The Kind Stranger

Once, in a small village nestled between the mountains, there was a young man named Ethan. He wasn’t rich or powerful, but he was known for his unwavering kindness, always lending a hand to those in need. One evening, as Ethan was walking home after a long day of work, he noticed a stranger sitting by the road. The man looked ragged, his clothes torn and his face worn from travel. He was clutching a bag tightly, staring at it with a look of deep worry.

Ethan approached and, without hesitation, asked, “You look troubled, my friend. Can I help you?”

The stranger glanced up, surprised. He had not expected kindness from anyone, let alone from a simple traveler. “I’ve been on the road for days,” he said, his voice rough. “This bag holds everything I have left in this world—my food, my money… but I fear it’s been cursed. Wherever I go, I face misfortune.”

Ethan, sensing the man’s fear, smiled gently. “A cursed bag? That sounds like a heavy burden. Perhaps it is not the bag that is cursed, but your heart that is filled with doubt.”

The stranger frowned, clearly not understanding, but Ethan was already offering to help. “Come with me to my house,” he said. “You can rest there, and we’ll see what can be done.”

Ethan led the stranger to his small cottage. He gave him food, made him comfortable by the fire, and offered him a bed for the night. In the morning, the stranger seemed calmer, but still wary about his bag. Ethan, noticing his unease, said, “Let’s take a walk. You’ve carried that burden for too long. It’s time to let go.”

They wandered through the woods together, Ethan chatting about the beauty of nature, the sound of the wind, and the joy of living simply. As they reached a clearing near a river, Ethan stopped and said, “Now, if you truly believe the bag is cursed, then throw it into the river. Let go of what weighs you down, and the curse will vanish.”

The stranger hesitated, his fingers tightening around the bag. For a moment, it seemed he might refuse. But something in Ethan’s calmness made him reconsider. Slowly, the stranger opened the bag and, with a deep breath, he tossed it into the river. He watched it float away, feeling a strange weight lift from his chest.

As they returned to the village, the stranger looked at Ethan, his eyes full of gratitude. “I can never repay you for your kindness,” he said quietly. “But I will tell you this: I am not just any traveler. I am a wizard, and I can see things others cannot. You have a gift for seeing what others do not. For your kindness, I grant you this: from now on, whenever you face a choice, you will always know the right path to take. You will never be lost, for your heart is guided by the truth.”

Ethan was taken aback but nodded respectfully. The wizard smiled, disappearing into the woods just as mysteriously as he had come.

Years passed, and Ethan’s life changed. Whenever faced with a decision, whether small or great, he always knew what to do. People would marvel at his wisdom and good fortune, but Ethan knew the truth: it wasn’t the wizard’s gift that guided him—it was the kindness he had shown to a stranger when he needed help the most. And that, he realized, was a power stronger than anything else in the world.

Moral: Kindness doesn’t just change others—it transforms you. Sometimes the simplest acts of goodwill can lead you down the most extraordinary paths.