A Mysterious 4-Year-Old Girl Appeared at My Grandfather's Funeral, and My Decision to Take Her Home Led to a Family Divide – Story of the Day

At my grandfather’s funeral, a mysterious 4-year-old girl appeared out of nowhere, standing silently by the grave. Without knowing who she was or why she was there, I decided to take her home. Little did I know, this decision would tear my family apart and uncover secrets I never imagined.

It was a sunny morning, though the mood was anything but sunny. I stood at the cemetery, watching as my grandfather was lowered into the ground. I looked up at the sky, trying to spot even the hint of a rainbow.

"When I die, you'll see a rainbow in the sky, and that’ll let you know I’m watching over you." He used to tell me these words, but there was no rainbow today.

My grandfather had been the closest family member to me. He always said I looked just like him and was always there to support me.

So, this day hit especially hard. It was even worse because, for the last five years, I hadn’t seen him much.

First, I was studying, then working, and never seemed to have the time to visit. And now, I finally had a reason to come, but it was too late.

But as I stood there, something caught my eye. There was someone who shouldn’t have been there.

A little girl, around four years old and dressed in a black dress, stood by the grave, quietly crying.

I looked around, but there were no adults nearby, no one who could be her parents. I approached her and knelt down.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked, but the little girl stayed silent. "Are you lost? What's your name?" I tried again, but she remained quiet.

My mom approached me. "Who is this child?" she asked.

"I have no idea. She won’t talk," I replied.

"Little girl, whose child are you? Why are you here?" my mom asked sharply.

The girl just stepped back from my mom. I couldn’t blame her. I wanted to do the same.

After the burial, everyone started leaving, and we were supposed to head to my grandfather's house. But I noticed the girl was still standing by the grave. Alone.

I walked up to her. "Is there someone to pick you up?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"Alright, then you’ll come with me, and we’ll figure out where your parents are," I said, offering her my hand, but she just walked ahead.

I put her in my car, and we drove to my grandfather’s house. She didn’t say a word the entire way, not even a sound. It started to unnerve me.

When we got there, my grandfather's neighbor, Marissa, was just stepping out onto the road.

"Oh, great, you found Zoe, I was starting to get worried," Marissa said as the little girl and I got out of the car.

"Do you know who she is?" I asked Marissa.

"Of course, I dropped her off at the cemetery this morning," Marissa replied.

"What? How could you leave a child there alone?" I was furious.

"I knew someone from your family would take her. She’s not my responsibility, and I’ve been dealing with her for two days now," Marissa said.

"Where is she from? Where are her parents?" I asked.

"Oh, you don’t know? Your grandfather was quite the character," Marissa said. "Come on in, I’ll tell everyone. No point in repeating this more than once."

We entered my grandfather’s house, and the whole family was there, talking and preparing food, as if nothing had happened.

They all disliked my grandfather, saying he was rude and unwelcoming, but he’d always treated me well. Zoe quietly followed behind me, as if afraid to make a sound.

"Why did you bring her here?" my mom snapped when she saw Zoe.

"What was I supposed to do, leave her alone at the cemetery?" I shot back.

"Someone would have taken her. She has parents," my mom said.

"Actually, she doesn’t," Marissa interjected. "Her mom abandoned her when she was just a baby."

"What about her dad?" my mom asked.

"Her dad... well, you just came from his funeral," Marissa said.

"WHAT?!" my mom yelled.

"Is this... is this my grandfather’s daughter?" I asked, and Marissa nodded. "But he was 67 years old!" I said, still in shock.

"Well, it happens. Her mom was the woman who took care of your grandfather," Marissa explained.

"You’re lying. How could nobody know about this child?" my mom demanded.

"When was the last time you visited him?" Marissa asked.

And she was right. No one had visited my grandfather in ages. But I called him almost every day, and he never once mentioned having a daughter. It stung. I thought we were close, but it turned out we weren’t.

"So what are we supposed to do with her now?" my uncle asked.

"Call child services, let them handle it," my mom said.

"I’ll take her," I blurted out, surprising even myself.

"Are you out of your mind?" my mom asked.

"She’s family. We can’t just leave her," I said.

"You can’t just take her like that," my mom argued.

"I'll file for guardianship tomorrow," I said firmly.

"You’ve really lost it," my mom muttered.

Maybe she was right, but I couldn’t just walk away. I walked over to Zoe.

"Do you want to live with me?" I asked, and though Zoe only nodded slightly, we left for my place. She stayed silent the whole ride, and I tried not to push her.

