Before her death, Amma was still very conscious. In a small house in a village in Uttar Pradesh, she sat upright at the head of her bed, calling out to each of her children to give them instructions, even about performing the last rites and burning incense on her death anniversary, according to Hindu rituals.

What most unsettled us all was her life savings – estimated to be around 1 million rupees.

We eagerly awaited her distribution, but for days, when Amma called her children and grandchildren, she didn’t even mention the money. She simply smiled and said:

“Amma has thought of everything… You don’t need to worry.”

It was comforting to hear this, but everyone was burning inside, loving their mother and feeling heavy at the thought of that money.

The day Amma passed away

When Amma passed away, the entire family had completed the funeral rituals. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that after the funeral, it would be time to open the cupboards and divide the property.

The brothers and sisters were whispering to each other:

“Mother must have left us all some share.”

“Yes, Amma is very wise; no one will be harmed.”

But unexpectedly, at that very moment, Mr. Pradhan and some Panchayat officials suddenly appeared with a thick envelope. Everyone was shocked. He opened it and read:

“This is her dying wish. Amma had deposited ten lakh rupees in the village fund to build a bridge over a large river at the beginning of the village. Amma said: ‘Children and grandchildren may go away, but this bridge will help the entire village cross safely forever.’

The entire family was stunned. All the hopes and petty calculations in their minds suddenly vanished. The brothers and sisters looked at each other, embarrassed and not daring to raise their heads, and I burst into tears.

The Youngest Son’s Secret

But the shock didn’t stop there – the village headman continued reading:

“Besides, Amma also sent a separate letter to the youngest son.”

I shuddered as I opened the envelope. Inside was a piece of paper, written in my mother’s shaky handwriting:

“Son, I know your brothers and sisters will be angry with me, but I’m sure you understand. That money is a blessing for the entire village.”

As for you, go and open the wooden box under your mother’s bed…”

The whole family rushed to Amma’s room. When we opened the old wooden box, we were stunned: inside was not money, but a red book of agricultural land and a thick diary.

In the diary, Amma had clearly written: the land was neither for sale nor for division, but contained a big secret from my father’s past—a secret so deep that I trembled and nearly fell over upon reading the first few lines…

Part 2 – Father’s Secret

Silence fell over the cramped room. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the diary, trembling in my hands. I opened the first page, and every line of Amma’s words pierced my heart:

“My youngest child, if you’re reading this, it means I’m gone. Now it’s time for you to know the truth about your father—Dad.”

My heart was pounding. In the following pages, Amma told me about the years of the border war. At that time, Dad was not only a gentleman farmer in the village but also volunteered to help the army.

One night, during a terrible storm, Dad rescued a young woman and her newborn baby who had been abandoned by the roadside. The woman was the daughter of a prominent businessman from a neighboring village, but her family had abandoned her because she had become pregnant out of wedlock.

Dad kept this secret, taking the mother and child to a small hut in the fields and feeding them. But shortly after, the woman died of a serious illness, leaving behind a newborn baby.

In her diary, Amma wrote:

“Your father quietly adopted that child as his own. You and he grew up together, the only difference was that you knew your real mother, while he did not. That child was an illegitimate child, unknown to anyone in the village.”

The whole family burst out laughing. Brothers and sisters looked at each other in surprise. I shuddered as I turned the next page:

“That person isn’t far away now… He’s Arjun – our village teacher. You still respect him, but no one knows he’s your father’s blood. I kept this secret for fear of tearing the family apart, but now the time has come; the truth must be revealed.”

Storm in the Family

The news was like a bolt of lightning. Arjun – who had been respected throughout the village for years and had even taught our children – turned out to be Dad’s biological son from another mother.

My eldest brother slammed his hand on the table, his voice trembling with anger:
“Impossible! We’ve worked hard, shedding our blood, and now Amma is saying this land belongs to a man who isn’t our blood?”

My throat choked:
“Brother… but Arjun’s blood flows in our veins.”

The other sister burst into tears:
“Have we been unknowingly living with our own brother all these years?”

The atmosphere was suffocating and heavy. Every word in the diary was like adding fuel to a pot of boiling oil.

The tragedy lurked.

I turned the last page. Amma wrote in even more trembling handwriting:

“Children, Father once promised that woman’s mother that he would care for her son as his own. This is a debt that father and son will fulfill for life.

But fearing worldly gossip, Father and son kept it a secret, and before dying, they simply said to Mother: ‘Don’t let any harm come to Arjun.’

So, I left that large piece of land to him. Don’t quarrel over it, don’t blame him, because that’s how Father finds salvation and keeps his promise.”

Reading this, I shuddered, almost falling over. So, that piece of land wasn’t a reward for the youngest son, but rather a legacy Father had left for his illegitimate son.

A Stormy Night

That night, the old house echoed with the sounds of debate. The elder brother shouted:
“Absolutely not! Arjun has no right to set foot in this house. If anyone dares to give him that piece of land, it will be considered a break in blood ties!”

I hugged the diary tightly, tears welling up in my eyes. Outside, the northeast monsoon was blowing hard, bringing with it dust and dirt. In my heart, the storm was even more intense than the sky outside.

Because I understood: tomorrow, when the truth is revealed to the entire village, my family will be caught in an inevitable storm.