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A simple act of kindness leads to unforeseen darkness: A tale of fear, secrets, and the unknown

It was a cold night, with the thermometer reading -3°C. The wind cut through my coat, and the snowflakes stung my face. All I wanted was to get home, take a hot shower, and drink some hot chocolate. But as I approached the shawarma stand on the corner, my steps faltered.

There he was — a man wrapped in torn fabric, trembling while a skinny dog pressed against him, seeking warmth. His hoarse, pleading voice broke the silence of the night.

"Just give me a cup of hot water, please," he asked.

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"GET OUT OF HERE!" shouted the vendor, without even looking at him.

The dog whimpered, and something inside me broke. My grandmother's words echoed in my mind: "Kindness costs nothing, but it can change everything." I decided to step forward.

"Two coffees and two shawarmas, please," I ordered.

The vendor frowned, but prepared the order. Blushing with embarrassment, I handed the bag and cups to the man. "Here," I murmured.

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As I started to walk away, his hoarse voice stopped me. "Wait." He extended a crumpled piece of paper. "Read it at home," he said with a strange smile.

I kept the note in my pocket, ignoring it as I focused on my walk home, work emails, and the hundreds of trivialities of modern life.

It wasn’t until the next night, while cleaning my coat pocket, that I found it. The paper was wrinkled and worn, but the message was clear.

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"I am the man you helped yesterday. Now you have helped me, but if you open this letter, you will never have peace. I am not what you think I am."

A chill ran down my spine. The paper seemed to pulse in my hands. I couldn’t understand. He was just a beggar, right? What did he mean by this? I tried to laugh at myself, thinking it was just another meaningless superstition, but a strange feeling settled inside me.

That night, I heard a sound coming from the street. It sounded like someone walking. I looked out the window but saw no one. The wind howled, and the silence was only broken by the rustling of the trees.

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Hours later, while I was trying to sleep, the sound came again. I got up and looked out the window. Now, a hooded figure was standing on the corner, in front of the shawarma stand. I froze, watching. It was the same man.

But he was no longer alone. A mysterious figure stood beside him. Whatever it was, it had its eyes fixed on me.

I didn’t know what to do anymore. The letter... everything was starting to make sense now. I had stumbled into something I shouldn’t have. And now, I couldn’t escape.

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With my heart racing, I stepped away from the window. The feeling of being watched consumed me. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore it, but fear wouldn’t leave me.

What had started as a simple act of kindness had turned into something much darker than I could have imagined.

Fear took over me, and deep down, I knew I would never be the same again.

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