An old widow has an only son and he is night-blind. She somehow gets married to a nice girl from a good family. They manage to keep his night-blindness a secret from his in-laws. But how long can you keep such a secret?

He is invited to visit his in-laws for the first time to celebrate Dipavali, the festival of lights. His mother is nervous about the visit and warns him, ‘Be careful. You can’t see a thing after dark. So don’t move around too much after nightfall. Travel only during the day and stay there only one night.’

He wants to reach his in-laws’ place before it gets dark, so he walks as fast as his legs will take him. But by the time he reaches the outskirts of the village, it is already evening, and his vision is getting quite dim. He remembers what his mother said and finds a place to sit down. Unfortunately, the place he chooses happens to be a garbage dump for his in-laws’ household. Just then, his mother-in-law comes there with the day’s garbage and dumps it-right on his head, as she doesn’t see him at first, when he is startled, she recognises him. She is shocked. It is none other than her own esteemed son-in-law! New sons-in-law should be treated like gods, and what has she gone and done? She is terribly embarrased by what she has done, covers her face with her Sari, and runs back home. On the way she meets her ten-year-old son driving a buffalo home and says to him urgently, ‘Son, look here. Your brother-in-law has arrived, but for some reason he is sitting in our garbage dump. May be he had to relieve himself. I didn’t see him sitting there and i emptied my garbage on his head. He must be angry. Run now and bring him home, gently. He likes you.’

The boy also likes his new brother-in-law. He runs all the way, calling, ‘Brother-in-law, where are you?’ He finds him still sitting in the garbage.

‘Why are you sitting there? Come, let’s go home,’ he says, taking him by the hand. The son-in-law, though night blind, is quite smart. He says, I wasn’t just sitting there, kid. I was wondering how many cartloads of manure your garbage would make. You have enough there for an acre or two. ‘Then he affectionately puts his hand on the boy’s shoulder and goes with him. When he sees the buffaloes looming darkly towards him, he jumps and says, ‘Woy! What’s that?’

The boy says, these are our buffaloes. I had taken them out to graze.

Oh, they look big and healthy, says the son-in-law, holding onto the tail of one of the animals and letting himself to be led by it. As they are going along, the buffalo comes close to a hagevu, an open grain-pit. The son-in-law tumbles right into it. The boys says, what’s the matter? Can’t you see very well or what?

‘Oh no, i can see very well. I just wanted to see how deep your grain-pt is. I am getting one made at my place. Now give me a hand. There, that’s a good boy,’ says the son-in-law, clambering back to firm hand. For the rest of the way, he keeps close to the wall, groping along its length. The boy asks him, ‘Brother-in-law, why are you walking along the wall, holding onto it? Are your eyes no good?’

Che, che! what are you saying? I am just measuring how long your outer wall is. I am just curious.

Just when he reaches the outer door, he stumbles against the ram that is standing there and the ram butts him quite savagely. As he falls down, the boy gives the ram a blow, gives his brother-in-law a hand, and asks, ‘Didn’t you see the ram standing there?’

‘Oh i saw him alright. I liked his looks and thought of giving him a rubdown, but look what the beast did! Why have you taught him to butt strangers like that?’

It is night already and they all sit down to the night meal on the floor, with burnished plates set on little wooden platforms. The mother-in-law herself comes to serve them the various dishes, as this is a special occasion. As she is a well to do woman, she has all sorts of silver rings on her toes and anklets on her legs, and bangles and bracelets on her hands. All these ornaments make noise and her footsteps can be heard. The son-in-law is scared that the ram has come into the room somehow and will butt him again. Before he knows it, he has gotten hold of the wooden piece under his plate and swings it at what he thinks is the ram in front of him. It hits his mother-in-law, and she flees to the kitchen in panic. She thinks her son-in-law is furious at her for unloading all that garbage on his head earlier that evening. Others think he is angry because he really wants to have his own wife serve him, not his mother-in-law. Then his wife herself comes and serves the rest of the dishes.

Somehow they finish the meal, and everyone goes to bed. He and his wife are sleeping in a little room. His younger in-laws sleep in the verendah. In the middle of the night,, he feels like getting up to go and pee. He gets up somehow, and remembering what he can of the layout of the place, he cautiously gropes along, goes to the urinal, and tries to retrace his steps. But he loses his way back to the little room and instead strays into the room where his mother-in-law and father-in-law were sleeping. He puts his hand out and gropes for his wife’s form. His hands touch his mother-in-law’s feet. She is startled awake and cries out, who’s that?’

He says, it’s me, it’s me.’

She says, ‘why did you come here, at this hour?’

By now he has realized his mistake and saus, ‘oh, really nothing. I am sorry i hit you with that wooden piece when you were serving me food. I wanted to come and touch your feet and ask your forgiveness, that’s all. I did wrong. Please forgive me.

She feels acutely embarrased by her son-in-law’s words and says, ‘it’s all right/ please go back to your room and go to sleep.’

He doesn’t let go of her feet. He keeps saying, just forgive me, forgive me.

By this time, his wife is awake and listening to the goings-on. She thinks, ‘he went out to pee and now he’s gone to my mother’s bedroom and is asking for forgiveness. What will the neighbours think?

She gets up and comes to her motherly bed ad says to him, ‘Come back, lets talk about it in the morning, let’s go to sleep.’ She drags him out by the hand and leads him back to her bed.

The night soon comes to an end, and it dawns. He gets up early and says he is in a hurry. He has to go back to his village, as he has lots of work waiting for him. He bids good-bye to his wife and to his in-laws and begins his homeward journey, happy and proud that he got through it all with not one of them suspecting he is blind as a mole.