A few weeks ago I came across an article in the local newspapers here about the tragic death of 3 siblings on a railway track. Apparently they were struck while playing or walking on the tracks. It was heart wrenching to see the image of their mother, consoled by relatives and in tears of losing her loved ones. I had to turn the page but thought to myself - surely they could have heard the train coming, right? or was it a planned suicide? That was the disturbing thought that I brought home and I happened to share this with my wife and what she thought about it. She turned to me, put down the dinner plate that she was drying up and told me her spine chilling experience. It happened when she was much younger, well, 9 years old to be exact. There was a railway track maybe 10 meters behind her back yard.

One day, being adventurous, she and her brother decided to take a short cut to get to the other side, sometimes just strolling along the middle of the track before hopping off. This became an every day mini-adventure. One fine, clear and sunny day, on one of their rail track adventures, something happened that made them swear not to take the tracks ever again. This answered my earlier question.

My wife remembered on that day, that they hopped off the track just a couple of minutes before an express passenger train whooshed passed them, horns blaring, the clanging of steel wheels against steel track, the works.... They were very sure - they couldn't and didnt hear it coming.

Some (the older generation) say that there are mischievous and unsettled spirits that roam the railway tracks and by some mysterious reason, 'close' the ears of whoever is on the tracks with them. I don't know, it must have have been divine intervention that saved my wife and her brother on that day. I believe it was.