The Good Samaritan

The story opens at a snack bar on a beach during a sunny day. The bar is shown to sell burgers and fries along with the simple snack items. A young man (mid 20s or so) is seen taking his food to a table; he’s clearly an employee, as he wears a nametag on his shirt. As he eats, he feels someone grab his wallet from his back pocket. Turning around, he sees a little girl running away with his wallet. The young man chases her down and manages to reclaim his wallet from the little girl, who goes on to escape.

One week later, the man from before is locking up the snack bar; the beach is empty, as the day is cold and raining. As the man walks toward the ramp leading to the street where his car is parked, he sees the same little girl from a week before, who runs off quickly. He quickly gives chase until he reaches one of the restrooms; turning a corner, he finds her with her arms wrapped around her knees, crying. He notices she’s wearing a dirty dress with messy red hair going down past her shoulders. Upon seeing who’s standing in front of her, she begs him not to call the police, but the man is more concerned with the fact that the little girl is pale, malnourished, shivering from the cold, and no older than eight or nine.

After walking her back to a table, the man asks the girl to explain why she’s like this. The story is awful; apparently the girl was disowned by her father because he could not (or would not) take care of her, her mother is dead, and she’s been forced to live on the streets for six months and pick pockets in order to keep herself alive. After finishing her story, she gives the man a hug and cries on his shoulder; the young man is heartbroken at her plight and returns the hug, promising to help her. With that, he carries her in his arms up the nearby ramp to where the cars are parked, places her in his car, and drives off.

While this happens, another man sitting on a covered bench nearby smiles as he stands up, opens his umbrella, and starts down the sidewalk after reflecting on how ‘miracles happen all the time; we just don’t pay enough attention to notice.’