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Mystery of the Lost Soldier

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**Year 2023:**

The broad daylight did not reach the room. Instead, it was the hanging lights above them that lit the two-tiered hall. The room was filled with murmurs and whispers that floated above the heads of the girls and through the roof.

Penetrating light from the lamps illuminated the figure seated in the front row of the library table, stacked with books. Rukmini grabbed her hair, heaving a frustrated sigh while the steady sound of heels tapping on the wooden floor approached her.

“Hey! It’s lunch break. Let’s go and grab some food,” Shruti chimed.

“Nah, I have some work pending. You can go and have yours; I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Rukmini replied, gazing at her book, digging her head down as if searching for something valuable.

She got up from her place, put her pen down, and found a letter. She jumped like a little kid who had just gotten their favorite possession and headed towards the college canteen, where her bestie Shruti was having lunch and saving a place for her. After some time, they finished their lunch and headed towards the lecture hall, as it was their history lecture period.

“Why do you put so much effort into finding something about a person you barely know and who doesn’t even exist?” Shruti asked while keeping her books on the desk, preparing for the next lecture.

“You know how much I like history and to find out about a person's past, whether they lived or not.” Rukmini replied as Shruti nodded in approval.

“Did you find anything about that soldier, Raman? Or are your researches simply a waste of time?” Shruti enquired again.

“Yes, I found a letter written by him in one of his magazines,” Rukmini chimed in frenzy and showed her the letter. She was puzzled by the words written by him on the paper.

“There’s no mention of any person he had loved in the magazine or books. How is that possible?” Shruti uttered, confusion covering her face, while Rukmini got more excited to search about him further. Their conversation ended when their ma’am started the lecture.

Rukmini was a history student at the University of Calcutta. She was the top scorer in her college and had a great passion for researching people, while her friend Shruti was also a topper in her class. They were both in their first year. Rukmini had brown hazel eyes, long hair rippling down like a cascade of water, and was famous for her ethics and morals.

They headed out of the lecture hall towards their house as the lecture ended. Rukmini chimed, “How nice it would be to live in 1914—no social media, no big buildings. We would only get to see people conversing, sharing their thoughts, being happy. I want to experience it once in my lifetime.”

Shruti, quite tiredly, replied, “How boring. No parties, no mobile phones, social media—ew, would hate that life.”

They reached their home, chit-chatting all the way. Rukmini was exhausted as she reached the door knob and entered, flopping herself on the couch, grabbing some snacks while watching an ancient legend series. Feeling bored, she went to her room to sleep as a deep slumber welcomed her.