they had never seen humans before and they would attack anyone who tried to enter their territory.
There were many more dangers on these tracks as well.
From Naxalites to deadly ghosts and tantrics who practiced black magic, everything could be found here.
After reaching Northeast, I had to go from one station to another.
There were many stations that had been abandoned by the railways for many years.
But they still existed on maps of Indian Railways so we had to check them every time we passed through them.
When I reached the first station, I was shocked to see what it looked like.
All stations had been abandoned for so many years but still some people would live near them or something else would be there which would indicate that it once used to be a station but not these ones.
They looked more like haunted houses than stations.
Their walls had lost their colors and were covered in moss.
Their roofs had holes in them and most of them had fallen down as well.
There was no platform on these stations and most of the tracks had been covered in grass and wild plants as well.
When I reached one of those stations, I immediately felt an eerie feeling in my heart.
The trees near the station were covered in black threads which are used in tantric rituals.
Their leaves were also covered in some red powder which looked like blood.
And there was an eerie silence in the air which made me think that I was standing in front of a haunted house rather than a railway station.
I quickly made my way to the other side of the station, where my crew was waiting for me with the train.
I quickly boarded the train and we started moving again.
After my first run on these tracks, I became more vigilant towards my job than ever before because I knew that it wasn’t just ticket checking and providing assistance to passengers that I had to do here.
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I had to be prepared for anything and everything here, from encountering dangerous creatures to coming face to face with ghosts or witnessing a tantric ritual happening nearby me somewhere in the forest.
It had only been 7 days since I left home and I had already encountered so many weird things here that it felt like a whole new world to me.
And then, just when I thought I had seen enough weird things for one lifetime, Major Manish came to me and told me about all other weird things that I was going to encounter in the coming days.
He had told me about so many weird things that would happen here over time but it felt like nothing could have prepared me for what he told me next – He said “It’s not just a job; it’s a suicide mission.”
I was shocked to hear those words from him but Major Manish just smiled when he saw my shocked expression.
I couldn’t understand what he meant by that but I didn’t ask him about it either because I didn’t think he would tell me anything more about it anyway.
So, I just thanked him for telling me everything and then, I left his office.
I didn’t know what I should do after that.
Should I run away from this place or should I take it as a challenge to find out what is really happening at these stations?
I had no idea what to do but ultimately, the curious part of my mind won over the logical part of my mind and I decided to go on with it.
My father’s voice echoed in my head – “You wanted to be a TTE, right?
Well, this is how a TTE’s life is.
It’s not going to be an easy task.
You will have to go through so many ups and downs in your life but you have to keep your head high and do your job honestly.”
I was born into a family of TTEs.
My father was a TTE and so was his father.
So, I grew up listening to stories that he used to tell me about his job and how it helped him travel to so many places.
But at that time, I didn’t know that a TTE’s life was this tough.
It looked like a carefree job at that time but the reality was something else.
My father’s words gave me the strength that I needed at that time and ultimately, I decided to stick with my decision and go on with this journey.
After passing through a few more stations, the train finally reached the next station where I was supposed to get down.
I quickly collected all the things that the railway department had given me – a first aid kit, a weapon, and a few more things as well – and then, I got down from the train.
I quickly waved at the driver and then, the train left the station.
I looked around me.
The station was quite similar to the last one that I went to.
There were trees near the station which were covered in black threads and red powder.
There were so many things tied around them and they looked so scary.
The houses near the station were also quite similar.
There were so many things tied with the doors and windows of those houses as well.
It looked like those people were scared of something and so, they did all this stuff to protect themselves from whatever they were scared of.
I took a deep breath and started walking towards the start of the tracks.
I knew that this journey was not going to be easy but it’s not like I couldn’t do anything about this situation.
I just needed to be careful about everything and I knew that nothing bad would happen to me then.
As I moved forward, I saw a board hanging on one side which said “Beware!
Ghosts ahead”.
My eyes widened after reading those words.
What kind of a place is this?
What is happening in North East?
Why are there so many ghosts in this area?
Why are people so scared?
