A Thief Regrets
Before You Read
Pan Aiying is a teacher in Shandong, China. One evening she is cycling home from work. Suddenly a thief on a motorbike pulls alongside her. He grabs Pam's handbag and speeds away.
Pan is very upset. Inside the bag is a mobile phone and around 4,900 Yuan ($600 US). It's the money to pay her rent
When she tries calling her phone there's no answer. So Pan sends a text message.
‘You can keep the money if you really need it,’ she writes, ‘but please return the other things to me. We all make mistakes.’
No Reply
That message receives no reply. Nor do the other 20 messages Pan sends to her phone. ‘I won’t see my bag again,’ she thinks sadly.Three days later Pan has a happy surprise. She returns home from work to find her handbag outside the front door of her home. ‘It’s all here!’ she cries. ‘My money, my phone – everything!
Inside the bag there’s also a letter. It’s from the thief:
Dear Pan
I’m very sorry for stealing your bag. Please forgive me.
I read your messages and they made me rethink my life. Even though I did you harm, you still tried to help me.
I made a mistake but I want to change. I want to become a good person like you …
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