Once upon a time, there was a boy named Johnny who lived with his mother in a small, rundown one-bedroom apartment. Life was tough for them. Johnny's father had passed away when he was just a little boy, so it was always just him and his mother against the world. They struggled day to day, barely getting by, often not knowing where their next meal would come from. Johnny would often notice his mother pretending she wasn't hungry at dinnertime, just so he could have a little more to eat.
One day, Johnny decided he wanted to change things, to find a way to make life a little easier for them both. As he walked to school, head full of daydreams and what-ifs, he took his usual route under a bridge. There, an old man with a weathered face and kind eyes called out to him, "Little boy, come here." Johnny knew he shouldn't talk to strangers, but there was something gentle and warm about this old man that made him pause. Cautiously, he approached.
The old man smiled, reaching into a small cloth bag he carried. "Hello there, little boy. Would you care to have one of my peas? Just one, and you'll get a little bit of luck."
Johnny was skeptical, of course. A single pea granting luck? It sounded like something out of a fairy tale. But then he remembered he had a soccer game after school, and he'd been dying to score a goal. Maybe, just maybe, it would work. "Okay, old man," Johnny said, trying to hide his excitement. "I'll take it."
The old man nodded. "Come back here tomorrow, same place, same time, and tell me if it worked."
Johnny went off to school, still a bit unsure if he'd been silly to believe in the man's promise. But later that day, at the soccer game, something amazing happened. Johnny, who usually sat on the bench, was finally allowed to play by his coach—and to his surprise, he scored not one, but ten goals. It was a miracle! He rushed home afterward, thrilled, and couldn't wait to tell his mom.
But when he shared his story, she just shook her head and laughed. "Johnny, stop listening to such nonsense. There's no such thing as a lucky pea." She didn't believe him, but Johnny's mind was set. He wanted to go back to the old man. After all, his mother had a job interview the next day, and maybe a bit of luck could help her get that much-needed promotion.
The next morning, Johnny sprinted back to the bridge, where he found the old man waiting, still holding the bag of peas. "Hello there, Johnny," the old man said with a twinkle in his eye.
Johnny was taken aback. "How do you know my name?" he asked.
The old man just smiled. "Oh, don't worry about that. Tell me, did you get a little bit of luck?"
Johnny's face lit up as he jumped up and down. "Yes! I scored ten goals in my soccer game! That's the most I've ever scored!"
The old man chuckled. "Well, then, you didn't just get a little bit of luck, did you? Would you like more luck?" He reached into his bag, holding out another pea.
Johnny's smile stretched wider. "Yes, please! My mom has a job interview today—maybe it'll help her get the promotion!"
The old man gave him the pea, and Johnny thanked him before rushing home. That evening, Johnny's mother came home with a huge smile on her face. "Johnny, I got the promotion! Can you believe it? I didn't even think I was the most qualified, but somehow, they chose me!"
Johnny beamed. "See, Mom? The old man really did give me luck!" But his mother shook her head, still unconvinced, though deep down, she couldn't explain how she'd landed the job herself.
The next day, Johnny raced back to the bridge, eager to find the old man again. But this time, the old man wasn't in his usual spot. Johnny searched up and down, and finally spotted him sitting on a bench farther down, watching the river.
"Why are you in a different spot?" Johnny asked, confused.
The old man just gave a small smile. "Sometimes, things change, Johnny. Don't worry about it. Tell me, did your mother get the promotion?"
Johnny nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, she did! And now... there's one more thing I'd like luck for," he said, blushing a little. "I, um... I have a crush on a girl named Elizabeth. Could you give me luck so she'll ask me out?"
The old man chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm not a genie, Johnny. I can't make people fall in love. But maybe, just maybe, a little luck could help you out."
Johnny nodded, taking the pea with a grin and heading off to school, his heart racing with excitement. That day, Elizabeth, the girl he'd liked for ages, came up to him shyly and said, "Johnny, I've liked you for a while. Would you like to be my boyfriend?"
Johnny couldn't believe it! He said yes, barely able to contain his joy. After school, he went back to find the old man to thank him, but the old man was nowhere to be found. Johnny searched everywhere, but it seemed he'd vanished. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and Johnny eventually moved on with his life. But he never forgot about the old man or the mysterious bag of lucky peas.
Years passed. Johnny grew up, got married to Elizabeth, and they had three children together. His mother, now living comfortably, visited them often, always reminding Johnny of how far they'd come. Johnny never stopped wondering about the old man, though. Then, one day, as he was walking down the street with his young daughter, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
It was the old man, standing under the bridge, just like all those years ago.
Johnny approached, his heart pounding with both excitement and nostalgia. "Old man!" he called out. "Is it really you?"
The old man smiled, looking just the same as he had back then. "Ah, Johnny. Yes, it's me. I'm glad to see you've had a good life. I see the luck has treated you well."
Johnny's daughter looked up, confused. "Daddy, who's this?"
Johnny turned to his daughter, trying to explain, but before he could say anything, the old man spoke. "I'm not just a man, dear. I am a spirit of luck, a ghost, if you will. I've been helping those who needed a little hope for generations."
Johnny looked at him, stunned. "So... you were never really... real?"
The old man chuckled. "Oh, I'm real enough, but not in the way you might think. Now, Johnny, you have a choice. I can grant you one final wish, or you can choose to carry on this legacy, passing the luck on to someone else who might need it."
Johnny thought long and hard. He could ask for riches, power, or anything he desired. But as he looked at his daughter, he realized that he already had everything he'd ever wanted. Smiling, he handed the old man's bag of peas back to him. "I'd like to continue the legacy, to give someone else a little bit of luck."
The old man nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Then it's time for me to go, Johnny. Thank you for believing."
And with that, the old man faded away, leaving Johnny standing there with his daughter, who looked up at him, wide-eyed. "Daddy, was he really a ghost?"
Johnny smiled softly. "I don't know, sweetheart. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. But he taught me something important—sometimes, all you need is a little bit of luck."
Years later, Johnny's children grew up, and he became a grandfather. But he never forgot the old man or the sack of peas, which he kept in a safe place, waiting for the right moment. When Johnny reached the age of 100, he passed away peacefully in his sleep, and as he did, the spirit of the old man appeared once again, ready to pass the luck to the next person.
One day, under the same bridge, a little girl in tattered clothes walked by, her face filled with sadness. And there stood Johnny's spirit, holding out a single, gleaming pea.
"Hello there, little one," he said with a kind smile. "Would you like a little bit of luck?"