But after thinking about Major Manish’s words, I finally came up with an answer – “People are scared because they don’t know what is happening around them”.
So, I decided that I would not be one of those scared people and I would find out the truth behind everything.
I quickly moved forward and after walking for a few minutes, I saw that the tracks were going inside the forest.
Although the tracks were still visible, it was difficult to see them properly because of the dense forest.
The sunlight was not able to penetrate this area properly and so, it looked like we were in some kind of a horror movie.
This area was notorious for the ghosts and so, I needed to be extremely careful here.
I quickly took out a small bag which had some sacred ash in it.
Major Manish gave it to me before coming here.
He said that it would protect me from the ghosts.
I didn’t know how the sacred ash was going to protect me but I decided to take it with me anyway.
I applied some of it on my forehead in the shape of a tilak and then, I kept the bag back in my pocket and continued moving forward.
After walking for a few more minutes, another station emerged from the mist ahead.
It looked like an apparition hanging in the sky.
The stations on this route were quite different from the stations on other routes.
They looked like dilapidated houses with broken walls and windows.
There was no one around them and the silence was quite scary as well.
It looked like it was not a railway station but a haunted house where witches used to come at night.
I took a deep breath and continued moving forward.
My job required me to inspect every station properly before allowing the train to move forward and so, I had no other option but to go inside this haunted house.
I took out my weapon from the bag and held it properly in my hand before moving inside the house.
It didn’t take me long to find out that there was no one inside the house.
Although it gave me some relief, I wasn’t able to understand why there was no one at the stations when there should be at least someone present at every station.
When I moved towards the platform, I saw that this station was very different from the stations that I had seen.
It was located quite far from the city and was surrounded by beautiful forests and hills.
The stations on this route were usually located in the forested areas, but this station was different.
While the other stations were located at least 100 meters away from the forest, this station was located just beside it.
It looked like the station was built inside the forest.
I wasn’t able to see anything beyond the station.
It looked like the station was enveloped by the dense forest from all sides.
It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere and no one was around for miles.
I decided to complete my duty quickly and move forward.
As I was preparing to move forward, something caught my eye and I stopped.
When I turned towards it, I saw that there was a woman standing about 10 feet away from me.
She was on the other edge of the platform and was standing beside the railing.
She was looking towards the forest and it seemed like she was looking for something.
I was able to see her clearly.
She was dressed in colorful clothes and had long hair which was falling on her back.
I wasn’t able to see her properly but she looked like a young woman in her early twenties.
I didn’t know what she was doing here.
This place was quite scary and there were no people around either.
It wasn’t safe for women to come in these areas alone and so, I decided to go and talk to her.
But when I looked towards her again, she started walking towards me.
I wasn’t able to see her face properly but she looked really beautiful and innocent.
When she came near me, she stopped and looked towards me for a few seconds before turning around and walking away again.
However, what struck me as odd was that she didn’t make any sound when she walked away.
There should be some sound when someone walks on the gravel but she didn’t make any sound.
I immediately turned around and started walking behind her, trying to catch up with her again.
After walking for a few seconds, I reached the other edge of the platform but she was nowhere around me.
There was no one around me and the station was completely deserted except for me.
I wasn’t able to understand how the woman disappeared so quickly without making any noise at all.
I called out to her but there was no response.
It was as if she had disappeared into thin air.
I thought of checking the other side of the station but then, something else caught my attention and I froze in my tracks again.
As soon as I saw it, my blood ran cold and a chill ran down my spine and I was frozen in my tracks for a few moments because of the shock and fear.
I blinked a few times to see if what I was seeing was real or not.
I wasn’t able to believe what my eyes were seeing and it took me a few moments to realize what had happened.
After a few moments, I realized that the woman was standing on the edge of the station again and was looking at me with a smile on her face.
I was feeling scared and didn’t know what to do now.
The Station Master and the driver then came back from the engine after inspecting it and when they saw me scared and frozen in my tracks, they came near me to help me.
They asked me if everything was okay but I wasn’t able to answer them because of the shock and fear in my heart after seeing the woman again behind me.
