Punching

Aylin Akca

by Aylin Akca

Story

The little girl smiled at a sad stranger.

This smile made the man feel better.

In this mood, he remembered that he had

not thanked a friend who had helped him

in the recent past. He immediately wrote a

note and sent it. His friend was so delighted

by this thank you that he left a large tip for

the waitress at the restaurant where he ate

every lunch. The waitress received such a

tip for the first time. On her way home in the

evening, she left a piece of the money she

had earned in the hat of the poor man who

always sat at the corner. The man was so,

so, so grateful. He had not eaten for two

days. After filling his stomach for the first

time, he made his way to his only room

in the basement of an apartment block by

whistling. He was so cheerful that when he

saw a puppy shivering under an eaves, he

picked it up. The little dog was happy to

escape the cold of the night. It ran around

in the warm room until morning. After

midnight, smoke filled the apartment block.

A fire was starting. Smelling the smoke, the

dog started barking so loudly that first the

poor man woke up, then the whole

neighbourhood… Mothers and fathers

embraced their children who were about

to suffocate from the smoke and saved

them from death… All of this was the result

of a smile that didn’t even cost five cents.

© Aylin Akca 2024-05-04

Genres
Novels & Stories