Louis The punishment

On a cold December night gleamed the stars upon the silhouette of a man whose body and mind had been worn out by exasperation and a constant feeling of hopelessness. As he glanced at the clear moonlit sky, tears rolled down his cheeks once more. The man had given up on taking care of himself a long time ago. He had become skinny, had grown long dark messy hair and a beard. Anyone walking by could have taken him for a standing corpse because of his dark appearance and the paleness of his skin. He had not slept for many weeks, for his nights were haunted by nightmares.

A score of years had passed since that man had committed the one crime that had doomed him to the end of his miserable life. Back then, the man lived peacefully in a little farm along with his daughter, whose mother had died giving birth to her. But one day came to disturb the peace, as his daughter had become seriously ill. The man traveled many miles to seek the help of a doctor, for the farm was far away from all other villages. After having examined the six year old girl, the doctor announced that she had the plague. Terrified of contamination, the father locked all the doors the following day and fled to another country, leaving his own child to perish alone in the darkness of the deserted house. Not once during the following year did the coward regret his pitiful act.

Having seen this unforgivable crime. The Lord decided to punish the man by taking away all happiness in his life until death should come to him. And since that day, the man's life had been haunted by the memory of that defenseless child he had murdered. From then on, the feeling of joy had been unknown to him.

As he looked at the sky, the man remembered what he had done and cried from the top of the cliff he was standing on:

" Lord,! When willst thou forgive my foolish act? I cannot bear more of this endless torture, for thou hast bound my soul to the darkness of hell! My only wish now is to perish as I deserve..." He stepped a bit closer to the edge of the cliff and watched the rough sea below and the waves crashing onto the sharp edges of the cliff. He closed his eyes and took another step closer.

"Forgive me. Lord" said the man with a desperate voice before jumping into the sea and abandoning his soul to the devil.

One foolish decision had been enough to ruin this man's life; and all one must do is think before he acts.

 

P.S.Life's like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get.