Only one hug

1000 words

It was a really hot summer and people would stay inside as much as possible, because it was way too hot outside. The mosque-goer also stayed inside as much as she could, but she needed to go to the supermarket sometimes.

So she went to the supermarket very early in the morning, when it was still not too hot outside. She went there to buy food for her husband and her two children. She didn't want to have to go back too much, because of the heat, so she would buy enough food for a week. The owner of the little supermarket in the village knew the woman very well, because she came there very often.

So when she came in, he immediately stopped doing his administration and said hello to her. "You're surviving the heat ?" he asked her gently. "Yes, but I try to stay inside as much as possible. So now I will buy enough food for a week. Probably you have less customers now with the heat ?" He laughed at her and answered : "Yes, you're right. Most people try to come as little as possible, but when they come, they buy a lot, so they don't have to come back for a little while." The woman smiled politely to the owner and then went to the fruit section.

Except for the woman, there was no one in the supermarket. She had made a little list with everything she needed to buy. When she was halfway through her list, another woman came in.

She was completely dressed in dark clothes and she carried a big purse with her. Suddenly she stopped walking and took a gun out of her purse. She pointed it at the owner and said : "You give me all your money, otherwise you will die." The owner was shaking out of fear. He started collecting all his money. The woman with the gun took a few steps forward, so the owner could give her the money.

After he had given her the money, she went outside like nothing happened. The mosque-goer followed the robber. She didn't know exactly what she wanted to do, but she couldn't just let her go. The thief started walking through the village and after a few miles finally stopped. She stood still in front of a big house. She knocked on the door, but no one came to open it.

After half an hour the thief was still sitting in front of the door. The mosque-goer was hiding behind a tree in the street. Suddenly she walked over to the robber and said: "I know what you did and it isn't good. You can still go back and give the stolen money to the owner. You can still be a good person." And then she gave the thief a hug. Because in her eyes she wasn't a thief, but just a person like everyone else. She just did something bad, but she could still undo it.