Workers come across a huge snake on a construction site, but when one of them opened it up, he could never have imagined what was inside its belly. The men were shocked. On a hot day, the sun shone mercilessly, sending waves of heat that made the air shiver over the cracked sidewalk.
A group of construction workers stood in the middle of the vast dusty terrain where the green of the vegetation that used to grow there was regaining its place. Among them, men with sweaty faces and calloused hands chatted as they cleaned up what was left of a place that once housed a magnificent residence.
“What happened here?” asked Frank, a 22-year-old newbie, his hands not yet accustomed to the weight of the job, as he looked at the remains of the foundation of a house that in its best era certainly exuded wealth and beauty. The older workers exchanged glances before one of them began to tell the story of that house.
“This house was very old. It belonged to a wealthy family, I mean an old money family,” he began, his voice rising above the sound of the crickets. “But over time, they all left and only old Tony was left behind. They say he was as stubborn as a mule.” They continued their work, clearing away the remaining undergrowth. Since the previous week, they had dedicated themselves to removing the rubble and debris from the demolition of the house.
The house was so precarious—well, the house was over 2 centuries old—and so the town hall ordered old Tony to vacate it a long time ago. But the old man said he would only leave the house in a coffin, that he would die in the house where he grew up. Now that he’s gone, the city hall demolished it. In the end, he kept his word; he died between those four walls that no longer exist.”
The conversation was punctuated by reflective pauses and sighs. “Now it looks like his daughter is going to build some luxury apartments here,” commented another worker, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. The men nodded in agreement, each lost in thought about the twists and turns of life and the passage of time.
“I see she owns our construction company, right, Frank?” asked.
“That’s right, Alice. A woman we’ve never seen before because she’s so important,” they joked. However, their conversations were interrupted by a sudden, disconcerting sound that emerged from the silence of the undergrowth. It was a strange sound, something that seemed to drag heavily through the remaining vegetation.
Instinctively, everyone stopped what they were doing, their tools hanging in the air, their eyes wide in search of the source of the noise. The newcomer, his breath caught in his throat, held the hoe tightly as if it were a talisman against the unknown. The vegetation was moving, and something was moving in it, something big.
“The snake!” a warning shout cut through the hot air, and the men began to move away in a chaotic movement, some jumping away, others tripping over forgotten tools in their haste. Frank was paralyzed for a moment by the sight of the creature, feeling a mixture of fear and fascination.
“The snake was large, with shiny scales that seemed to absorb the sunlight, casting reflections across the cluttered terrain. With his heart pounding in his chest, Frank held the hoe tightly in his trembling hands. ‘Good Lord, look at the size of that thing!’ shouted one of the older workers, recoiling so much that he almost fell backward.
“‘Frank, she’s coming for you! Watch out!’ warned another, keeping his distance. But the young man, driven by an impulse he didn’t understand, dodged the reptile’s attack and with a determined move used his hoe to strike a blow at the animal, enough to stun it for a moment. ‘Come on, help me!’ he called out. But the men hesitated, overwhelmed by the fear of approaching the agonizing snake.
Seeing that the men wouldn’t help him, the young man took a deep breath and with surprising bravery grabbed the snake’s head. His firm, decisive hands kept the animal under control while adrenaline pulsed through his veins. Holding the snake firmly, he ran towards the makeshift cafeteria, a space set up next to the construction site. There he found a large empty gallon of water that seemed to be enough to contain the creature. Carefully, he maneuvered the snake into the container, making sure the lid was tightly closed. Everything seemed to be under control now. Everyone was panting from the adrenaline of the moment.
The other men, with their security restored, began to approach again, their expressions a mixture of relief and admiration for the newcomer’s courage. ‘You’re crazy, kid, but you’ve got guts,’ said one of the workers, patting the boy on the back. ‘You’re going to become a legend here.’
The young worker, still breathing hard after the fight with the snake, turned to the others and shouted, ‘What happened, you guys? Why did you just stand there and didn’t help me?’ He was annoyed that they hadn’t even helped him. The men, with a mixture of disdain and relief, simply replied, ‘You’re just stupid for trying to catch the snake,’ one of them retorted, shaking his head in clear disagreement. ‘You risked your life for nothing, kid. You could have been eaten.
The boy snorted. His intention was to call the engineer in charge of the project and report the situation. But something about the appearance of the captured snake caught his eye. The animal’s belly was abnormally distended, suggesting that something large was inside. ‘Look, Frank,’ said curiously, pointing to the animal’s swollen belly. ‘She must have swallowed something big or maybe she’s pregnant.
