Gravedigger stops a funeral and shouts: “OPEN THE COFFIN! You will find out the truth!”
On the saddest day of their lives, at their daughter’s funeral, parents are surprised when the gravedigger interrupts the ceremony and tells them to open the coffin. When they do, everyone is shocked to discover a dark truth.
In a quiet town, under a cloudy gray sky, a fine rain was falling, creating a melancholy atmosphere that perfectly matched the scene unfolding in the local cemetery. The air was filled with a heavy silence, interrupted only by the muffled whispers and sobs of those present. The funeral was being held for Violet, a 24-year-old girl whose life had been abruptly cut short.
The girl’s elderly parents, Robert and Dora, who owned the largest supermarket in town, were visibly devastated. They were both 64 years old and facing the unbearable pain of losing their only daughter, who had been conceived with much struggle, as the poor mother had spent years undergoing fertility treatment.
The father, a man who once emanated strength and determination, now seemed a fragile figure, shaken by sadness. His hands trembled as he touched the coffin, as if seeking one last contact with his beloved daughter. By his side, his wife was equally devastated. The woman, who had always had a sweet countenance, was now seeing her life fall apart. The poor mother clutched a photo of Violet, her eyes red from crying.
“My poor sweet daughter. Oh God, why did you take her from us?” she cried.
Friends and family formed a circle around the coffin, each lost in their memories of the girl. They commented between tears on her gentle nature and how her smile could brighten up even the darkest of days. The community also shared in the mourning, as the girl’s parents were known for their kindness and loved by everyone. And now, watching them suffer, they all shared the same pain.
In the midst of this sadness, the gravedigger, Albert, a middle-aged man with a serious expression, although always kind to everyone who needed his services, watched the funeral from a distance. He had already prepared the burial site, but something in his heart prevented him from being at peace. There was something about this funeral that troubled him deeply—a disturbing feeling that made him question whether he should or should not reveal what he knew.
The rain began to intensify, gently hitting the leaves of the tree and creating a gloomy atmosphere that seemed to match the weeping of the mourners. The cold wind blew, bringing with it fallen leaves and accentuating the feeling of loss.
“She was so young. Why did she have to leave so soon?” cried the father, accompanying his wife’s tears.
While the parents said goodbye to their daughter, the gravedigger stood there in anguish. In the midst of a funeral full of sadness and tears, Albert had already waited too long. He knew there was something very wrong with that funeral, and he was fighting his conscience.
“Do I say something or not?” he thought restlessly. He looked up to the heavens and reflected, “Oh God, what do I do? I can’t just let those parents suffer like this.”
At that moment, he made a decision that would echo like thunder in a serene sky. Fighting the turmoil in his heart, he observed the girl’s parents, torn apart by grief, weeping silently beside her coffin. They were old and fragile, which made the gravedigger feel even more sorry for them. The mother, with tears streaming down her face, sobbed uncontrollably, while the father cringed under the weight of the loss. They looked like figures carved out of the purest pain.
So Albert, driven by a sense of justice that was eating away at his soul, took a deep breath and approached them.
“Stop the funeral.”
His heart was beating like a drum in his chest, and his hands were shaking horribly. With firm but hesitant steps, he made his way through the small group of mourners and positioned himself next to the coffin, attracting surprised looks and confused murmurs.
“How dare he disrupt the funeral?” someone whispered. “So disrespectful.”
“What do you want?” asked another.
The whispering among the crowd grew confused and indignant at the abrupt interruption. Approaching Violet’s parents, the gravedigger looked directly at them, who were distraught. His eyes expressed a mixture of pain at seeing them like that and determination, as what he was about to say would change their lives forever. He knew that his next words could bring more suffering, but something inside him screamed that it was the right thing to do.
“I have something to say,” he said with a firm voice that cut through the gloomy atmosphere. His abrupt interruption provoked a shocked silence among those present. All eyes turned to him, some full of anger, others of confusion.
“Don’t you see that this is a private ceremony? You’re just a gravedigger! You’re getting in the way, and you don’t even care about the suffering of these poor parents,” asked a relative, his voice full of anger. “You should have more respect. We’re in mourning,” he added.
But Albert, keeping his composure, faced the crowd with a look that conveyed unshakable conviction. With a voice that carried a mixture of fear and firmness, he finally spoke what he had feared all along.
“Open the coffin, and you’ll see the truth,” he exclaimed with a tone that brooked no argument.
His statement caused an even bigger stir among those present. Some began to question what he meant, while others accused him of insensitivity. But the man remained motionless, with his serious expression and gaze fixed on the coffin and the parents, who were now staring at him with wide eyes, hoping to understand what was happening. Albert, seeing their pain, knew it was time to reveal what he knew.
“Your daughter isn’t dead,” he declared, his voice cutting through the heavy air of disbelief.
The statement caused an even bigger stir, with those present turning to him for answers.
“What? What is he saying?” they whispered.
The gravedigger’s insistence that the coffin be opened created an atmosphere of unbearable tension at the funeral. Robert and Dora, devastated by Violet’s death, finally gave in to the pressure, driven by the curiosity that now consumed them.
“Let’s put an end to this,” said the father, his voice filled with shock and sadness. “I want to see my daughter with my own eyes.”
With trembling hands, he approached the coffin and, with the help of the men present, lifted the lid. A sepulchral silence settled as everyone crowded around to see the body. Hearts were racing, waiting for the revelation.
Finally, when the lid was completely removed, a collective cry of disbelief echoed among those present.
“Good Lord, impossible!” exclaimed the guests, their hands covering their mouths in shock.
Inside the coffin, instead of Violet’s body, there were only heavy stones—big blocks of stones carefully arranged to simulate the weight of a young woman’s body. The confusion spread quickly among the guests.
“What is happening?” asked a relative, his face pale with surprise.
“Where is the body?” shouted another, unable to believe his eyes.
Robert and Dora, who were petrified and staring at the empty coffin, were truly speechless, not believing what they were seeing.
“Our daughter…” the mother could barely formulate words, as her tears were now mixed with a feeling of betrayal and confusion.
“Your daughter faked her own death,” revealed the gravedigger, with a seriousness on his face that left no room for doubt. “I’m so sorry.”
The girl’s parents were astonished, trying to understand the reason behind the chaos. It was like the world had disappeared around them.
“How could she betray us like that?” Robert whispered, his voice shaking with emotion and anger. Dora was also in shock, unable to comprehend the magnitude of their deception.
“Why would she do this to her own parents? And where is she? What was she planning to do?”
But how did the gravedigger know about the faked death of the daughter of the owners of the city’s biggest supermarket? How did Albert relate to the mystery that baffled everyone?
So he then began to tell the story that would change everything.
