The Price of a Choice

The young man stood alone on the deserted alley, shifting nervously from foot to foot. A cold wind rustled the treetops, and the leaves whispered among themselves, as if sharing a dark secret. He was waiting for his girlfriend—they had agreed to meet here, as always. But time passed, and she never showed up.

Suddenly, he felt the air around him grow thick and heavy, as if the world itself was holding its breath. From the shadows, an old man emerged. His face was wrinkled like cracked earth, and his eyes… They seemed blind, yet somehow, they looked straight through him.

"Will you give up your sight in exchange for your girlfriend's life?" the old man asked in a hoarse, raspy voice.

The young man shuddered. The question was asked so plainly, without emotion, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"What?..” he whispered, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"The choice is simple. You will never see the light again, but she will live," the old man took a step closer. "Or..."

The young man swallowed hard. Of course, he loved her. But to go blind… To live in eternal darkness… He couldn’t. He wasn’t strong enough.

"No," he breathed.

The old man nodded, as if he had expected this answer all along. Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the night, vanishing like he had never been there at all.

The young man remained standing alone. Time passed. Minutes stretched into hours, but she never arrived. He tried calling her, but there was no answer. A terrible sense of unease crept into his chest.

Finally, unable to wait any longer, he went to her house. The door was locked, but beneath the doormat, he found a folded piece of paper. Her handwriting—so familiar, slightly messy. With trembling hands, he unfolded the note. And as he read, his blood turned to ice.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come. On my way, an old man approached me… He asked if I would give my life for the one I love. I said yes."

His breath caught in his throat. The walls around him seemed to close in. His pulse pounded in his ears.

Later, he learned the truth. She had died in a tragic accident. Witnesses said she had been walking across a bridge when, out of nowhere, the structure beneath her feet gave way. She plunged into the freezing river below and was gone. Her body was found the next day…

But he couldn’t shake the feeling that it hadn’t been just an accident. He kept seeing the old man’s blind eyes in his mind, hearing his cold, emotionless voice.

The old man had given them both a choice.

And someone had made it.