One Act of Kindness Can Change Your Life

BERITA LAINNYA - 13 March 2023

One Act of Kindness Can Change Your Life

There were two villages which used to be one big and prosperous village. Two greedy leaders had fought for being the only leader. Then they divided the village and brought their people to live separately, North Village and South Village. They built a stone bridge to go in and out of the villages. One day, an old lady and a young girl were crossing the bridge. They were from the south village. “Stop!! Who are you and what is your purpose in coming to this village?” Three big and strong guards stopped them.

“Will you please let us pass?” cried the young girl, “My mother is sick and we’ve no money. We have family in the North Village who can help us! So please, will you let us pass?”

"Unfortunately for you, you must pay a toll of 10 gold coins to pass this bridge," the guards scoffed. The small girl was astounded; ten gold pieces were more than they earned in a year. “But…” She answered quietly, "We don't have that kind of money..." "Then we won't let you pass; return where you came from and don't even consider crossing this bridge if you can't pay," one of the guards remarked firmly. With no chance against three big strong guards, the mother and daughter returned home silently.

As days passed, the young girl worked tirelessly to gather the money, but it was no use. She had only gathered 20 bronze coins in total, and with how severe her mother’s health was, things were looking grim.

However, while heading back from the market from selling firewood, the young girl noticed a dog scavenging through rubbish for food. Without pausing to consider her options, the girl spent her little earnings on dog food. The dog was hesitant at first, wary of a stranger helping it, but it soon ate the food as quickly as it could. The young girl sat next to the dog, smiling sweetly, to rest her feet, and without realizing, exhaustion had taken over her from overworking, and she fell asleep.

When she awoke, the dog had finished eating as there were no leftovers. A little coin pouch, on the other hand, had taken its place. The young girl was shocked, but she couldn't believe her eyes when she opened the purse and saw ten gold pieces staring back at her. "I always knew you'd grow up to be a kind hearted little lady," the child read from a small slip of paper at the bottom of the pouch, “Thank you for assisting my pet, he tends to roam and become lost. I’ve heard that my sister is ill. When you cross the bridge, give this message to the guards, they’ll know who I am. I'll be waiting for you. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon." Beautifully written in cursive.

Filled with hope for her mother and excitement at the thought of meeting her relative, the young girl rushed home to get her mother and once again, the two started crossing the bridge.

“You two again?” They were halted by the same three guards. "There's no way the two of you earned ten gold coins in such a short period of time," the guard replied, unwilling to deal with the two. "Well, don't worry; we've got your coins right here." The young girl gave the pouch to the guards, along with the note from her unknown family. The guards seemed to recognize the handwriting because they promptly allowed the pair to pass and even brought them to a grand house.

A man was standing in front of it, and next to him, the dog the young girl helped that day. Turns out, the man was her uncle who chose to live in the North Village. Happy to see his family, the man asked the two to live with him and from then on, the young girl’s life turned for the better.

Moral of the story: Help those in need

by Zefanya Tesa Luinika