When we got home, I fed her, and she didn’t say anything except for a quiet "Thank you."

She ate everything, down to the last crumb. I had prepared a room for her, asked if everything was okay, but she just nodded.

"Are you upset that your dad’s gone, and that’s why you’re not talking?" I asked, and Zoe nodded.

"I’m scared of what’s going to happen to me now," Zoe whispered.

"It’s going to be alright. I’ll be here with you," I reassured her.

"My mom left me, my dad left me... how do I know you won’t leave me too?" Zoe said.

"I promise, I won’t leave you," I said, trying to comfort her.

I tucked her into bed and stepped out into the hall. My heart ached for what this little girl had been through.

And I was scared, too. I still considered myself a kid in a lot of ways. Now, I had to raise another child, and I knew nothing about raising kids.

But I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and told myself I’d figure it out, bit by bit. I couldn’t sleep that night. I was too worried about everything.

The next morning, I made Zoe breakfast, gathered all the necessary documents, and was about to head out when the doorbell rang.

I opened the door, and there was my mom with a woman I didn’t recognize.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"This is Liza, Zoe’s biological mom. She’s here to take her," my mom said.

I felt Zoe cling to my leg. "Please don't let her take me! You promised you wouldn’t leave me!" Zoe said, tears streaming down her face.

"Wait here," I told her, gently stepping away.

I grabbed Liza by the arm and pulled her into the room. "How much did she pay you?" I asked.

"I don’t know what you mean," Liza replied.

"How much did my mom pay you to come here and say you want to take Zoe?" I pressed.

"Five thousand," Liza admitted. That was easier than I thought.

"And you think five thousand is enough to raise a kid?" I asked.

"I’m not raising her. I just need to take her from you, then I’ll put her in foster care," Liza said coldly.

"Seriously? You’re going to do that to your own daughter?" I asked, stunned.

"Yeah, I don’t care. Why are you doing this?" Liza asked.

"Because I do care. She’s just a child, and she deserves the best," I said firmly.

"Whatever, I’m taking her. I have more rights than you," Liza said, turning to leave the room.

"Wait!" I stopped her. "I’ll give you ten thousand if you leave her here," I offered. Liza immediately reached for the money.

"Give me time until tonight," I said.

"Fine," Liza said, and walked out.

"Well, take your child and leave," my mom snapped at Liza.

I immediately scooped Zoe up, not wanting her to be scared.

"I’ll pick her up tonight, let’s go," Liza said and left the house.

"What did you say to her?" my mom asked.

"Nothing much," I replied.

"I’m doing this for you! I don’t want you to ruin your life!" my mom yelled.

"Thanks, but I’m good," I said, and after that, my mom stormed out.

"She’s going to take me, isn’t she?" Zoe cried as soon as we were alone.

"No, she’s not. I won’t let anyone take you," I said, holding her close.

But there was a problem. I didn’t have ten thousand dollars. Not a dime. I had no idea where I could get it by tonight.

That’s when it hit me: my grandfather’s will hadn’t been found yet, but I was sure it was somewhere.

But this was my reality now. We arrived, and I started searching through the places where he might have left the will.

"What are you looking for?" Zoe asked.

"The will... your dad’s will," I said.

"What’s a will?" Zoe asked.

"It’s like a person’s last wishes and instructions on who gets everything they had," I explained.

"Oh, the instructions are in the library," Zoe said.

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, Dad said he’d leave instructions there, but I can only tell you about this," Zoe said.

"Zoe, you’re a gem!" I said, hugging her.

I ran to the library, and Zoe pointed to my grandfather’s desk. There it was, the will. But there was more.

Right there were cash bills. I counted them, fifteen thousand dollars. It was more than I’d hoped for.

Grandpa left me everything he had, plus a little note: "Sorry I didn’t tell you about Zoe, but it was easier this way. Please take care of her, she’s a great kid, just like you. Love you both."

"Why are you crying?" Zoe asked.

I hadn’t even noticed the tears until she asked. I wiped them away and leaned down to her.

"It’s happy tears," I said. "Now everything’s going to be alright."

"And no one will take me away?" Zoe asked.

"No one will take you away," I promised.

I grabbed the money and the will and took Zoe’s hand. I planned to give Liza the money right away, then go to child services and start the adoption process. We walked outside, and Zoe pointed up. "Look, a rainbow!

And sure enough, there was a huge, bright rainbow in the sky. It seemed like Grandpa really was watching over us.

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