Stealing is wrong...

Every day was just as boring as the last, I didn't even know why I had decided to go with my friends to that fair, I didn't like leaving the house most of the time, but I believed that if I changed my routine a little, something interesting could happen... Now I know it was a mistake.

When I saw how everyone around was having fun and telling jokes giving a view of youth in all its splendor, I knew there was no place for me. After continuing with my friends for a while, we all decided to split up to look for something interesting to do, the noise of the rides plus the smell of junk food weren't really my thing, so I started walking aimlessly in specific.

Little by little, the stalls were becoming scarcer, and the sound of laughter and the enthusiasm of the people began to disappear.

I continued walking and I did not realize the moment I arrived at that place. In front of me, there was a strange stall, at first glance, nothing could be seen that indicated the theme of that place, but for some strange reason, my arm did not take long to remove the fabric that covered the entrance and I continued until I was inside that peculiar large tent.

Even to this day, I can remember everything that was there, in short, there were very strange things, old jars that seemed to contain everything from the bodies of insects and small animals to substances that I did not know nor was I interested in knowing what they were; The place was permeated with the aroma of herbs that just entering my nose made me frown. From the ceiling hung what you could call a kind of amulets or decorations with strange shapes, and on the floor, there was an enormous number of books and scattered papers that contained symbols or illustrations that were indecipherable to me, all over the place while I could hear strange sounds coming from the dark part of that stall.

Just by being there, I felt an uncomfortable sensation that told me that I had to get out as quickly as I could, but as if I had been in a trance, my body began to move while I saw what was in front of me. On top of a desk, there was a small ring, it was black with a gem that I couldn't identify what it was, and it had patterns without any sense of aesthetics that made anyone who looked at it think it was a worthless trinket, but for no reason, I couldn't take my eyes off it.

I didn't even think about it and I took it, at that moment there was nothing else in my head other than taking that ring with me and that no one else could have it. A strange obsession began to form inside me and I didn't pay attention to what was happening around me until I arrived at my house and went to my room. That was when everything I had done began to repeat itself in my head, the first thing I thought about was why I had done that, it seemed as if I was not myself at that moment and I had a hard time finding a reason for what had happened, but no matter how hard I tried, I only ended up convincing myself that I had done it for no reason.

I stared at that ring for a long time until I put my finger in it, strangely it was the exact size and it didn't feel uncomfortable in any way, but after looking at it for a few moments, I got bored.

I thought it would be best to return the ring at that time, but daylight had hidden on the horizon making me give up and just lie on my bed waiting for the next day.

…

That night I couldn't sleep, something prevented me from doing so, at every moment I felt that someone was hiding in the shadows in my room, and sounds that I couldn't identify sounded from time to time. Some panic began to form in me when my mind began to play with me forming strange figures that should not exist or just for the sake of listening to my heartbeat.

Just when I saw the first rays of light coming through the window, I ran out as fast as I could in the hope of finding that stall where I had found that ring. Strange ideas were forming in my mind, that place was too strange, whoever the owner was must be just as strange and maybe I had done something that I really shouldn't have done. Unfortunately for me, that position was nowhere to be found, I was left waiting in the same place as the day before for it to appear, but it was useless, I even tried to ask around, but I always received the same kind of response.

"There was never a stall there."

At first, I thought they were just joking, but when I got the same response from everyone, I knew they were serious. I couldn't understand it, I was sure that the day before I entered that place and saw all those strange things, I even had that ring in my hand, so I couldn't process what was really happening.

…

After that day... Everything got worse. Little by little misfortunes began to happen around me, accidents happened to people who were close to me, at school everyone began to distance themselves from me or bother me for no reason, at night it was difficult for me to spend an hour without something waking me up, in addition to illnesses, problems and strange things becoming part of my daily life.

All of this was ridiculous, every day was a nightmare for me, I believed that I had actually gone crazy or that everything was just a dream, but everything was real, and yet, I knew the reason for all of that. That ring was to blame, since the day I stole it from that place, none of those things had stopped, and the reason for me to think that was that in all that time I had not been able to get that ring off my finger. It was like it had stuck to my skin, I tried every possible way to get it off, but it was completely useless, I even went to the point of considering that my only option was to cut off my finger, but I was too much of a coward for that.

Time passed and nothing improved, I couldn't remember the days I hadn't slept, the voices and figures that were undeniably there tormented me day after day, making me unable to differentiate if they were really real. At that moment I was in my room, a knife was hanging in my hand while I was sweating uncontrollably while my heart didn't stop beating, I wanted to end everything, I couldn't stand it anymore, I had gone completely crazy...

I just needed to get the edge closer to my finger and everything would be over, I was finally going to be able to rest, but just at that moment, the sound of my cell phone made all the courage I had gathered disappear and I threw the knife into the distance. Gasps came out of my mouth as I tried to calm down, I just took my cell phone and answered the call without really paying attention to it, but from what little I could hear, it made my whole-body freeze.

...

...

I was standing with my gaze lost, the only sounds I could catch were the words of comfort and pity that did not affect me. I only saw the frames surrounded by flowers that were on the small table in front of me, which contained the images of my parents. It had been several days since they called me to tell me that my parents had suffered a car accident where not even their bodies were left intact enough to say goodbye to them properly.

The pain I was feeling wasn't mostly sadness, but guilt... I blamed myself for their death, if I had never taken that stupid ring, none of that would have happened, everything would still be the same, the same old days and the same family I had, but at that moment, it wasn't worth thinking about all that.

The hours passed and I was the only one left in the room, I didn't know what to do, my whole world had collapsed in a moment and I couldn't even shed more tears to try to dull my pain... But despite the state I was in, I could notice how the door had opened again, I didn't even pay attention to who it could be, but when that figure arrived in front of me, I wanted to escape as far as possible from there.

An old woman was a few centimeters away from me, her hunched figure and the hood that hid most of her body gave a feeling of discomfort, the little that was seen of her face was enough to make anyone feel some repulsion. She had a full face of wrinkles while you could see teeth that were beginning to rot peek out from her lips and almost gray skin covered her entire face. I took a few steps back unconsciously with the fear that that old woman could do something to me, but I was too slow, the old woman raised her skeletal hand and took mine and then grabbed the ring that was around my finger... And then took it out.

I just watched in shock at the ease with which she did that, all the times I tried to do the same failed and my face of disbelief was enough to express everything I was feeling at that moment. The old woman put the ring away, took a look at the photos of my parents and left, but not before telling me something that she was going to remember throughout my life...

"I hope you have understood... Stealing is wrong."