narrow escape (2)

Now the sun was setting slowly on the west side. The sky was still yellow but in a sleepy mood. All the tourists had gone; the places shut; I was the only soul in that small street surrounded by small houses or villas, with a small shop closed for good, the green hills in the distant, near the horizon, looking darker than before, and finally a car would speed once in 2 mintues. They were mainly travel vans named "Plymouth" or "Bodmin" or "Newquay". I was very close to hitchhiking as I had still a long long way to go. I was scared; for the the first time. I could still get stranded somewhere or the other as even I knew that I still have the hope to get the last bus to Wadebridge, I did'nt know when was the last bus from Wadebridge to Bodmin. Finally at 10 past 5 a middle aged lady walked towards me to catch the last bus. I asked her the timing when she told me it's due in the next 5 mins. Phew!

She started chatting up with me, telling me she is from Sussex and she and her husband have moved to a nearby village and she was at Tintagel looking for a job. I wondered about her life. Taking a bus from one village to another in the middle of the country side, buses that took years to come, and going back home to an almost uncivilised place and doing possibly nothing but counting time. I missed London! I really did. Finally the bus arrived and took me to Wadebridge, which I reached in another hour. Whilst we were approaching the Wadebridge bus station, on the oppopsite side I saw bus #555. DAMN!! My bad luck! So I got off the Wadebridge bus station and again finding myself all alone in this village, looked up at the time table to read that my next bus was after another hour! Now I started wondering about the train timings from Bodmin to London. Nah! Im sure they are running at every hour regularly. So I sighed and sat back on the empty bus stop, removed Castle Dor and started reading again, whilst my ears heard the rustling of the leaves with the head, a distant voice and sleeping houses.

Finally my bus arrived and took me to Bodmin Parkway. We reached Bodmin, a town less rural than the others I saw that day. Yes, finally some civilisation existed. I realised that the train station was actually a good 15 minutes away from the main townside. Anyway, I got off to that same platform in the middle of the forest and went inside the ticket counter. Guess what, I just missed the regular train to Paddington 20 minutes ago! And guess what, the next train was at 11:30 pm! So I had to wait at that station (mind you, in the middle of nowwhere) for another 3 hours! I waited for half an hour calling up my roomates back in London to get numbers for National Rail, UK to find out about other ways to get to London. My mum called me, of course she was mad at me, but she told me to spend the night back down south at Truro and leave for the next morning. No! I missed London. I wanted to head back; to people; to life! Then the ticket master cam out of his shed and told me not to wait in that station. "I am going to leave this station at 9:00 pm. There won't be anyone else here. I suggest you do not stay here. Cos I remember being here on Sundays till 11:00 pm at believe me its quite eerie up here. Why don't you take the next train to Plymouth which is in the next 15 minutes and wait there for the same train. At least there are people on the platforms. And you can find a bed in the train and spend the night there.!"

I could have done that, I was that scared, until I spoke to my mum again and she tempted me to stay back at Truro sleep well and spend the day in the train the next day and enjoying my ride back home with the gorgeous view. Fine! I did that. I called up immediately at Rowan Tree House, apologised for the last minute call and asked the landlady if I could spen another night here. "Of course, you're always welcomed here. I dont have any lodger for that room tonight. You can come as you like". Hmph alright so then again I took the next train to Truro in the next 10 minutes and headed back down south of Cornwall instead of going up north to London.

The sun was setting in the west with the pastures crowned by the shining clouds. All's
dusky and beautiful when the sun sets on my eyes. I passed St Austell again and then Par and finally Truro. I walked out of the station, such a deja vous! I walked towards the supermarket near the cathedral to get some food and water and walked out again on that same, empty cobble stonned square. I walked uphill to reach Rowan Tree House, where Ms Christine, the land lady welcomed me again and replied in narration to my whole story.

I went up to the same cosy room, settled myself on bed with Castle Dor and slept the catherdral shining on me.

The next morning I headed back to Bodmin, which looked so different as it had looked the previous evening. It was happy and beautiful and warm and welcomed more people. I sat down on the train, got the best window seat, saw little streams running parallel to my train covered with bridges once in a few meters, with people's boats floating on them and the sun shining on the yellow pastures. My eyes were open till I reached the Tamar Bridge. As I passed the bridge I looked back where on the opposite side on the metal bars was written, 'Welcome to Cornwall'. I smiled, turned back to the front and fell asleep till I reached Paddington.