LOVE, LIVE, DIE | A TREASURE HUNT STORY

Truth and Dare with a burning fire and a night sky?

The fire burned brightly in the dark of the night; our group starving and talking by the fire.

“Dada,” Rajeev said.

“Yes?”

“Who is more scary, a bat or a leopard?”

“Of course a bat.”

“And who is more scary, a bat, or Laura?” Rajeev whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Laura turned her head up, looked past the fire into Rajeev’s eyes and then went back to stocking the wood into the fire.

Dada bend down towards Rajeev and whispered, “Laura.”

They continued laughing until Ravi came back from the dark forest, berries and fruits in hand, and with a smile. “Found something guys.” He hasn’t overcome the embarresmant of the moment he shared with Laura yet, but not wanting to trouble the group for it, he had been pretending to be normal. He hadn't dared said a word personally to Laura.

“Thank You.” Dada said as he collected the fruits and while ignoring the empty hand of Rajeev, started eating it.
“Uh, Dada.” Ravi said, noticing the fault.
“Yes? You have more?” Dada asked in a bright expression through eating his fruit. Rajeev waved his hand from behind to leave him and snatched away some fruits from Dada’s lap. Dada tried snatching it back and they went back and forth.

Ravi turned and walked towards Laura as the conversation between Rajeev and Dada grew. He stepped up towards Laura, head hung low and standing beside the fire, he said in a low voice, “Hey,”

“Hey.” Laura said, without a hesitation or doubt, just staring at the fire.

Ravi nodded, raised his eyes up to look at Laura for a moment; the face lit up by the fire. Her hair waved at either side of her shoulders, the standing strands reflecting the fire colour, and a large shadow forming behind her. Seeing the shadow he hung his head back low, and said, “Can I... Uh... Here.” He said and handed out the remaining fruits and berries beside Laura; forcing himself to not look at her. Her hand moved ot the fruits. He backed off before the desire to take her hand; the desire of a touch would overcome him. His mind whispering again and again, ‘Ask if you can sit with her. Please, please and please. You still love her, regardless of what she says.’
He backed off without noticing the raised eyebrows and the black eyes of Laura staring at him, wanting for him to look at her once again.

Ravi went and sat in front of the fire, Rajeev and Dada whispering on his left side and Laura staring at the fire with a fruit in her hand on his right.

After eating all they could and talk all they could, they retired to their own activities: Rajeev to reading a book, Ravi to stare at the star light sky, Dada at rest and Laura sometimes looking for the stars, and the rest time closing her eyes to feel the cold night’s breeze blow against her face and wave her hair with it.

The page Rajeev was at, had been ten years after the first entry, and was the first entry of his after having joined his first job. For because he was having many house chores and school to do, he had only been writing when either something important happened, or he felt something he needed to share. It wrote:

Sunday, February 26th, 1844.
Hello Diary,
Today is one of the best days I have ever seen in a while; probably ever seen DIARY! The military school that I’ve been attending have selected me, ME!, as one of the soldiers for an expenditure to India! Or something like that. The beautiful land that I’ve heard of! My brother, Cliff: had been to India and had described the scenic beauty, the nature and the air, way better than the type of air here in London! He said the people were nice too. And i can tell, if not for the wars, he would have made friendship with every Indian he met. And he had made one at least, I thought he was hopeless in making friends. He had been so happy and all tears when he returned back to England from India. You can say from his face he loved him, would have done anything for him, he said to me. He said his friend (and can you believe he doesn't know his best friends name!), was a great man with a big heart. WOW! I too have a big heart, Papa used to say to me, hope I can find some friends in India, it would be so great! Can they understand my language? Wait I’ll ask my brother.. No, they can’t... Hope Cliff will teach me some at least.
Hope I find one I can call a friend, I will let him read my diary too! He would be my listener!
And yes, that is, if one Indian doesn’t kill me first☺.
Goodnight Dairy. Tomorrow is my first test of fitness.