10th Dec, 2025- 5:50 am
The station was just opening its sleep-drenched eyes to the pale light of dawn. A random hawker could be seen here and there rushing by the lethargy that dominated the platforms. As Sonia stepped down to Platform Two, she glanced at the arrival board- Hyderabad Express – Delayed by 40 minutes.
She moaned and lowered herself onto a shiny steel bench rehearsing what she would say. She was waiting to receive a group of students arriving from Hyderabad for a week-long intensive dance workshop. With nothing to do but wait, she wrapped her shawl tighter around herself.
Just then, another train rolled into Platform Three—the overnight train from Mumbai.
The shrill whistle shattered the silence of the morning air.
Something stirred inside her.
In an instant, the years dissolved.
SEVEN YEARS AGO…
Seven years ago, she had arrived in Mumbai with dreams that weren’t entirely her own.
Her excellent score in NEET had earned her a priceless MBBS seat in a coveted government college. There was no end to the congratulatory messages from friends, neighbours and relatives, “You’re going to be a doctor!”
“This is really amazing, we always knew Sonia was cut out for something great!”
“Sonia, remember to treat me for free when you become a doctor.”
Their pride had echoed endlessly in her ‘Thankyous’ and the admiration in their voices soon drowned out the quieter voice inside her.
“Are you sure you want to go after MBBS? Dance is where your heart lives, Sonia,” her mother had gently urged while helping her shop for college. “Don’t choose a life just because others applaud it.”
Sonia had smiled politely, convinced that a brilliant report card simply didn’t belong in a dance studio.
It belonged to a medical college.
Or so she believed.
Her arrival at medical college had been like a dream come true.
But, reality hit much faster than she had expected.
Soon, the lectures felt monotonous. Strange, thick textbooks started towering over her desk. The first month itself became an exhausting blur of sleepless nights, skipped meals and dumb stares at the lecture boards. Tears followed. Her weight went from 62 to 57 and dark circles started settling beneath her weary eyes.
Then came Anatomy Lab.
The seniors grinned mischievously as the freshers were left alone with a cadaver covered by a white sheet.
Sonia felt her stomach churn.
Someone slowly folded back the cloth.
Sonia’s vision blurred.
The next thing she remembered was waking up on the floor, surrounded by worried faces.
For the next two days, a lump in the throat discouraged her from eating anything and an uneasy knot twisted constantly in her stomach.
Next week the Anatomy Lab came around again. She promised herself she would be brave.
She wasn’t.
She fainted once more.
A week later, the demonstrator calmly announced that it was time to begin the first dissection.
The room suddenly felt impossibly small.
Scalpels were laid out neatly beside the cadaver. Sonia’s heart was about to explode. Her head was already spinning and the fingers felt all sweaty.
She certainly did not belong there.
While her classmates started crowding around the cadaver, Sonia quietly escaped.
She returned to her hostel room and packed her suitcase.
An hour later, she sat alone at Mumbai Central station, amidst the enormous crowd.
A ticket to Goa rested in her trembling hands.
She stared at it for what felt like forever.
Am I throwing away a government MBBS seat?
People would give anything for this opportunity.
Am I quitting too early?
Am I simply choosing the easier path?
Each question felt heavier than the last.
The afternoon train to Goa rolled on the platform.
Sonia looked at it. She wanted to run and sit inside, but instead, she froze.
How could she face her relatives?
What would her father say?
Would everyone think she had failed?
The train departed without her.
Dark clouds gathered overhead.
Soon, rain poured across the station roof, drumming loudly on the metal sheets. Passengers in the open hurried for shelter while Sonia remained on the same bench, unwilling to move anywhere.
Medical College no longer felt possible.
Going home felt impossible too.
She had reached a muddled crossroad with nowhere to go.
Her phone vibrated.
It was her mother.
She asked about her well-being and ended the conversation by repeating tenderly- “Sonia, it’s alright to come home if you still have any doubts”- something her mother had been telling her almost everytime- ever since her first fainting episode in the anatomy lab.
Sonia’s throat tightened.
For the first time in weeks, Sonia stopped thinking about disappointing everyone else.
She finally asked herself one simple question.
What life do I want?
That evening, the last train to Goa pulled into the station.
This time, Sonia stood.
Without looking back, she stepped aboard.
10th Dec, 2025- 6:30 am
A shrill whistle made her jumpstart from her reverie.
The slow rumble gave way to the clattering train that squealed to a final halt, pulling Sonia back to the present.
The Hyderabad Express stood quietly at the platform, passengers streaming onto the concourse.
A lively group of teenagers waved excitedly as they spotted the placard in Sonia’s hands bearing the name of her dance institute.
As Sonia waved back, she realized that seven years had passed since she had boarded that last train home.
Today, she wasn’t returning after giving up a borrowed dream. She was standing at the station to welcome those with real dreams.
Watching the students chatter excitedly about the week ahead, Sonia felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. She was glad that her mother had called and she was glad that she had taken the last train home.
Sometimes, the bravest journey isn’t the one that takes you farther from home; it is the one that brings you back!
Writer: Shilpi Haryal (2026)
Place: India
