The Letter

Dear Mama, Papa, Grandma, and everyone who has been worried and crying because of us…

We, The Four, were children brought up near water bodies. Our love for water has always been with us, wherever we are, be it in our own respective homes or in the Relief Camp.

We are innocent small kids, so innocent that we don't even know why or how this war started and still continues. And we do not want to know either. We are interested in playing and laughing together with friends, sharing food and eatables, playing under the sun until we sweat, and taking a bath under the rain. But, even though we haven't done anything wrong, we are now paying the price of this war.

Yes, we deeply miss our village, our homes, the water, the trees, the animals, and everything. We miss playing in the water. At last, we decided to once again feel our homes and the environment by visiting and playing in the river. We just want to feel the water/river because it reminds us of our homes. We never thought that our 'missing of home and playing in the river' would result in our loved ones like you all missing us from this earth.

Since the night of 19th March 2024, we became the talk of the town. And many of you searched for us throughout the long night, but in vain! Sorry for making you all tired and weary throughout. But we were just kids who wanted to live as kids, and we went to the riverside to play. Neither did we realize that it would be the last time we ever touched water. The next morning, the search for us continued, and there we were, all lifeless forms. The hoarded worries since yesterday night now turn to cries and screams. Sorry! We never imagined making you all sad.

We were just kids who wanted to live as kids. We wanted to build castles from wet mud and clay along the riverbanks, skip stones, splash and sprinkle water on each other, bathe and scrub off dirt with small river stones. As we played and bathed, we also had fun in tickling each other and taking turns on scrubbing each other's back.

We would hide our friends' clothes, and when they finished bathing, they would search for them with puzzled looks while we giggled. These were some of the simple pleasures we cherished as children, and for once, we tried living as we were meant to be. And then, we were gone, gone from this earth. For this world has no place for kids like us to live as kids.

Oh, river! Have you, too, turned as cruel as some humans? We came to play by your side, innocent and full of joy, but you snatched us away. Now, mama, papa, grandma, grandpa, sisters, brothers, and everyone we loved is left in tears.

Oh God, didn't you know that we were your innocent children? So young that when all four of our ages were tallied, we only reached 25 years together. Besides, we were internally displaced persons (IDPs), living in a relief camp. Our fathers and brothers are on the frontline, while our mothers and grandmas toil so hard, earning whatever they can on a daily basis. Even though we were small, we were the only hope of our parents. After enduring whatever hardships, we became their last string of hope, and now you've cut us off from them. Our loved ones are left with nothing but despair.

And now, we, The Four talk among ourselves:
If there were no war, we would still be playing in the village streets, laughing and leaving our marks along the riverbank. We would come home dirty but happy, sharing stories of our day. But war stole our childhood, our joy, leaving only silence and taking our memories and lives in its wake.

Goodbye Mama, Papa, Grandma, Siblings… And all those who loved us.

With love, The four:
Hathoithem Lupho@ Lenchonghoi (9)
Lallenchung Lupho (6)
Thanggouhao Haokip (5)
Thongkhohao Haokip (5)