The smile

He walked smiling through the streets of the city, giving smiles to every passerby who crossed his path. He practiced with devotion the words of that ancient poem he had found by chance:

“It is the smile that is the gift that God has put in my mouth...”

For him, every sincere smile was an act of generosity, a way of giving a little joy to the world. He felt fulfilled to see the somber faces of strangers light up with a glimmer of happiness thanks to his gesture.

One day, as he was spreading smiles among the urban crowd, an old woman stopped his gait and stared at him.

-Young man, I have a gift for you,” she said in a raspy voice.

He accepted in confusion the small package the woman handed him. When he opened it, he found that same poem with the smile, apparently an old and worn edition.

-How... how did you know that I...? - he stammered, but the old woman was already lost among the human tide.

Years went by and he grew old, clinging to his philosophy of smiling like a precious treasure. Just before his death, he gathered his loved ones and gave them that same package.

-This poem was given to me a long time ago by a stranger. Now it is my turn to give it away, so that its message will live on.

And with a last smile on his lips, he breathed his last breath as that mysterious text began a new endless cycle of happiness.