His colleagues, who had kept a cautious distance, came a little closer, intrigued despite their fear. The hoe that the boy had used to catch the snake had accidentally made a cut near the reptile’s belly. It was clear that without proper care, the snake would not survive. The boy felt a weight of responsibility fall on his shoulders as he realized the seriousness of the situation he had caused.
What if she really is pregnant? What if there are more snakes around here?’ This comment echoed in the air as real as the heat emanating from the ground. However, his coworkers didn’t share his sense of urgency or compassion. ‘If you want to stand here with that snake, be my guest,’ one of them said with an indifference that sounded almost cruel. ‘But we’re going to lunch. Just get rid of that thing and forget about it, kid. Are you coming?’
‘No, I’m going to see if there’s any more,’ he said, puzzling the men who annoyed just went off to eat. Alone with his thoughts and the wounded snake, the boy made a decision. He needed to investigate the undergrowth again, the place where they had found the giant snake. Could it be that the animal had young nearby or perhaps there was some other explanation for the unusual size of its belly?
Now wielding his hoe as a tool for protection and exploration, he once again entered the dense vegetation. Every step was careful, every noise a new source of warning. The harsh sun was punishing his skin, but the search for the unknown was driving him forward. With each cautious movement, he advanced further and further into the undergrowth that wasn’t even that tall but was dense, the result of years of neglect by the old man who once lived there.
The boy’s eyes scanned the terrain for any sign of movement. He knew he could be on the verge of uncovering an incredible secret or facing even greater danger. But the need to find out was stronger than his fear. Frank’s heart was beating frantically, not just because of the heat and the effort, but because of the anticipation of what was to come. Any hesitation could have serious consequences.
The young man thought about how this could change the course of his life and the lives of everyone involved. Wandering around cautiously and with a sense of responsibility weighing heavily on his shoulders, the young man began to scour the undergrowth in search of more snakes. He expected to find small snakes, perhaps a brood, but what he found was something completely unexpected and out of place in that natural environment.
Pushing through branches and leaves, his hand touched something solid. It was a small rectangular wooden box, partially buried under dry leaves, clearly old and half-broken. It must have fallen during demolition, he muttered to himself, curious about the contents that could have remained hidden for so long. Opening the box carefully, the boy found a diary, its pages yellowed by time.
Putting aside his investigation of the reptiles for a moment, he returned to where the snake was contained, and with the creature still as his only companion, began to read. The written words were intimate, the narration of a life full of joys and sorrows. It seemed to be the diary of old Tony’s late wife, who had lived in the mansion.
“March 21st, 1984. I found out I’m pregnant. My heart overflows with joy,” he read the first pages.
“July 7th, 1984. I felt my baby kick for the first time. It’s a magical feeling. Hi, Alice, can you hear Mommy?” continued another entry.
The diary also revealed moments of pain.
“November 14th, 1984. The doctors have confirmed the worst. My cancer is progressing. I’m afraid I won’t see my darling Alice grow up,” the woman wrote.
However, one passage in particular caught the young man’s eye, an entry that spoke of a family tradition and a priceless gift.
“When my daughter turns 40, I want to give her what my mother gave me when I was that age: a family treasure hidden away where only she can find it. In my box, I hope I’ll live to see that day,” Frank looked again. However, the box was empty, and there was no sign of any treasure.
The boy felt compelled to look again at the snake, which unfortunately had not resisted the wound caused by the hoe. With a mixture of reverence and determination, he carefully removed the snake from the gallon and began to open its belly. What he found inside paralyzed him. There, between the animal’s entrails, something glistened, reflecting the sun. A shock of reality and amazement hit him hard as he stared in disbelief at what the snake had swallowed.
He stood there, static, with the diary of a loving mother on one side and the secret she had hidden now revealed in a way no one could have imagined.
The workers returning from lunch found the young man kneeling on the ground with a small black bag, all gooey from the snake’s stomach, in his hands. Curiosity and amazement mingled on their sun-aided faces as they approached, looking over his shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing there, kid?” one of them asked, frowning as he saw the bag full of shiny, sticky mucus.
The boy didn’t say anything at first, just opened the bag with trembling hands. From inside, he took out a beautiful, shiny ruby necklace, with stones that were still sparkling even though they were covered in mucus.
“Where did you find this?” they asked, their faces pale.
