It was erstwhile Madras (and the current Chennai), where this happened. Madras was (and is) known for its splendid shopping centers. It was a sunny Sunday and the family was caught in what seemed to them an unfamiliar melee as they shopped in Madras. The time was 4 pm. They knew that they had their train at 7.30 pm. Yet, they appeared to be in no mood to curb their shopping. The time passed and the money as well, passed hands. At last, they ended their shopping session, just as the clock struck 5.30 pm. A visit to the restaurant notwithstanding, they were quite optimistic about catching up with the train. The time now was well above 6 pm. They slowly felt they were on the other side of the clock and had to hurry. With umpteen suitcases to be carried, it was never a surprise that they hired an auto to reach the railway station. "Do you think we'll reach the train?" asked the youngest of them. No one had the answer. Little did they know that it was the Melee of Madrasian Traffic that had the final say. The junction was a fair distance away from where they started, around 14 kms. Slowly they made their way through the traffic. "What if we get stuck in all the signals?" the usually brisk granny thought. Three signals had been crossed by then and to their misfortune, everytime they reached for it, the only light that flickered was red!
The family constituted of people of all ages, from a boy of 6 to a grandmom of 65. They had to juggle between speed and safety. At one point of time everyone felt sure that they would miss the train. It was Madras Mayhem for them. They had to stop at every signal. They couldn't do anything else. A helicopter could've airlifted them to the station, they could've started early. They hoped the train would start late. If that happened, would they still be able to catch up with the train? The answer to it was blowing away in the wind, without an answer to its rescue.
They had caught a glimpse of the Raliway Station, a few metres away. But, they weren't helped in even a single way as the road signal flashed the 'red' light. "Let's hope the same 'red' signal flashes for the train as well", said another. They finally made their way into the station and the platform as well. Where was the train? It was slowly gaining it's speed. The grandma had to run like anything and slowly the drama unfolded. To their greatest agony, the suitcases outnumbered the family. Grandma made her way in the first and slowly the others crept in before it was too late. It was a thrilling experience for the youngest of them all, the 6year old (because all he did was look & lament at others' helplessness).
They decided not repeat it once again. When they had to catch the 7.30 pm train the next time round, they were at the Station well before the clock on top of the building had struck 4 pm. :)
- This happened in reality too. I was a 6 year old then. So, all I had to do was to wait and watch as the things unfolded. Now, I have the luxury so as to wait and watch how the reactions to this short story (or rather a shorter long story) are.
