Ramesh, Lakshmi, and Arun sat outside the railway police station. Their faces showed exhaustion, fear, and helplessness. They had spent the entire day searching for Jwala, but there was still no news of their little girl.
They were too worried to think about food. Lakshmi sat silently, holding Arun close to her. Ramesh stared at the station entrance, hoping someone would come out with good news.
An elderly railway labourer, around 55 years old, noticed the family. He had been watching them for some time. Feeling sorry for them, he approached and offered them a bottle of water.
“Please drink some water. You haven’t had anything since morning,” he said gently.
Ramesh accepted the bottle, but his hands trembled.
“Sir, please help us find our daughter. She is only four years old,” he pleaded.
The labourer sat beside them and tried to comfort them.
“Don’t lose hope. Keep asking the police. Someone must help you.”
He noticed that the officers were busy with their duties and were paying little attention to the desperate family. Feeling concerned, he approached a constable.
“Sir, please check the CCTV footage carefully. That little girl may have been captured on camera. Her parents are suffering terribly.”
The constable agreed to check the footage. He spent nearly four hours watching the recordings, carefully examining the available images. But he could not find anything that could help identify Jwala.
Eventually, his duty time came to an end.
When another officer came out of the station, Ramesh rushed towards him.
“Sir, did you find anything? Please tell me. Is my daughter safe?”
The officer looked irritated.
“We have already told you that we are checking. Stop coming to us again and again. We will contact you if we find something.”
Ramesh stood still, unable to answer.
The elderly labourer stepped forward.
“Sir, they have lost their little daughter. They are not here to trouble you. Please give them some time and help them if you can.”
The officer said nothing and walked away.
It was almost nine o’clock at night. The labourer went to a nearby food stall and returned with a packet of meals.
“Come on, eat something,” he said, placing the food in front of them.
“We cannot eat, sir,” Lakshmi replied, tears filling her eyes. “How can we eat when we don’t know where our daughter is?”
The labourer looked at Arun, who was sitting quietly beside his mother.
“I understand your pain. But look at your son. He must be hungry. You need strength to find your daughter. Please feed him at least.”
His words touched Lakshmi. She slowly opened the food packet and gave Arun a few mouthfuls. The boy ate silently, looking at his parents with frightened eyes.
Ramesh and Lakshmi tried to eat a little, but every mouthful felt difficult to swallow.
As the night grew darker, police officers finished their duties and began leaving the station. One officer, just before signing out, glanced at the family.
“Without proper identification or a photograph, how do you expect us to find your daughter? We will see what can be done tomorrow.”
Then he walked away.
Ramesh lowered his head. They had no photograph of Jwala, no identity documents, no money, and no one to support them. They had lost their daughter, and now they felt they were being treated as if their pain did not matter.
The labourer returned to them.
“You cannot stay here all night,” he warned. “This place is not safe, especially for a family with a small child. Please find somewhere safe to rest. I will come back tomorrow morning and see what I can do.”
Ramesh looked at him with grateful eyes.
“Why are you helping us, sir? Nobody else seems to care.”
The labourer paused for a moment.
“Because you are parents who have lost their child. If it were my family, I would hope someone would help me too.”
His words brought tears to Ramesh’s eyes.
The labourer walked away, leaving the family outside the station. Ramesh held Arun close while Lakshmi continued to stare at the dark railway platform.
They had arrived in this city hoping to build a better future for their children. Now, they had no home to return to, no one to guide them, and no idea where Jwala was.
That night, as the city continued its life around them, three helpless souls waiting.....................