A man worked as a driver for a front loader backhoe at a construction company…
…Regrettably, the company was on the verge of collapse. His supervisor, with no options left, released him from his job. The man requested a letter of recommendation from his boss to aid in his job search, to which his boss kindly acceded. With the letter in hand, the man left the office.
As he ambled down the avenue, it dawned on him that he couldn’t decipher the written words. Approaching a stranger, he explained, “Pardon me, I’ve been relieved from my duties as an excavator operator due to my firm’s insolvency. My superior provided this reference letter, but I’m at a loss to understand it. Could you assist me by reading it?” The passerby agreed, but after a swift glance at the letter, he hastily dialed the emergency services and dashed away.
Soon after, the police arrived, questioning the circumstances. The man repeated his plight, asking the officer if he could read the letter to him. Agreeing to help, the officer took the letter and immediately grew stern, securing handcuffs around the man’s wrists and detaining him.
At his court hearing, the perplexed man recounted his story again to the judge, pleading to finally know the contents of the letter. The judge, seemingly aghast after reading it, delivered a verdict of capital punishment.
On death row, the man’s insistence on knowing the contents of the letter resulted in denied appeals. Facing his final moments in the electric chair, he repeated his story to the executioner, begging for the truth behind the letter. Yet the executioner, visibly disturbed, proceeded to pull the lever in silence.
After death, as he encountered Saint Peter at Heaven’s Gates, he spoke once more of his relentless journey, imploring for enlightenment on the letter’s message. Saint Peter took the letter, chuckled, and uttered, “It seems we’ve made a mistake,” directing him to the depths below.
There, surrounded by the infernal landscape, the man encountered the Devil. Hopelessly, he narrated his story, extending the letter to his new host, beseeching for its revelation. “Sure, I’ll take a look,” the Devil responded. But as the letter met the Devil’s grasp, it instantly turned to ashes, leaving the man’s question forever unanswered.