Franz was forty years old, never married, and had no children of his own. But he knew how to be kind.

One day, Franz went to a park near his hometown of Berlin, Germany, and saw a little girl crying for her lost doll — her favorite. Her grief touched his heart.

He stopped to help her search. An hour passed with no success.

The next day, they met again in the park. In the meantime, Franz had thought of a way to help her overcome her sorrow. He read to the girl a pretend letter written by the doll. It said, “Please don’t cry. I’m on a trip to see the world. I will write to you about my adventures.”

During the next year, he met the little girl often and read her several letters describing the doll’s adventures, which cheered her heart. Then finally he bought a new doll for her, the doll who “returned” from her trip.

“My travels have changed me a bit, don’t you think?” read the letter Franz composed.

The girl hugged her new doll with joy.

Taking time to befriend a child and turn a difficult situation into something fun may have been one of his last acts of loving kindness. Shortly thereafter, Franz Kafka, the famous writer, died.