On my way back home, I passed by Mr. Smith’s candy store. The sun had begun to set, and the sky was already painted a dull orange, the sun had become a burning red disc. Far away, I could see the dark silhouettes of wheat, swaying along to the gentle breeze that had drawn itself past me.
When I walked into the store, Mr. Smith poked his face through the side of the newspaper he was reading. “Johnny!” he said when he saw me. He put his paper down and rested his arms on the counter. “Don’t you have school today?
I couldn’t help myself, because it had been so easy. Smith had already drawn himself into his paper, so I took the figure, and quickly stuffed it into my backpack. “See you later Mr. Smith” I said to him as I left the store. Mr. Smith let out a surprised grunt. “Leaving already? You barely got here. Here, if you’re not gonna buy anything then let me give you some Skittles. We just got a shipment of them today, and they sell pretty slow anyways. I took the red bag from his hand.
I couldn’t stay there any longer. If I did, he would discover, and he would call my parents. I looked up and thanked Mr. Smith before I left.
I took the figure out of my backpack when I got back home. My bad feelings went away as soon as I started playing with the figure. But that feeling didn’t last long. The figure become more and more of a plastic object, and the guilt that I felt became heavier.
I couldn’t simply return the figure back to Mr. Smith like this, so I put the figure back inside it’s case, and placed him on the counter together with a letter.
“Mr. Smith, I did not pay you for this toy, but I took it when you were not looking. I really wanted it, but I don’t have enough money. Please don’t tell my mom and dad.”
I walked past the store the next day, but Mr. Smith saw me and came out. “Johnny, I want you to come here for a second. Quietly, I walked up to him. I sat in front of him for a while, in silence. “I read your letter. There isn’t much that I can do with the toy now that it’s used you know.”
I could feel my eyes getting warm. “Johnny, I know how you feel. But what you did wasn’t right. I forgive you, but you have to promise me that you won’t steal again.”
I nodded.
“Well, good. I want you to have this.” He handed me another red bag. “Now go to school.”
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