The train rattled through the darkness, carrying hundreds of passengers towards their destinations. Inside the general compartment, the noise had slowly faded. Some passengers were sleeping, while others sat quietly, exhausted from the long journey.
Ramesh had finally returned from the washroom after nearly thirty minutes. Pushing his way through the crowded compartment, he reached Lakshmi and the children near the door.
Arun and Jwala were sleeping peacefully beside their mother.
Ramesh sighed with relief. He had been worrying about his family throughout the journey. Now, with the children asleep, he hoped to get a little rest.
But standing in the crowded compartment was uncomfortable. His eyes grew heavy, and despite his efforts to stay awake, he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Lakshmi was exhausted too. She adjusted Jwala's head on her lap and closed her eyes.
Nobody noticed how much time had passed.
Suddenly, the train slowed down.
A loud announcement echoed through the compartment.
“Attention, passengers! The next station is Delhi. Passengers travelling to Delhi are requested to prepare their luggage.”
The announcement disturbed the sleeping passengers. People immediately began pulling down their bags, searching for their belongings, and pushing towards the doors.
The compartment became noisy again.
Someone dragged a suitcase across the floor. A man called out to his family. Passengers squeezed past one another, desperate to get off the train.
In the middle of this confusion, Lakshmi slowly opened her eyes.
She looked at Arun, who was sleeping beside her.
Then she turned towards Jwala.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Jwala wasn't there.
At first, Lakshmi thought the little girl might have moved closer to her father. She looked towards Ramesh.
He was still standing nearby, half asleep.
“Ramesh,” she whispered. “Where is Jwala?”
He barely opened his eyes.
“What?”
“Jwala… where is she?”
Suddenly, Lakshmi began searching around her. She checked beneath the seats and looked between the passengers.
“Jwala?”
Her voice trembled.
“Jwala!”
She shook Ramesh's arm desperately.
“Ramesh, wake up! Our daughter is missing!”
Ramesh opened his eyes fully.
“What are you saying? She was sleeping right here!”
“I don't know! She was beside me. I only closed my eyes for a little while!”
Ramesh stared at the empty space where his daughter had been sleeping.
For a moment, he couldn't move.
Then he began shouting.
“Jwala! Jwala, where are you?”
He pushed through the crowd, looking beneath the seats and checking every corner of the compartment.
“Has anyone seen a little girl? She is four years old! Please, tell me if you have seen her!”
Nobody had an answer.
The train was approaching Delhi, and passengers were still rushing towards the doors. Ramesh searched one compartment after another, calling his daughter's name until his voice became hoarse.
Lakshmi stood frozen, tears streaming down her face.
“Ramesh, please find our daughter! I cannot live without her!”
When the train finally stopped at Delhi, Ramesh rushed onto the platform and began searching among the crowds. He asked passengers, railway workers, and vendors whether they had seen a little girl.
Some tried to help. Others hurried away without stopping.
Finally, Ramesh spotted a railway police officer and ran towards him.
“Sir, please help me! My four-year-old daughter is missing. We were travelling on this train, and now she has disappeared!”
The officer immediately began making inquiries and arranged for a search of the platform and nearby compartments.
Ramesh waited, trembling with fear.
Minutes passed.
Then more minutes.
But Jwala was nowhere to be found.
Lakshmi sat on the platform, holding Arun tightly against her chest.
“Where is my daughter?” she sobbed. “She must be frightened. She must be looking for me!”
Ramesh looked at the crowds moving across the platform. Every little girl he saw made him rush forward, hoping it was Jwala.
But each time, his hopes were shattered.
Only that morning, he had promised Lakshmi that he would do anything to give their children a better life.
Now, he couldn't even find his little girl.
As the train prepared to leave Delhi, Ramesh faced a terrifying question: Had Jwala wandered away in the crowded station, or had someone taken her?