Exemplum

…

…bridge or the hundreds of people on the train would die; he also knew that closing the bridge would mean the sacrifice of his son. The man could read no further. Trembling, he put down the paper, went to the wastebasket, and retrieved the booklet he had so effortlessly tossed into the trash. With tears welling up in his eyes, he again began to read, but this time, the text was more than just words.