Moral Dilemma

It was just sitting there. On the bench. A little black book with a hole in the middle. In that hole, there was $20,000. Should I take it? It has no notes inside, just the money. Maybe someone just left it here. I'm sure that's the case. They would have surely been more careful with that amount of money. I could pay off all my debts and travel the world. Oh, I would be able to go to Italy. I could see all the renaissance art that I've always wanted to see and all the architecture. But what if this has been left for some sort of drug deal. I don't want to go to jail for taking tainted money. I should probably just go give it to the police. That would be such a waste though. Did that bush just move? Is someone watching me? This could just be some sick test to see if people do the right thing. That's a lot of money for a test though. If someone has that much money to spare, I think they have some other issues to figure out. I'll just sit down for the next few minutes and see if anyone comes by looking for it. I haven't seen anyone come by since I've been here and they would have surely come back by now if it was a mistake. I don't care if it is a test, I'm taking it. If someone was that stupid to leave it here then they deserve to get it taken. Yeah, I'm taking it. Okay, here we go. Just take it. I swear that bush just moved. I don't know, maybe it didn't. Maybe that is my guilt talking. I shouldn't be guilty though they left it here for the taking. Okay, that is it. I'll just sit on the bench for a few minutes and glance through the book so no one thinks I stole it. I'm glancing, I'm glancing. What the hell am I doing? No one is even around, no one will see. I need this. All the debt and all the vacations I could take. Everyone would do the same thing. I know they would. Time to leave. I'll just stick it in my purse, no one will be the wiser. Now move. One step at a time, down this dark pathway. Why is it so dark? It's only, what, 4:30? Just act normal, keep walking. Is that someone behind me? I'm imagining things, there was no one like ten seconds ago so there is no one there now. You are just paranoid. Yeah, paranoid because you are an awful person. Who takes $20,000 from a bench? It would have been better if someone else found it. They could be going through this right now instead of me. No, stop! I'll just give some of it to charity. I'll pay off my debts, plan a trip around Europe, and the leftovers I'll donate. Perfect. Keep walking. Don't look back, now that will make you look suspicious. Keep going. Okay, there is definitely someone following me. One quick look. Ready, one quick look, now! No one is there but that lamppost looked a little thicker than normal. There is a person behind it for sure. Okay, let's just do a little jogging. I need the exercise anyway. Okay, there are footsteps now, they are running. Run as fast as your feet can take you. Move, move, move!

"Hey, wait," what was that?

Did someone just yell at me? I'll stop running, I look crazy.

"Hey, sorry if I scared you but you dropped this," it's the book. How did I drop it when it was secured in my purse?

"Thanks."

They are already gone. Great. Wait a second, I still have mine. Where did that person go? What is this, some kind of test? Maybe something is in this book, let's see. Wait, there was some writing on that page. "You lost," it reads. What the hell. What the heck does that even m-