Bala, my elder brother, embarked on a journey from Tiruchirapalli to Thiruvananthapuram, accompanied by his faithful friend and occasional foe—Sleep. Known for his legendary napping skills, he possessed the knack to slip into slumber at any place, any time, assuming the most unconventional sleeping postures.
Well aware of his tendency to sleep through alarms, I, the dutiful sister, vowed to disrupt his midnight peace as his train approached Thiruvananthapuram.
Executing my plan, I initiated the first wake-up call precisely at the stroke of midnight.
No response.
Like a DJ spinning beats, 'drring-drring-drring,' I orchestrated a midnight concert for over thirty suspenseful minutes.
Panic set in as my dormant brain cells frantically signaled, "Sister, brace yourself; your brother is on the verge of missing his destination!"
Each missed call carried the weight of a potential catastrophe, and the silence on the other end of the line fueled my growing anxiety.
Worried but determined, I bombarded him with messages and calls for an additional ten minutes, inventing wild theories in my mind of locked-up loo adventures—OMG! My brother was stuck in the train restroom and battling with a stubborn door. Then came the geographic conspiracy theory—I wondered if the train was stuck in the wilderness with no signal, making my calls unheard. I played out lost phone scenarios in my mind like a suspense thriller—perhaps he had accidentally tossed his phone deep down into his travel bag, leaving it imprisoned amidst snacks, a water bottle, and charging cables.
The dinner choice gone wrong became the next hypothesis—my brother bravely succumbed to a food coma. Epic ninja battles unfolded inside the train as passengers argued over getting the lower or upper berths, and my brother played the role of peacemaker. The darkest hour brought forth the scariest speculation—from his health being in peril to imagining a sudden jolt, an unexpected sway, and a heart-stopping moment where my brother, standing on the edge of the door and talking on his phone, could have disappeared into the dark abyss below. My mind buried him alive in the tsunami of anxious thoughts, creating vivid scenarios. Each scenario was like a sequel, outdoing the previous one.
Slowly as I settled my nerves, reality hit, and my inner voice reassured me, "Relax, sister. Nothing's happened to your brother; he's safe and just lost in dreamland, far beyond the reach of your determined dialing."
Surrendering to the moment, I entered meditative mode, deciding to let Bala enjoy an uninterrupted blockbuster nap until Guruvayur, the final stop.
The "Where is my train" app had turned into my oracle and revealed Thiruvananthapuram was looming closer.
I dropped down on the couch with a solid thud. Despite the miles between us, the seismic waves of my brother’s snores made it to my ears. A hearty laugh escaped me when I acknowledged that my mission had come to a screeching halt.
My thoughts hit pause—a brief brain freeze.
Then, boom, enlightenment struck!! At 12:40, my phone vibrated with "Bala calling," and I experienced a rebirth.
My brother's voice, as cool as a cucumber, was so laid-back that it felt like he was leisurely strolling through a park while I was running a worry marathon. He casually said, “I am so sorry," his tone unfazed, "I forgot to take my phone off silent mode before going to sleep. Right now, I'm clueless about the train's location – so where exactly on Earth am I?”
Quickly consulting the 'Where is my train' app, I discovered the train chilling in the outer region, yet to reach the Thiruvananthapuram station platform.
At 12:50 am, a message popped up: "Reached Thiruvananthapuram. Time for both of us to go to sleep. Your ears and fingers must be aching. Take rest, dear, and I am sorry once again." Bala added an avalanche of mischievous grin emojis.
Relief washed over me upon seeing my brother’s "reached" message. I thanked the heavens for sparing him from my overactive imagination; none of my wild worries had materialized.
Despite feeling relieved, frustration lingered from the ordeal, and I responded with an angry emoji, saying, "Good Night, Sleep Champion." amidst laughter and apologies, the midnight Guruvayur Express adventure became another cherished and funny chapter in our sibling story.