Almera A. Alimoden
It was a bright and sunny afternoon. The market was full of life—people were buying vegetables, children were laughing, and merchants were calling out prices. Everything felt normal until a loud voice broke through the noise.
“Help! Help! Someone stole my bag!” a woman cried out, panic in her voice.
People turned to look. Some ran toward the direction she pointed. Others stayed, watching the scene unfold. A few men tried to chase the thief, but the culprit was too fast and got away.
Just then, the woman continued shouting. A man in the crowd asked, “Do you remember his face?”
“Yes!” she answered. “He’s a fish vendor. What should I do now? I never thought that he would steal something from me.”
“What was he wearing?”
“A white shirt, blue jacket, and a short jean.”
By the end of the day, the story had reached every part of the town. Everyone was talking about the woman, the stolen bag, and the fish vendor who took it.
Among the crowd that day stood Hashim, a quiet and observant man who had only come to the market to visit a distant relative. He hadn’t joined the chase, but he watched closely. And he seems to recognize the man.
“Ameen…” he whispered to himself.
Ameen was his neighbor—a hardworking fisherman who supports three children. His wife died after giving birth. Known for his humility and honesty, Ameen had always kept to himself, focusing only on his livelihood and his children’s well-being.
Later that afternoon, Hashim returned home, hoping that what he feared was untrue. But there he was—Ameen—still in that same white shirt and blue jacket, at the front of his house.
“That has to be him,” Hashim thought. “It must be Ameen.”
And he was not wrong. Indeed, it was him.
On the same day, Hashim told others.
“Ameen stole something from the market.”
“No way,” someone said. “He’s a good man.”
“I swear, I saw him with my own eyes,” Hashim insisted.
At first, the neighbors didn’t believe it. But the rumor spread quickly. Soon, even those who liked Ameen started to wonder.
“Maybe life is just too hard for him. He has three kids. Maybe he didn’t have a choice,” they whispered.
Ameen had no idea people were talking about him. He continued with his daily routine—cooking, caring for his kids, and preparing to go fishing. On his way to the lake, he passed by a group of elders.
“Ameen! Going fishing again?” one of them, Sofiya, called out with a smile.
“Yes,” Ameen answered.
“Be careful,” Sofiya laughed, “you might catch a fish that is off-limits.”
The others laughed too. Ameen didn’t understand the joke but laughed along politely and walked away.
As he walked through the neighborhood, he heard children calling him a thief. People stared at him with judging eyes. His heart sank. He realized then what Sofiya had meant. He was on everyone’s lips. People were gossiping. And somehow, they all believed he had done something wrong.
Meanwhile, Hashim went to the police station to report the culprit in the theft.
“Sir, I’m here to report what I saw at the market yesterday,” he said.
The officer looked up. “You mean the case about Ameen?”
“Yes, that one!” Hashim replied quickly.
The officer shook his head. “That case was already solved. Ameen came in soon after the incident. The truth is that the woman refuses to pay for the fish she bought. So, he followed her, took the bag, and brought it directly to our station, hoping that he would obtain his right. Thankfully, the woman arrived.”
Hashim stood frozen. His heart dropped. He was wrong all along. And worse, he had helped spread false information about an innocent man. He returned home filled with guilt. The damage was done. Everyone already believed Ameen is a thief. People avoided him and his children were left out of games. Customers stopped buying from him; he was completely isolated with his children and never talked with the neighbors. His grace and smile gradually faded. He was ashamed to go outside and work, but he still did, because he had.
Even when Aling Sofiya’s hen went missing, neighbors quickly blamed Ameen again.
“He hasn’t been working. Maybe that’s why,” they whispered.
This time, Hashim couldn’t stay quiet.
“Stop blaming him!” he shouted. “Did anyone see him steal anything?”
But deep down, Hashim was angry at himself, not just at the others. He knew that he was the one who lit the match.
One day, he couldn’t take the guilt anymore. He went to Ameen’s house.
“I came to say sorry,” he said. “I am the one who spread the news about you, stealing at the market. I judged you without knowing the truth. I want to make things right.”
Ameen looked at him. “I will forgive you,” he said quietly. “But only if you do something for me.”
“Anything,” Hashim replied. “Tell me.”
“Help me burn the waste papers I have in my house,” Ameen said.
Hashim did what he was told and came later to him.
“I burned them, just like you asked.”
“Good,” Ameen said. “Now bring back the papers you’ve burnt the way it was. All of them.”
Hashim looked confused. “That’s not possible. They’re ashes now.”
Ameen nodded. “Exactly. That’s what I want you to understand. The same way those papers turned to ashes and cannot be brought back, your words did the same to me. You burned my name. My place in this neighborhood. And no matter what you do, you can’t bring that back.”
Hashim’s heart broke. Tears welled in his eyes. He finally understood the weight of what he had done.