They then followed my gaze and turned their heads to look behind them where the woman was standing but they weren’t able to see anything because she was invisible by now.
They then asked me who it was because it seemed like there was someone else present here except for us at this time and place but they weren’t able to see her themselves.
I then told them about the mysterious woman who was present here but disappeared into thin air twice in front of me without making any sound at all and they listened to me carefully with shock written all over their faces after hearing my story.
After listening to my story, the Station Master then looked at the train driver with a scared expression on his face.
The driver then told him that the things that were happening with us were similar to what had happened with him and his four friends in the past too.
They both then looked towards me with fear written all over their faces before telling me that what had happened with us was the work of a Pishachini.
I was confused about what they were talking about and so, I asked them what a Pishachini was.
The Station Master then cleared his throat before looking at me with a serious expression on his face and telling me that a Pishachini was a female demon who preyed on men.
He then told me that she was notorious for appearing in front of men during nights when they were alone.
He then told me that she was also famous for something else too which was disappearing into thin air whenever someone confronted her for her actions.
I wasn’t able to understand what he was saying because it didn’t make any sense to me.
However, he then told me not to worry about her anymore because it was time to leave now.
When he said this, he grabbed his bag and started walking towards the train while urging all of us to follow him.
I went near him immediately and started walking behind him towards the train without wasting any time.
As soon as we reached the train, we all boarded it immediately without wasting any time and took our seats.
The Station Master then saw that all passengers had boarded the train so he gave the signal to the driver by waving his hand in the air and we started moving again.
However, the driver suddenly stopped and looked towards me with a serious expression on his face before telling me to close all the doors of the train immediately.
I got up from my seat immediately after hearing him and started closing all doors one by one while ensuring that all passengers were inside the train too.
After doing this, I then went near the driver and asked him why he was asking me to close all doors of the train immediately.
He then looked towards my other side and I then saw that the Station Master had also come near us and he was looking very scared.
He then waited for the Station Master to reply to my question before telling me that it was because we were about to reach the next station.
He then told me that the next station was a haunted one and that it was very dangerous for us to stop there.
He then told me that the Pishachini could easily enter the train from that station and we wouldn't be able to do anything about it if that happened.
My heart raced with fear as soon as I heard what he said.
But, I told myself to calm down immediately and I then asked him if this station was the same one where his friends too had seen the Pishachini in the past.
He then replied to me by saying that it was indeed the same station where they had seen her.
However, he then told me that we didn't have to worry about her anymore because we were leaving this place immediately.
As soon as he said this, both of them smiled at each other before going back to their respective seats and I did the same too.
As the train moved ahead, I braced myself for what was coming next.
I then saw that the train had started moving towards its next destination and I then went near the window immediately before looking outside.
But, I then saw that the station which we had just left behind was nothing more than a haunted house.
The dark clouds loomed all over it and I wasn't even able to see the sunlight there.
I got scared after seeing it and I then went back to my seat immediately before sitting on it.
As soon as I sat on it, I could feel my heart racing with fear again and I didn’t know what to do now.
However, I then took out my mobile from my pocket immediately before starting the video recording on it again and placing it on the table in front of me without wasting any time.
I then started looking at the screen of my mobile while waiting for anything suspicious to happen on it.
While waiting for it, my mind then suddenly filled up with thoughts about my mother and how much I missed her cooking right now.
I then suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of longing for her inside my heart and I didn’t know what to do now.
I was missing my mother so much right now that I wanted to go back to her immediately after I reached home.
But, I had just left my home for this railway route and I had also become a full-time TTE now so there was no way for me to go back to her.
I then started thinking about how I was going to live here from now on because this railway route was getting even more dangerous with every passing day.
I had just started my job here but I had already seen a lot of horrors on this railway route while doing this job in just one day.
But, I had become a full-time TTE now so there was no way for me to escape from this place anymore.
I then made up my mind immediately that I was going to dedicate my life to this railway route now and make sure that it became safe for all passengers once again.
I then swore to myself that I was never going to abandon my post no matter how many horrors I faced on this railway route every day.