“The snake has swallowed it,” Frank replied. In that instant, a murmur of shock went through the group, and a triumphant shout from the men exploded.
“We’re rich! We’re rich!”
However, the young man was quick to cut the euphoria.
“Wait, no, no, no, we—we are not rich. Firstly, because you didn’t help me at all with the snake. I had to take care of everything myself,” he looked at each of the men with his firm, defiant gaze, “and secondly, because it belongs to the owner of the construction company, the old man’s daughter. I’ll give it back to her.”
“Have you lost your mind, boy?” one of the workers stammered. “With that kind of money, you’d never have to work again.”
But the boy was already on his feet, with the wooden box in one hand and the bag containing the jewel in the other.
“It is work that brings dignity to man, not cowardice,” and he left, leaving the other workers embarrassed in the midst of a heated discussion about the petulance of that boy.
That evening, at home, the boy cleaned the jewel carefully, giving it back the shine that rubies deserved. He washed the bag and left the box as well as he could, even though it was damaged.
The next day, before even going to the construction site, Frank went to the construction company’s office, very determined. He asked to speak to the owner personally, but because he was just a bricklayer, they didn’t want to let him see the businesswoman.
“It’s extremely important, and it’s about her mother. She needs to know about this,” he said firmly, which prompted the secretary to immediately call the woman.
Alice, a successful businesswoman with an imposing bearing, welcomed him into her luxurious office. At first, she looked at him suspiciously, as she had no idea what the young man wanted with her. But when he showed her the box and the necklace, tears began to flow from her eyes.
“I found this on the construction site yesterday, ma’am,” he said a little hesitantly.
The woman picked up the objects, and seeing her mother’s diary along with the necklace, brought out long-lost feelings.
“My father said he’d give this to me when I turned 40,” she explained through sobs, touching the necklace with trembling hands. “This year, I turned 40, but he died before he could give it to me, and no one could find my mother’s necklace after the demolition.”
The poor businesswoman, although she was rich and had everything money could buy, felt alone in the world now that she had neither a mother nor a father.
“Why did you bring it back to me?” she asked, looking at the young man with a mixture of gratitude and bewilderment.
“I don’t think your colleagues would miss the chance to sell it,” the young man sighed, with an old sadness reflected in his eyes. “I lost my mother when I was just a kid,” he began, “and if I had something of hers, something as valuable as that, it would be my treasure forever. I know how special it is to have something from someone you love. I can relate, and I just couldn’t take that away from you.”
The woman looked at him, seeing not just a construction worker but a young man of character and compassion. At that moment, a silent connection formed between them, a mutual understanding
of loss and memory, of honoring those who have gone through unexpected acts of kindness.
The honesty and integrity of Frank, the hardworking young man, ended up taking an unexpected turn in his life. The businesswoman, touched by the return of the ruby necklace and by the young man’s noble character, insisted on rewarding him.
“What can I do to repay you? There must be something you want,” she asked him, certain that someone with such decency deserved to be rewarded.
Reluctant at first, the young man ended up revealing his secret dream, something he kept only to himself.
“My dream has always been to be an engineer. If I could work here, watching the professionals, I’d be very happy to learn from them,” he confessed, his eyes sparkling at the mere mention of the possibility.
The woman not only listened to his wish; she made it come true. She said that she would pay for the young man to study engineering, investing in his potential and the promise of a bright future.
Years later, after graduating, Frank began working for the construction company, no longer as a manual laborer but as a qualified civil engineer. Bringing with him the same work ethic and kindness that had made him stand out from the start, over time, the trust between the two solidified to such an extent that they became partners.
Alice knew that finding someone she could trust was rare, and she saw Frank not just as a business partner but as a true friend. The young man who had once captured a snake and found a treasure inside its belly was now rich, not just materially but in experience and respect.
His former coworkers, those who had mocked his choice to return the object rather than claim the necklace for himself, were stunned when they saw him arrive at the construction site, this time to supervise the project. They could hardly believe that the young man who had once been ridiculed for his compassion, courage, and decency was now making the decisions.
A true success story that had begun with an act of pure selfless kindness. As he said, “It’s work that dignifies man, not cowardice,” recalled one of the workers, watching the young man with a mixture of admiration and envy.
The young engineer smiled when he heard this, knowing that his wealth didn’t just come from money or success but from the knowledge that he had done the right thing when no one else would. And that, he knew, was the true foundation for a life of success and satisfaction.
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