Moral dilemma

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a moral dilemma? I don't know how I ended up in this predicament. I typically live a mundane life, but today was different. Today trouble found me.

Who am I? I am nobody special. I am simply the by-product of two camouflage-wearing, shotgun shooting rednecks. My Pa left my Ma when I was just a baby. It's been the two of us ever since. I was born and raised in these Southern pines. My closest neighbor was the trees. The country was my best friend. We weren't the type of country-folk that has a lot of money, big fancy barns, and a stable of horses. I did, however, have a dilapidated, hand-me-down quad that I took on rides to keep myself entertained. I would ride the quad to the edge of our property. There was a barbed-wire fence that I would follow until it took you deep into the woods to the railroad tracks. That's where I found it.

Thankfully this isn't the type of trouble that involves guns and masked bandits. At least, none that I could see. This trouble was different. It was quiet. It was alone. It was just a black, leather notebook that I found by the train tracks. The notebook was large and thick. It didn't look like it had been out in the elements for very long. The pages were still dry. I couldn't help myself from taking a peek inside. It opened up like a regular book. There was no identifying information. There was nothing spectacular to notice about the book until I got to the very last page. It looked as if someone were writing a letter to someone named Patricia that never finished. And then there was a little flap. One may not notice the flap if they weren't paying attention. It was almost like a false cover. I pulled on the flap to the false cover and that's when I realized this wasn't just a notebook.

This was someone's inheritance! There was about $20,000.00 in large bills here. I looked around the tracks for any other piece of information that I could find. I could find nothing. The only thing I knew was Patricia was going to be missing quite a chunk of change. What were my options?

Adults always encourage us kids to "do the right thing!" This will be easy. I will simply take it to the police station. I do not want to be connected or involved in any sort of foul play, crime, or syndicate activity. Who knows where this money came from? I do not want to find out. The notebook has a rightful owner and I'm sure they will be looking for the money at the police station. That makes perfect sense.

But, as I bound the notebook and placed it under my arm to transport it back home I started having doubts. Nobody would ever know that I had found the money. Nobody would ever have any clue. Ma could use it, too. She needs to get so much work done on the house and I know she needs medicine she can't afford. This money could help with all that.

I threw my leg over the quad and pondered my options on my ride back home. I held on to that notebook as tightly as I could. I started rehearsing what I would say to my mother in my head during that ride. "Ma, I found something…"

"Ma, I have something to show you…"

As I approached the house I could see her sitting outside on the front porch. She waved. I waved back. I could hear her hollering something at me, but the wind was too loud to make out any words that she was saying. I parked the quad, grabbed my notebook, and ran into my room.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't tell her.

I decided to keep the notebook and money a secret. I knew it was something I shouldn't do. But, I couldn't help myself. I knew what the right thing to do was, but it is hard to do the right thing when no one is looking. Finders keepers and in this instance, we need it. I hope that the person on the train will forgive me for this one day.

And meanwhile, watching from the clouds, the demons let out a loud cheer. The demons had won the bet against the angels. They loved playing these games with humanity.