You work as a delivery rider. As you make your way from house to house, you are constantly bombarded by ads on a small screen in your visor. These ads are for various items that the company believes you will be close to. They also include information about the people you are delivering to. One da…

I was working late on a Saturday night, as a delivery rider for a popular food delivery company. I was on my way to deliver a pizza to a small house on the outskirts of the city. I had received an alert on my visor’s screen about a minute ago. “There is a girl in the back of this man’s pickup truck. If you see her, please call the authorities immediately.” Along with the man’s picture and the license plate of his truck. I looked at the picture. It was a grainy shot of a man with a scruffy beard and a baseball cap. He was looking straight at the camera, and his eyes seemed to be staring into my soul. The license plate read, “MISSING-ALERT.” I was confused and a bit scared. Who was this guy? And why was there a missing alert for him? I looked around me, wondering if I was in any danger. The streets were empty, and the only sound was the hum of my motorcycle. I glanced at the screen again, hoping for more information. But all I saw was the same message, with a big red alert symbol on the side. I had to focus on my delivery, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease. As I pulled up to the house, I saw it was a small, two-story place with a fenced-in backyard. The lights were on, and I could see a figure moving inside. I took a deep breath and put on a smile, hoping to appear normal. I knocked on the door, and it was opened by a man in his mid-30s, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him. “Hi there, I have your pizza!” I said, holding up the hot pie. “Oh, thank you so much. I’ve been waiting for this for hours. Come on in,” he said, stepping aside to let me pass. I walked inside, still feeling a bit uneasy. As I entered the living room, I saw that it was decorated with photos of children. The man, who I assumed was the father, was standing next to a woman, probably the mother, with two young children standing on either side of them. The father’s eyes were fixed on me, and I could see a glimmer of recognition in them. “Don’t you remember me?” he asked, his voice low and husky. I shook my head, feeling a bit confused. “I don’t think so. Are you a regular customer?” He chuckled, and his eyes seemed to glint with amusement. “No, not exactly. But you’ve seen me before.” I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Why was he acting like we knew each other? And what did this have to do with the missing alert on my visor? “Look, I don’t have time for this right now. Can we just focus on the pizza?” I said, trying to keep my cool. The father’s expression changed, and he looked at me with a mixture of anger and fear. “Please, you have to listen to me,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I need you to call the police. They think I’ve done something terrible, but I haven’t. I swear it.” I felt a surge of adrenaline as he spoke. What was going on? Why was he begging me to call the police? I looked at the screen on my visor again, hoping for some answers. But the message was still there, with the same image of him and the license plate. I realized that I had to act fast. If he was in trouble, I needed to help him. “Okay, I’ll call them. But first, can I just ask you something?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “Anything. Please, just listen to me,” he said, his eyes pleading. “Why are there ads about you on my visor?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. The father’s expression changed, and he looked at me with a mixture of fear and sadness. “Because they think I’m a monster,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “They think I’ve done something terrible. But I haven’t. I swear it. Please, you have to believe me.” I felt a surge of empathy for this man. Who was he, and why was everyone looking for him? I knew I had to call the police, but I also wanted to hear his side of the story. “Alright, I’ll call them. But first, can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked, hoping to buy him some time. He nodded, and I followed him into the kitchen. We sat down at the table, and I took out my phone. “Listen, I’m going to call the police right now,” I said, looking him in the eyes. “But I want to hear your side of the story first. Please, tell me what’s going on.” The father took a deep breath, and his eyes seemed to cloud over. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” he said, his voice shaking. “I made a mistake. But it wasn’t intentional. I swear it.” I waited for him to continue, my heart pounding in my chest. What had he done? And why did everyone think he was a monster? “Please, just tell me what happened,” I said, trying to keep my cool. The father took another deep breath before speaking. “I was on a camping trip with my family. We were all having a great time, and then I made a mistake. I took my daughter out for a walk while my wife and the other kids were sleeping. I told her to stay close to me, but she ran off. I called out for her, but she didn’t answer. I looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen.” He paused, his eyes filled with tears. “I thought the worst. I thought I had lost her forever. But then, I saw her. She was hiding behind a tree, watching me. She didn’t say anything, just stayed there. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to scare her, so I just waited for her to come back on her own.” The father’s voice cracked as he spoke, and I could see the pain in his eyes. “When she finally came back, she didn’t say anything. She just kept looking at me with this scared expression on her face. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to push her too far, so I just stayed quiet and let her go back to bed.” He paused again, his eyes filling with tears. “That was two years ago. Since then, I’ve been in hiding. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want anyone to find me, not even the police. I was scared they would take my daughter away from me forever.” The father’s voice was shaking now, and I could see the pain in his eyes. “But now, I know it was a mistake. I should have told the truth. I should have come forward and explained what happened. But I was scared. I didn’t know what would happen to me or to my daughter.” He looked at me with pleading eyes. “Please, you have to believe me. I didn’t do anything wrong. I swear it. I’m not a monster. I’m just a scared man who made a mistake.” I listened to his story, my heart heavy with emotion. Who was this man, and why did everyone think he was a monster? I didn’t know what to believe, but I knew I had to help him. “Alright, I’ll call the police,” I said, looking at him with determination. The father’s face lit up with hope. “Thank you,” he said, his voice shaking with emotion. “Thank you so much. Please, you have to tell them the truth. They have to believe me.” I nodded, feeling a sense of responsibility. I had to help this man, even if it meant going against the system. I dialed the police number, and as the phone connected, I felt a surge of adrenaline. “Please, just tell them the truth,” the father said, his eyes filled with tears. I took a deep breath and spoke into the phone. “Hello, I need to report a missing person. I have information about a man who is wanted by the authorities.” The police officer on the other end of the line sounded confused. “Who is this? And what do you mean by ‘wanted by the authorities’?” I explained the situation, telling the officer about the ads on my visor and the missing alert. I gave him the license plate number and described the man. The officer listened intently, asking me questions along the way. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. “Thank you for calling us. We’ll send someone to pick you up immediately. Please, stay safe until they arrive.” I hung up the phone and looked at the father, who was watching me with wide eyes. I could see the fear and uncertainty in his expression. “It’s okay,” I said, trying to reassure him. “The police are on their way. They’ll help you figure everything out.” The father nodded, his face pale. He looked like he was about to collapse at any moment

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