Read Me A Bedtime Story- What Would You Do?

Read Me A Bedtime Story

What Would You Do?

Jonathan Joy

For The Ashland Beacon

Finn and Rafael walked home from school. 

They passed the time talking about classes, teachers, video games, candy, the upcoming summer break, and more. 

Sometimes, when their homes were in view, they’d race each other for the final hundred yards or so. 

Other days they’d stop at a nearby park to shoot hoops or climb trees.

On rare occasions, when the pair had the money, they’d go downtown to play video games at the arcade.     

Of course, occasionally, they’d go straight inside their respective homes to watch YouTube for hours on end. 

But this day was like no other they’d ever experienced before.

“What’s that?” Finn asked, pointing to a large pack on the sidewalk.

“A bag.” Rafael responded, going to check it out.

“That’s not yours…”  Finn tried to stop his friend, but Rafael interrupted.

“Woah!  It’s full of money!” 

“Yeah, right.”  Finn didn’t believe Rafael until he was side by side with him, looking down at the bag.

“Wow!”

“Yeah, wow.”

“What should we do?”  Finn asked.

Rafael looked at his friend.  He then looked up one side of the street, and then down the other side of the street.  No one else was in sight. “We should count it.”  Rafael snatched it up and ran home, Finn close behind.

Within seconds they were both in Rafael’s room counting one-dollar bills, fives, even tens and twenties and hundreds.

Together the pair counted ten thousand dollars total.

“We’re rich!”  Rafael imagined the possibilities.  He envisioned spending the cash renting jet skis at the riverfront and buying enough fresh buttered popcorn at the movie theatre to fill the new pool he’d have installed in his backyard. 

“We’re not rich.  We have to turn it in, right?” Finn countered.  He was a rule follower. 

“Turn it in?  To who!?”  Rafael was infuriated. 

“I don’t know.”  Finn responded.  “Our parents?  The police?”

Rafael’s sweet dreams of a PS5 in every room of his house and an endless supply of Ale 8 began to dissipate.  He knew Finn was right.

This is called an ethical dilemma, readers.  An ethical dilemma is when you must make a choice between two very different options and, deep down, you know one of those is the right thing to do and the other will betray your moral principles. 

What would you do with the money? 

In this case, Rafael eventually agreed with his friend and the two took the money to a local police station together. 

“You did the right thing, boys.”  Officer Dani bellowed, as she patted them on the back. 

“Great!”  Finn was proud.

“Yeah…great.”  Rafael was less enthused, but he knew they had no other choice.    

“There is a reward.”  Dani said.

The boys’ eyes grew wide with anticipation.

“Here you go.  Twenty dollars each.”

Finn looked at his friend and consoled him.  “Hey, Rafael, it may not buy a pool full of popcorn, but it will get us far at the arcade.  I’ll race you!”  His friend smiled, and the pair shot off into the sunset and toward their favorite downtown spot.