Chapter 6 Burning ambers

Mr.  Nair placed his hand on his grandson and spoke thus 

“ I am  sorry that  I did not tell you  this before  but I guess that  its time that I told you this deep dark secret  i  know  I  should have told it to  you of all  people  but as you may  understand  I  come from a day  and age  where  the  word  of  a man  meant more than  his  life   seconded only   by  his family

 I   don’t  know  if  you  can comprehend  it  but I was  oath bound to  my  father  not to  revel it to anyone  but now since you have come to know  so much about the incident I might as well  tell you the  part that the  Government at the time didn’t   cover   and  what was not put in to the “books” so to speak “

 Mr.  Nair took out an antiquated   dairy which looked like a twin of Mr. Nair’s fathers personnel dairy. This dairy had a different demeanor to it that of sadness and tragedy It was named after a lady by the name of Sethu Lakshmi Raman Nair as the Renjith red this name, Out of the corner of his eyes he saw his   grand dad’s eyes tear up as he ran small tracing fingers Over the said lady’s name again and again.

Mr. Nair quickly composed himself and he turned the pages to the same   Date as that of his father

Date lined from ottapalam on the 20th of august 1923

Date: 20-08-1920

My dearest,

We have been in a literal siege the whole day with the Maphillas baying for our blood

I am in the basement shrine with the kids   I can’t take this ordeal any more

But the elder brothers of the house have assured me that all this will pass and there is

Nothing to……………………………..

The rest of the page  was crumbled and bloodied  Mr. Nair  could not take  it anymore and  walked out of  the  room  with  tearful  eyes  he later came back his face composed

Then he spoke again

“ Renjith  what you saw was the last dairy entry of my mother  I myself have vague memories of her  people say that she was a great lady  and had a royal  grace to her

I have very sketchy memories of my mother but still could recognize her warmth it was special

But alas  that’s  all  that I  have  to remember her  by  is it not sad  I still  have a  tattered

  Picture of her given to me by my father”

Renjith   looked at his grandfather and hug him as that is the least he could do to comfort him

As Renjith looked out of his palatial ancestral home   in to the setting sun he knew that the 

There was more bloodshed   in store for him   and many a horror stories were yet to come

 From the vast amount of papers and newspaper cuttings that were yet to be untangled

Over all he would have to   find out what happened to his great grandmother he knew 

It would be a grisly task.

But he had to do it for his grandfather to bring him some closure.

And to assuage the burning ambers that his grandfather carried in his heart