Childhood train journeys.

( Written about a resurfaced memory )

This visual instantly transported me to a childhood train journey, games of snakes and ladders, a Walkman shared between six cousins, the travelling smell of cold parathas and aachar, routine wails offering ‘caaaaafi’ and ‘chaaaaai’ and the nagging thought that came with - I wish I’d packed more parlé-g. 

The slow cradle chuk-chuk-chuk-chuk would’ve lulled me to sleep with its rhythmic snore by 6pm, if it weren’t for my cacophony of cousins and the games we had planned to play. And so we began our game of snakes and ladders. Our first taste of destiny. 

If we rolled a six, we were high. It felt like larger numbers were safer somehow even though they often led us to our doom. Downhill slides down snakeskin, back to the bottom of the board. Yet we played on, somehow thinking that it was more than luck that made us win. That we had something to do with it. Hidden skill. 

Meanwhile a fight erupted between two.

“It’s been twwwwwooo songs. You said you’d pass the earphone after one song. That’s not fair!” Waterworks. They could have been mine. The momentary loser of snakes and ladders saw the perfect opportunity - just a nudge and the game tipped over. “What?! You did that because I was winning!!” “Winning?? Don’t lie. I was winning! ” Waterworks again. 

Bedtime. Chuk-chuk-chuk-chuk. With each rhythmic chuk, this time, a child snored. 

mohini