The train stopped in the middle of the night. Wincy, a cute girl in her teens, peered out through the window. Faint light from a distant lamp fell upon a man sleeping in the platform that otherwise looked deserted.

"Wincy," a voice from behind startled her. "You are still awake!"

It was Alan, a fair and lean boy of her age with brown long hair partly covering his forehead. He had been sleeping rather clumsily, which he realized soon after getting up due to the jerk of the stopping train.

Alan looked across the compartment to the other boys and girls who were in deep sleep. The six of them had occupied the entire compartment. They had been happily playing cards till late at night, enjoying the commencement of vacations and eager about the trip to Blue Valley, before they started falling asleep one by one. Not one of them had bothered to take the upper berth for a comfortable sleep. They just fell, one over the other in a ridiculous manner, and died off for a sleep.

"Yeah," Wincy replied. "Not feeling sleepy."

"Is it some station?" Alan said, trying to look out in the dark.

"Think so."

Alan opened his bag to pull out a water bottle that turned out to be empty. "Do you have water?"

Wincy waved her empty bottle and shrugged. "May be the others have it. I am feeling thirsty too."

Alan took out Ron's bag from under the seat. "No," he said after a bit of careless checking.

"Lucy might have it," Wincy suggested. "I'll check."

"I think we can get it down there, if it's a platform."

"You think so?" Wincy gave a doubtful expression.

"There is some light coming from there if you see."

"Over there?" Wincy pointed straight. "Near that sleeping man?"

"No, look that side," Alan said. "It seems to be a little shop."

Wincy looked at Alan with an unsure look.

"Wait I'll go and get some water." Alan stood up quickly.

"Wait, wait. I'll come along."

Wincy was a little decent girl in appearance. But she never wanted to miss an adventure, even if it looked horrible. She was hardly concerned about water at this time. She wanted to have a closer look of that sleeping man. She had somehow made up her mind he was a platform ghost. Actually she doubted she would find any such man after going out of the train. He would be, she assumed, lost in the darkness.

As Alan and Wincy walked past the other compartments towards the gate of the train coach, they heard snores piercing through the otherwise silent air. Upon reaching they found the gate of the coach closed. It seemed a little weird as gates should normally be open in a station.

Alan turned the handle and the gate opened with an irritating loud sound. "Doesn't anybody board from this station?" he said as he looked out into the emptiness. The station board read "The Sierena Woods."

"I have read of this place before," Wincy said, trying to remember where.

The Sierena Woods had once been a paradise for bird lovers. Tourists and researchers from across the globe used to visit the jungles of Sierena for its diversity of birds. Time had changed since then. Most of the species had gone extinct as a result of intensive hunting. And those that remained were wary of humans.

No tourist would come to this place now. The local human population had declined as well. Only a few people lived in the town by the jungle. Most of them had once been the happy guides or boatmen of the place, and now they managed to engage themselves with an alternative source of income.

Alan and Wincy jumped out of the train. Alan headed straight towards the spot where he assumed there was a shop. Wincy stopped to look at the man who slept in rags. He was heavily bearded over his dark tanned skin. He did not seem to have a peaceful sleep, as he changed his orientation frequently. He wasn't really sleeping, Wincy assumed, and was just trying to get his eyes hidden from the darkness of the platform.

"Come," Alan called when he saw Wincy lagging behind. "We need to hurry else the train will start before we get water."

Wincy turned her sight from the man in rags and took a few quick steps to match up with Alan who already looked in a hurry. They had hardly covered a quarter of the distance towards what they thought to be a shop, before the train's whistle gave them a brief tremble.

Wincy had got off the train with the prime motive of having some thrill. But Alan was out for the sake of his thirst. And he doubted the next station would come shortly.

They turned around quickly towards the train before looking at each other for a short moment. A man disembarked from from the same coach where they had been. He was tall and slim with a suitcase in his hand and a giant hat that came up to his eyes. He looked calm but walked fast with long steps. In seconds he disappeared into the darkness.

Something was not right. Wait. "The suitcase!" Alan looked at Wincy in shock.

It was her suitcase.

Without wasting a second they rushed to the spot where they had spotted him. He was nowhere to be seen. They followed in the direction they supposed he had gone to, but to no good use. They ran up to the exit. Not a man came to their sight till the distance.

Yellow light from a bulb reflected from the tiny droplets that fell from the girl's eyes to her spotless cheeks.

"It's just a suitcase," Alan tried to console her. "Relax! Besides Lia's dresses won't be too big for you. I mean for the trip."

Wincy wiped off her face as they walked back to the platform. To their dismay and horror, the train was gone.