Homeless Man Finds Old Black Box and Sells It for $50 without Even Checking What's Inside — Story of the Day

A homeless man woke up one morning and found a box with a lock. He sold the box for a little sum but what happened next changed his life.

Alex was a popular homeless man in the neighborhood. Although he was almost always drunk, people loved him because he always smiled and said nice words whenever they passed. Hence, they gave him gifts occasionally.

Whenever Alex received such gifts, he usually sold them off for cheap sums, which he would then use to buy alcoholic drinks and food.

No one knew how he found himself in such circumstances. He spoke well and sounded like someone with an education. However, rumors had it that he got depressed after losing his job and took to the streets.

Alex was good with the kids too. Anytime little children or teenagers passed by him, he always said kind words to them and advised them not to disobey their parents.

One day, Alex was walking on the road close to a school when he saw two boys being harassed by hooligans. He was drunk then but conscious enough to know what was happening.

He screamed at the hooligans to let go of the boys or feel his wrath. However, they laughed at him and asked him what he could do.

Without warning, Alex charged at the men with a long metal, cursing them as he did. Then, fearing for the worst, the hooligans ran away into an abandoned building down the road.

The two boys Alex rescued were grateful to him and thanked him. He asked them to be careful and walk in groups before bidding them farewell.

Two nights after his rescue act, Alex was sleeping in the abandoned house where he spent his nights. Suddenly, he heard some steps on the first floor followed by a voice.

Alex thought he was hallucinating because he usually had hallucinations he's had his fill of alcohol. Hence, he did not bother to find out what it was and went back to sleep.

When Alex woke up in the morning and went around the abandoned house, he found a black box with a small lock. The lock was breakable, but he did not care about the box's contents so he didn't bother breaking the lock.

He was used to selling most of the gifts people brought to him and decided to sell the box. A man named Nick came to him and bought the box for $50.

A few hours later, Nick returned to where Alex was begging. "Take me to the place where you found the box! Now!" Nick shouted angrily.

Alex took Nick to the place. When they arrived at the abandoned building, they found the two boys crying because they were upset.

"Hey, scoundrel! Ask them why they are crying," Nick shouted at Alex.

The boys began to apologize to Alex. They told him they wanted to give him the box personally but found him sleeping when they arrived the previous night and did not want to disturb him.

"We left a box here, but it seems like someone has stolen it," the boys revealed.

"We just wanted to make you happy, because we know that you might be lonely," they added.

Nick left Alex and the boys and headed over to his car to get the box. When the boys saw it, they were excited and asked Alex if he liked what was inside.

"Yes, sure! Thank you!" Alex lied.

Soon, Nick and the children left the abandoned house and Alex stayed back with the box. He opened it and was shocked by what he found inside.

There were many warm clothes, Christmas decorations and toys, a little New Year tree, and some food. There was also a gift box on the bottom of the box and a letter.

"We saw that you were so alone and poor. But you rescued us from hooligans two days ago near our school and we are so grateful," the letter read.

Surprisingly, Alex could not recall rescuing the boys from hooligans. However, he smiled as he continued reading the letter.

"That is why we asked Santa in our letter to him not to bring gifts to us. We asked him to bring gifts for you instead," the letter continued.

The boys also wrote that their parents told them Santa could not find Alex to present the box to him and asked them to bring it to him themselves.

"We are sure that you are a very good man and you deserved it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you will not feel alone anymore with these gifts," they concluded and signed it with their names, Kyle and Steve Hendricks.

When Alex opened the gift box, he found a new audio player and a portable game console. He also saw the words, "Merry Christmas Kyle and Steve" on the package.

He realized the boys had also given him their Christmas gifts besides the warm clothes and other things they gave him. Alex became emotional and cried. He took the $50 Nick gave him for the box and went into a store to buy small toys, chocolates, and sweets for Kyle and Steve.

He found their home address on one of the jackets they gave him. Kyle and Steve's dad had written the address for a friend but forgot it inside the jacket.

Alex went to the address with the gifts he had bought for them. He dropped the package in front of their door and left a note with it.

"You guys saved my life. Thank you," the note read.

Alex was moved by what Kyle and Steve did for him and gradually changed his lifestyle. He quit drinking and maintained his sobriety. Later, he got a job as a security guard at a warehouse. He was always kind to others and helped people whenever he could.

Although Alex's past was troubled because of his alcoholism, he had been given a new lease on life because of his encounter with the two boys and was determined to make good of his second chance.

What did we gain from this story?

• Be kind to strangers. Alex always received gifts from strangers. He saved two boys from hooligans despite not knowing them. Also, Nick knew the box's significance and returned it to Alex despite paying him for it.

• Avoid drugs and alcohol. Alex found himself in that sort of situation because of his alcohol addiction. He was a nice man but could not sort his life out because of the bottle. He eventually found a way out, thanks to the boys. However, not everyone is that lucky.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who gave his teacher an old shoe box as a gift on her birthday and gets ridiculed for it by everyone else.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com