[ WP ] Whispered tales speak of a man who can tell you any secret . For a price .

Simon sat upon a vacant bench, placing his coffee cup carefully next to him. Sunday ’ s are when he would sit and watch the sun rise and the people saunter the local shops in town. It was a pleasant day, Simon thought. The overcast lightly dimmed the sunlight illuminating the streets, and the dull chatter of voices bounced through the open air. 
 
 Simon noticed a homeless man sitting near an open alleyway not far from where he was. It wasn ’ t surprising to see the homeless spotted in the streets here and there, but this man was different. He had a worn cardboard box, with sharpie crudely written on one side: “ Secrets, $ 1 ”. 
 
 The man had dreadlocks that appeared not to have been washed in some time. His skin was tan and weathered. But his face was jolly, peaking a wide smile out of his unkempt beard. 
 
 “ Mom! Mom! ” Simon heard a boy say to his mother, tugging on her dress, as they were walking by the man. 
 
 “ I want to know a secret! ” He shouted. 
 
 The mother, lightly holding her pregnant belly, reluctantly said, “ Er – I don ’ t know. Well, I guess that would be fine. ” 
 
 She reached in her purse and fumbled for a dollar, then handed it to the boy. 
 
 “ Can you really tell secrets? ” The boy asked the man. 
 
 “ I sure can! ” The man said, “ I ’ ve been around this planet for a looong time now, and I know every secret there is! ” 
 
 The boy smiled and dropped the dollar into the cardboard box. 
 
 “ Ah, what will it be then, son? Do you want to know where captain blackbeard hid his treasure? Or how maybe the secret to talking to a girl? ” The man laughed. 
 
 “ Uh, No, ” The boy said, “ I want to know… ummm… am I going to have a brother or a sister? ” 
 
 The man cupped his hand to the boy ’ s ear and whispered something Simon was unable to hear. The boy ’ s face brightened as he shouted “ All right! I was hoping I ’ d have a brother! ” 
 
 The man and the mother laughed and she thanked him and he thanked her in kind, and she and the boy continued down the street. 
 
 Simon, having finished his coffee, stood from the bench and walked to the trash bin. He reached for his wallet and checked for cash. Two ones and a five. He looked up at the homeless man once again and then walked to the cardboard box. 
 
 “ So you tell secrets huh? ” Simon asked as he dropped a dollar into the box. 
 
 “ I do indeed, good sir. ” The man chuckled. “ I ’ ve been on this planet for a long time, and I know every secret there is! ” 
 
 “ Every secret there is… ” Simon said scratching his head thinking for a few moments. 
 
 “ Ok, I have one for you. ” 
 
 The man ’ s furry brows raised with anticipation. 
 
 “ What is the secret to happiness? ” Simon asked simply. 
 
 “ Happiness? ” The man scoffed, scratching his beard as he pondered. 
 
 “ Well… I ’ ve been on these streets a long time. Too long some might say. I lost my family long ago. Luck has n't always been on my side you could say. I ’ ve been without food for days, and beaten for sport by strangers. But I can honestly tell you, I know what the secret of happiness is, ” the man finally said. 
 
 “ Happiness is knowing it's ok to be sad. It ’ s ok to be scared and alone sometimes. We are humans after all, and why fight the natural spectrum of the wonderful colors that are the human emotion? Without sorrow, how can we understand joy? Could we truly understand hope, without fear? Without loss, how can we understand love? Happiness isn ’ t about finding a way to be happy all the time, but rather finding a life rich in balance of everything we *should* feel. And the real secret to happiness, ” the weathered man said, “ is to find happiness for others. ” 
 
 Drops of rain began falling out of the sky sparsely at first, then more rapidly. A few moments passed as Simon ran through the words from the old man ’ s mouth in his mind. 
 
 “ Huh. ” He finally said, and pulled the rest of the cash out of his wallet and dropped it into the box. 

