The Long-Lost Son

A beggar came into a quiet village. His appearance was thin, dirty, weak, and hopeless. Most of the people in town steered clear of him as he put out his hands to those passing by the spot where he would lie in the center of town. That is until Master Kwan stopped and spoke with him.

Many of the people passing by were unsure why Master Kwan, who was a respected martial arts teacher, would even waste his time. What was even more disturbing to the people was when the Master lifted the man up and began to walk him to his dojo.

The interaction between Kwan and the beggar became the talk of the town. The next day, one of Master Kwan’s students asked, “Why did you take in that dirty beggar?”

Kwan replied, “Things are not always as they appear, but you must trust me that I did what was right.”

Several weeks went by and the talk faded about what happened that day, because the beggar just seemed to disappear. Then, one night, out of nowhere, the long-lost son of one of the village’s chief council members showed up at Kwan’s class.

Since most of the town trained with Kwan, there was tremendous excitement at the sudden appearance of the man, especially by his family. When asked what had happened to him, he explained, “I got lost a number of years ago and had been trying to find my way back home. I nearly starved to death on a number of occasions.”

His father replied, “It doesn’t matter now; we’re just glad to have you back.”

The man replied, “It’s all because of Master Kwan.”

Everyone was surprised.

“What do you mean?” the man’s father asked.

Kwan stepped in and replied, “The man who appeared to be a beggar is the same person as the long-lost son. I saw in his eyes who he was. He was suffering from malnutrition, which was also hurting him in other ways. I decided to nurse him back to health with good nutrition. Now you have your son back.”

Everyone, but especially the boy’s father, rejoiced.