I was running along a row of dim streetlamps, and the receding figure I sought was getting more and more blurred. Eventually, it melted into the darkness

It happened a year ago, when the whole world got bogged down in mud,owing to the epoch-making epidemic's arrival. In this particular case, I became an honorable volunteer. One ordinary night, like dozens of others, the aged came into my sight and shattered my faith in sticking to rules and order.

The moment he stood at the doorstep, the grey beard presented a sharp contrast to my neat and cozy duty room with scoured floor and vigorous plants. In that damp and chilly evening, he was wearing only a rumpled yellowish linen shirt over a ragged dark-brown cardigan and a pair of faded cobalt blue jeans, which were so short that the ankles were exposed to the howling wind. Shivering in the drizzle, he clumsily folded the battered umbrella. The stem thereupon harshly rattled as if it would snap in the next second. Holding it in his left hand, he slowly shouldered the heavy glass gate open.

Glancing around for a while, he walked straight up the corridor to me and hoarsely whispered, “Excuse me, I’m here for my report."

"Your identity card, please." Based on the regulations, I asked him to show the relevant documents.

"The ID card …" He muttered to himself, laid the umbrella on the floor and searched his shabby clothes up and down with his calloused palm. Meanwhile,his right hand remained still in his trouser pocket.

"Sorry, I may … leave my wallet at home," after a while he ceased his futile efforts, "is there any other way …"

"Well, we just need to confirm your information, so fingerprints will work too."

Suddenly, his face went taut and terrified. "Then I... I'll bring it next time." He stammered and fled to the doorway. In haste, he accidentally bumped his right elbow against the handle. When I glimpsed, a severed limb protruding from his torn cuff, I felt as if I had been struck by a fl ash of light ening . Beneath the pale moonlight, he faded into the milky mist.

The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none. Blinded by vanity, I hurt a man in misery. How can I cleanse myself of such regret?