The sky was clear now. Full of stars. Though there were no street lights, the lights from the moving trucks, clearly showing the huge potholes on the road. There were water and mud all around from the last two days' continuous rain. The long queue of trucks were moving carefully balancing and dancing over those potholes. There were small children with their sacks waiting for the trucks, at the end of the turn, to collect the spilled over coal.
From the end of the road, there was a man coming. With each passing truck, the headlights were giving a glimpse of him. Every time the beam of light fell on him, his hands came up blocking it from his eyes. His shirt had black stains all around. Between stains, the yellow color was rarely visible. His trousers were rugged at the bottom. The floater was uneven and used up at the right side of the foot. His short hairs fully covered with dust. His dusky wet face wearing a blank expression walking towards the road. He crossed the road cautiously watching the moving trucks.
He was Ajju. Ajju was a young man or rather a boy, still in his teens, but he looked much older. There were few men running towards him. They stopped him and one of them asked -
"All are out now?"
Ajju said - "Yes."
The man asked again - "What was the condition inside?"
Ajju replied - "Horror"
Sweat dropped from Ajju's chin. The man, placed his hand on his head, rubbed his hairs, which caused the coal dust scattered from his head, and told with a chocking voice -
"Its been a long and brutal day for you.. You go ahead.."
Ajju nodded, and started walking. He took a turn into the market, where the vegetable vendors were packing their stuffs, carefully folding their temporary structure of the shop and calling it a day. Amidst of these noises, Ajju was still lost and occupied in his thoughts while walking. He crossed the market and was heading towards the platform. He climbed the slope, passed the station name board, and saw a wooden bench. He went there and sat on it, stretched his arms and pushed back his head. He closed his eyes.
There was no one on the platform. The only tea vendor was long gone as well. Right behind the bench, there was the closed ticket counter and a clock hanging on the wall of it. It was just past 11:00 PM. In the dark and silent night, with passing second, the clock was making the sound - tik.., tik.., tik..
Ajju was tired. As if his last ounce of energy was struggling with him. With each 'tik...', his mind was taking him to the place he somehow survived.
The sound of water from the pores in the already flooded coal mine. tip... tip... tip..
He had managed to climb on the top of a trolly full of coal. His head was touching the roof of the mine. His hat had a light, but the battery was dying. The silence among the other miners were unmistakable. The words of consolations and bravery had lost its hope. Gradually but quite decisively in the last 8 hours, everyone there, had moved from being cautiously optimistic to silent. They were 12 workers inside an already congested hole flooded with water and somehow clinging to their lives. The path outside was blocked. All they could hear a constant thud and a the sound of dripping water. Earlier they were sure, the 'thud' was from the rescue team and they were trying to get the coal out of the path. But with passing time and the realization of how long and deep they were inside, the sureness was fading.
For every person working on a mine, each turn and each cravings in the wall and each light post inside it, is a symbol or reference to one and just one thing - "How much its deep and far from the ground level opening". So, nobody was asking or taking about that. Everyone knew, it would take hours to clear that thing up. (if someone was clearing it)
Electricity was cut off with the first burst of water and coal mud coming inside the mine. The light on their hat was the last resort of hope and keeping them away from the abyss of darkness. One light would go down, the other hat light would come up, without any verbal communication. As if they all know who is next. Ajju's light was about to die and everyone knew that his was the last. With a few blinks, the light went off. And with it, it's the end of hope for many. The darkness was absolute. Ajju was feeling pain in his heart. Someone was whimpering. Not sure someone or everyone. Their feeble sounds were eating him up and his heartbeat was increasing. In both of his hands he was holding block of coal. He tried to crush them. He could not feel any strength in his hands. He was sure, the end was near. His only wish at that time was to see a glimpse of light through the pores, which had become impenetrable. He closed his eyes.
A train just crossed the platform, and the sound of the fast crossing train made Ajju react and he stood up from the bench in horror. He looked at himself. He realized, he was out of the coal mine. He recalled, how the guy next to him woke him up inside the mine, and pointed to the chain and a source of light from the top. The rescue team was able to make a hole and they were fetching everyone through the chain tied to a crane above the ground.
His heartbeat was still very fast. Hands were wet. He saw a water tap next him. He went there, yes there was water in the tap. He washed his face and took a few deep breaths. He started walking. At the end of the platform there were many mud houses. He crossed few and after that stopped infront of one. Ajju's old mother was siting there. She tried to stand up seeing Ajju with the help of her stick. Ajju helped her. She was very weak and her wrinkled face was full of tears. She could barely say - "someone told me that you were coming".
They went inside. At one side there was a small bed. Next to it, there was a stove made of mud and few utensils. And at the middle of it, there was a plastic bucket holding the water that poured from the hole in the roof from last two days. Ajju sat next to the bucket and his mother gave him a plate with chapati. They ate together without much of a discussion. But their eyes were not stopping and nobody cared to get rid of the tears rolling from it. After the food, Ajju helped his mother and took her to the bed. Wiped her eyes, kissed her on the forehead. He took out the rolled mattress from one corner, removed the bucket and opened it there. He lay down. And while he was sleeping, his eyes went above to the hole in the roof. He saw a portion of the sky with twinkling stars. Today the annoying hole in the roof was a divine sight to him.
He smiled and wiped his eyes. He thanked almighty for everything and went to sleep.
H M Badruzzaman
