The Letter That Arrived 20 Years Late

Aarav was cleaning his late grandfather’s old study when he found a sealed envelope stuck behind a drawer. The paper was yellowed with age, the handwriting faded but still readable.

It was addressed to himself. But the date on it read — August 12, 2005. Exactly 20 years ago.

Confused, Aarav carefully opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

"Dear Aarav,"

"If you’re reading this, it means I have failed to stop them. The people you trust… they aren’t who they say they are. Your life is not what it seems. You must leave before they find you."

Aarav’s heart pounded. Was this a prank?

But the letter continued:

"Ask your mother about the summer of 1995. Ask her what really happened to your real parents."

His mind reeled. Real parents?

Aarav had always known himself as the only child of Kiran and Mahesh, a simple family living an ordinary life. But this letter suggested something else. Something hidden.

That night at dinner, Aarav brought it up.

“Mom, who were my real parents?”

The spoon in his mother’s hand clattered to the floor. His father went pale.

“Where did you hear that name?” his father whispered.

“What name?” Aarav pressed.

His mother trembled. “Your real parents… they were scientists. They discovered something they shouldn’t have. And they paid the price.”

“What does that mean?” Aarav demanded.

But before they could answer, the doorbell rang. Standing outside were two men in dark suits, wearing blank expressions.

“We’re here for the boy,” one of them said coldly.

His parents exchanged a terrified glance.

“Run,” his father whispered. “Run, now!”

Without another word, Aarav bolted out the back door, the mysterious letter clutched tightly in his hand.

As he ran through the dark streets, pieces of his life began falling apart. The school he went to? Built by a government agency. His family friends? All assigned to watch him.

And the letter… was written by his real father.

What was the secret they had discovered? Who were the men chasing him?

Aarav didn’t have the answers yet. But one thing was certain:

His life was not what he thought it was. And this was only the beginning.