Letters

Letters

I was twelve years old and it was the year 1918. Today I received my dad's letter. The letter said, he was alright and he missed me and mom.

He said more than two years had passed since he left. But he was hopeful that the war would end soon and all of us would reunite.

He said that he was sick of the gunshots and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. He just wanted to return to his family and return to his home.

He was tired of the war and fighting not only physically but mentally as well.

He said that as I was growing up I needed to look after my mother and take care of her.

He said I needed to be strong and study well.

He said further war inflicts atrocities on innocent people and leaves them scarred for life. It hardly does any good, rather snatches away peace and family from the people. It takes a long time to heal from it physically and emotionally.

I got these letters from my father every alternate month or sometimes after three or four months.

Time kept moving and this was the fourth year the war had stretched quite long.

But soon it ended.

Soldiers were returning.

Some as dead bodies.

Some gravely injured .

Some were lucky to return healthy.

My father died. We were informed last week.

His body and belongings arrived within a month.

My mom and I were shattered.

Our loss could not be expressed in words.

As days passed then months I kept reading his letters.

I vividly remember that night it rained heavily I was sixteen years old then .

In the morning it was still drizzling.

I was picking up the newspaper when I saw a letter sticking out from the mail box.

I opened it to take it out . As I read it to see the sender I was shocked to see it was from my father.

I started reading it , tears swelling my eyes.

He said he loved us immensely.

He said he was alright.

And in the end he said he'll keep in touch.

I still receive his letters.

I am fifty five .

This mystery haunts me.

But it is a beautiful secret which only my mother and I know about.

That these letters are from beyond.