Station Announcement:
"Passengers approaching uncertain borders: your heart may be inspected more than your baggage."
The Indo–Nepal border near Banbasa didn't look like a frontier.
No towering fences.No grand arches.Just a river flowing slowly between two nations, guarded by aging pillars and a few tired officers who had seen too much and understood too little.
The group stood near the narrow bridge that connected India to Nepal.
The Himalayan foothills hovered in the distance, blue-green and endless.A mist curled like a silent witness across the river's surface.
Kannan held the photograph of Akshay close to his heart — the image of his son beside Joshi at the outpost.
Arun walked beside him, ready to steady him at the smallest tremor.
Sara watched the group, motherly in her vigilance.
Nish had the Ridge Outpost documents tucked into a waterproof pouch.
Arjun and Basil carried the ropes and supplies.Rohit handled passports and border entries.Leena and Ananya watched movement around them with sharp, investigative eyes.
And Ravi —Ravi watched the river, remembering every child he had seen vanish into shadows like these.
1. The Officer Who Looked Twice
A border officer approached, tapping his pen against the logbook.
"Purpose of entry?"
Nish answered quietly:
"We're searching for a missing boy."
The officer didn't flinch.
He had heard that too many times.
But when Kannan held out the photograph —
Something shifted in the officer's face.
His eyes widened.
He took the photo with trembling fingers.
"This boy…" he whispered."I know this boy."
Kannan's breath stopped.
Arun gripped his arm in reflex.
Sara moved closer, her pulse hammering.
The officer swallowed.
"Yes," he said."He crossed this border. Many years ago. With a group of children."
Kannan's voice cracked.
"My son… crossed here? With… Joshi?"
The officer nodded slowly.
"Yes. The man wore khaki. Said he was taking them to a home in Nepal."
Rohit clenched his fists.
"And you believed him?"
The officer flinched.
"He had documents. Stamps. He said the children were runaways. He told us he was saving them from exploitation in the red-light zone."
Sara's face twisted in anguish.
"He was the exploitation."
The officer lowered his eyes.
"I… I realized that too late."
Nish stepped forward, voice controlled but burning.
"What else do you know?"
The officer looked around, then motioned them toward a small outpost room.
Inside, he shut the door and spoke softly.
"There was a pattern.Every monsoon.A group of 10–12 children transported through here under fake welfare documents."
Arjun whispered:
"A network."
The officer nodded.
"But one child tried to escape on the bridge."
Kannan's heart nearly stopped.
"Who?" he whispered.
The officer handed him a small, old report sheet.
Kannan read aloud through trembling lips:
"One minor male attempted to run. Was retrieved. Identified himself as 'Akshay.'Said: 'I want Appa.'Group leader sedated him.Child transported onward."
The room went silent.
Completely silent.
Arun's eyes filled.
Sara covered her mouth.
Ravi shook his head slowly, tears forming.
And Kannan —Kannan collapsed into the nearest chair, shoulders shaking violently as the truth struck him like a tidal wave.
"He… he tried to escape…He called for me…and I wasn't there…"
Arun knelt in front of him.
"You are here now," he whispered, voice steady despite breaking."Every step you take is toward the boy who kept calling for you."
Kannan nodded weakly, tears streaming.
2. The Woman by the Tea Stall
As they exited the office, a woman at a nearby tea stall watched them closely —eyes sharp beneath her headscarf.
She whispered to a young girl beside her:
"Those people… they're searching for one of the children…"
The girl nodded and gestured them closer.
"Come," she said softly.
The group approached the stall.
The woman leaned forward.
"You're looking for the children from Route SR–17," she said.
Nish stiffened.
"You know about it?"
She nodded.
"I saw them. Many times. They passed this bridge in small groups. Always under the khaki man."
Kannan whispered:
"Did you see my son?"
He held up the photograph.
The woman looked at it for a long time — longer than anyone else had.
Then she closed her eyes.
And nodded.
"Yes," she said."He was here. He cried quietly. He kept asking every passerby if they had seen a man who looked like him."
Kannan broke again.
Sara held him tightly, whispering prayers in Malayalam under her breath.
The woman continued:
"The man was taking them to Mahendranagar, a border town in Nepal."
Nish noted it instantly.
"Why Mahendranagar?" he asked.
The woman lowered her voice.
"Because from there…the children disappear into the hills."
Arun inhaled sharply.
"And no one tracks them."
The woman nodded.
"Except for one person."
The group leaned closer.
"A man named Jeevan Tamang," she said."A former police constable. He works alone now — rescuing children who were trafficked. He knows the routes Joshi used."
Kannan whispered:
"Where can we find him?"
She pointed across the river, into Nepal.
"Mahendranagar.He visits the old bus depot every morning."
Arjun nodded.
"That is our next stop."
But the woman wasn't done.
"There's something else," she said softly."One night… after the group crossed the bridge… a child broke free and ran back."
Everyone froze.
Kannan's breath caught sharply.
"A child?" he whispered."Was it my son?"
The woman shook her head.
"No. It was a smaller boy. Hurt. Feverish. He collapsed near my stall. I took him in."
Arun whispered:
"Dev…"
"No," she said.
"Another child."
Sara leaned forward.
"What did he say?"
The woman looked straight at Kannan.
"He said:'Akshay is brave. Akshay said don't worry. Akshay said he will find his Appa even in another country.'"
Kannan covered his face with both hands, sobbing into them.
Arun held him from behind.
Sara stroked his hair gently.
The woman touched his arm lightly.
"Your son," she whispered,"was the only one who gave hope to the others."
3. The Road Into Nepal
As they prepared to cross the border, Ravi whispered:
"He crossed here…He fought…He believed you were somewhere beyond the next hill."
Arun nodded.
"And now we cross for him."
Nish gathered their documents.
Arjun secured their supplies.
Sara whispered to Kannan:
"Your son walked into another country hoping you would be there.Now you walk into that country hoping he still is."
Kannan inhaled shakily, eyes filled with fragile courage.
"I will find him," he whispered."Even if I must follow every step he took."
They crossed the bridge.
Into Nepal.Into the trail of a boy who never stopped walking toward love.