Author: Ruskin Bond
Genre: Short story
Setting: Deoli, a small town in India
Characters:
* Ruskin Bond: The protagonist of the story, a young boy who is traveling by train to Deoli.
* The Old Man: A fellow passenger on the train, who tells Ruskin about the history of Deoli and its haunted railway station.
* The Ghost: A mysterious figure who is said to haunt the Deoli railway station.
Plot:
Ruskin Bond is a young boy who is traveling by train to Deoli, a small town in India. He is accompanied by an old man, who tells him about the history of Deoli and its haunted railway station. The old man tells Ruskin that the station is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young woman who was killed in a train accident.
Ruskin is skeptical of the old man's stories, but he becomes increasingly uneasy as the train approaches Deoli. When the train finally arrives, Ruskin is the only passenger who gets off. He is met by a strange, silent man who leads him to a nearby hotel.
The hotel is old and rundown, and Ruskin is the only guest. He is given a room on the second floor, which is said to be haunted by the ghost of the young woman. Ruskin tries to sleep, but he is kept awake by strange noises coming from the hallway. He eventually falls asleep, but he is awakened in the middle of the night by a cold chill. He opens his eyes and sees the ghost of the young woman standing in the doorway.
The ghost is beautiful, but she is also sad and lonely. She tells Ruskin that she is waiting for someone to come and take her away from the railway station. Ruskin promises to help her, and he arranges for her to meet her long-lost lover.
The next morning, Ruskin wakes up and finds that the ghost has disappeared. He goes downstairs and meets the old man, who tells him that the ghost has finally been able to move on. Ruskin is glad that he was able to help her, and he leaves Deoli with a new sense of hope.
Themes:
* Hauntings
* Love and loss
* Redemption