One Good Turn

Walking along the canal towpath he saw two men attacking a woman ahead of him. Quickly he raced forward and the men ran off, dropping her purse as they fled.

Reaching the woman he saw from her wings that she was a fairy.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you sir” she said, “you’ve saved me.”

“And your purse too” he said handing it to her.

“I’m a fairy and to thank you I grant you one wish.”

“I wish this had never happened to you”, he said selflessly.

Then she disappeared and he was immediately set upon by two thugs.