The train was moving at a slow pace. There was some delay because of another train being derailed not far away. The fellow passengers were getting irritated and impatient. John watched them and sighed. He was also in a hurry to reach his destination. His wife and children were waiting for him to arrive and then proceed to the next location, after which they would return to their home country, Ireland.
John noticed a man sitting next to him. He was not very friendly, unlike the others who kept on asking him if he wanted something to eat. He smiled and refused. The train jolted, and the man next to John fell over. John caught him, and he looked back. Not even muttering a thank you, the man got up and walked away. John looked at him. The train had stopped. John looked out of the window to see where it was, and to his surprise, saw the man walk away and run quickly. He wondered why the man had behaved thus.
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John decided to sit near the window where the man had previously sat, and it was then that he noticed the packet. He asked the fellow passengers about it, and they had no clue. The train was still stationed. John took the packet and ran to the door, and shouted to the man who was now far away. He waved the packet, but the strange man did not look back. John held the packet to his ear because he heard a sound, and to his horror, it was a ticking sound. He got down from the train and threw the packet as far as he could into the nearby fields where no one was present, and got back on to the train, which had started moving now. The ticket examiner and the fellow passengers had seen it, and just as the train moved a bit, they all heard a fierce explosion. The people screamed, and they all thanked John for his brave act, but now they were all concerned if there were other packets as well, and the rail police searched the whole train.
The police caught two other anti-social elements who had similar such packets in other compartments and handed them over to the police at the next station. John learned that the train derailment had been caused by similar explosions and a lot of people had been injured. He was shaken but thankful to the Almighty that he had been instrumental in saving lives.
Word spread quickly, and John was interviewed by many television channels. His family was glad that he arrived safely. The authorities gave John and his family a free tour package to thank him for his bravery.
Sayee
