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Winning Entries for Mystery Short Story Writing Competition (Part - 2)

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  Recently, Thought Lantern organized a short story writing competition on the theme of mystery, and only two of our best writers showcased their storytelling skills, so we present to you their winning entries.  2nd Winner  Jeydevi Venkataraman  Title - Seat 27  When the train reached Madurai, every passenger got off. Everyone except the one no one could identify. The woman was seated by the window, her head resting lightly against the glass, as though she had fallen asleep sometime after dawn. The cleaning staff noticed her first. One of them called out to her twice before touching her shoulder. She didn't move. Within minutes, the platform that had been busy with morning commuters turned into a circle of curious faces held back by railway police. Inspector Arvind Raman arrived just before seven. He had seen enough death to know that the first few minutes were often the most important. Before the body was moved, before opinions became facts, before memory began...