The feeble, frail and old diamond merchants’ gaze was fixed on the old and rusted iron box in the attic as he lay dying on the bed surrounded by remorseful sons, crying daughters and surprised grand children.
‘Grandpa wants his old box’ said the five year old.
‘Shut up’ his father said, ‘grandpa is not well. Don’t talk about anything else’.
‘There is nothing in the box now except for some rusted iron tubes from his old bicycle’ he said with the appearance of a know all.
The old man opened his mouth twice and then lay still.
Three days after the funeral, the attic and its contents were dumped into the yard for ragpickers to collect. The son was right. The box had all worn out tubes. But he didn’t know the full truth though.
The tubes had diamonds worth 3 million that the old man had hidden from the authorities.
Amaruvi's Aphorisms 