The Signalman Story

This night, I stand near of railway. There is a long tunnel through a large hill. The entrance to the tunnel is very dark. I look down into the cutting. There is a signal box at the bottom of the cutting. The signal box is a small wooden building. It’s floor is four feet above the ground. It is next to the railway tracks, fifty feet from the entrance of the tunnel. A signalman is standing by the metal tracks. He is holding a red flag. There are another flag and two lamps on the ground. I shout to him, But he don’t reply. I walk towards the signalman, after that the signalman talk me about the signal, he said “red lamp and red flag is a warning signal. And when the driver see the white flag or lamp he does not stop his train.”

After long dialog, the signalman ask me to come to the signal box. In the boxsignal there is an electric bell. There is also a telegraph machine. It bring messages and send messages. The signalman tell me about it. He tell me briefly about the face of this machine, how to send and read messages. And then I ask to signalman about the electric bell. He said “some wires go to the bell and the telegraph in the signal box at the other end of the tunnel. When the bell rings once, that’s mean there is a message for me. Then, when the bell rings twice it’s mean the train will arrive at my signal box. Then i’ll put a white signal. And when the bell rings three times i must stop all other trains at my signalbox. And i send the message too.” After that the signalman explain me about his job. After two hours, he ask me to left the signal box and we will talk again in another day.

Next night, at eleven. The second meeting with the signalman. We go to inside the signalbox, and he tell me a story. “I will tell you my story now, you’re not him!” he told me quietly. “Yesterday I come here for the first time, who are you talking about” I said. “I dont know, I have never seen his face, he puts his hand in front of his face or he waves his right arm, I have never seen his face” Frightened people, i think. “One night, a year ago, I was sitting here. I heard a voice, he said “Hello” Then I saw somebody. A figure was standing near the tunnel. He was standing by red warning light. He was waving his arm he shouted “Danger”. And the figure dissapeared. The signalman ran into the tunnel, there’s no one.” An accident happened a year ago, i couldn’t sleep after the accident, i couldn’t eat. I was ill. Three months after that I was happier. But, six months ago I saw the figure again. He stood in the sunlight and put both of his hand in front of his face sir.” said the signalman. And in the last carriage a young lady had died. But the figure or the ghost always disturbs the signalman.

Next day I walk towards the railway. I see the figure, the man who put his arm in front of his man. “There is a ghost.” I close my eyes. When i open my eyes the figure is not a ghost. It is a man, and another man watching him. Oh no! A train killed the signalman this afternoon.“The signalman put the red flag on the pole, its a warning for the london train. But he stood on the railway. The train hit the signalman.” Said the man. Tom as the driver said that he saw the signalman and he tried to stop the train. He shouted and rang the bell. But the signalman didn’t hear.Finally, the end of this story was as strange as it’s beginning.