It was a cold winter day, and snow covered the quiet countryside. As an old man walked home through the fields, he heard a strange, soft cry coming from the roadside. Looking closer, he saw a crane caught in a hunter’s trap—its wing injured and struggling to escape.
Moved by pity, the old man gently approached the bird. “There, there… Don’t be afraid,” he whispered. Carefully, he loosened the trap and lifted the crane into his arms.
“You’re free now,” he said with a warm smile, releasing the bird into the sky. The crane circled once above him, as if to say thank you, and then disappeared into the snowy clouds.
The old man watched until it was out of sight, then turned and quietly continued his walk home—never imagining that this small act of kindness would change his life.