By O. Henry
In a small district of New York, two young artists, Sue and Johnsy, lived together in a tiny apartment. They were close friends and shared the same dream—to become successful painters.
One winter, Johnsy fell seriously ill with pneumonia. She grew weaker every day and lost the will to live.
From her bed, she could see an old ivy vine clinging to the brick wall outside the window. The cold wind was slowly stripping the vine of its leaves.
Johnsy began counting them.
"When the last leaf falls," she whispered to Sue, "I will die too."
Sue tried to comfort her.
"Don't talk like that," she said gently. "Leaves don't decide life or death."
But Johnsy had already given up hope.
In the same building lived an old artist named Behrman. He had always dreamed of painting a masterpiece but never succeeded. When Sue told him about Johnsy's strange belief, he was deeply troubled.
"That is foolishness!" he said angrily. "But I will not let her lose hope."
That night, a fierce storm swept through the city. Rain poured heavily, and icy winds howled through the streets.
In the morning, Sue nervously pulled back the curtain.
One leaf remained on the vine.
It clung stubbornly to the branch despite the storm.
Johnsy stared at it in disbelief.
"It didn't fall," she whispered.
Another stormy night passed.
The leaf was still there.
Slowly, hope returned to Johnsy's heart.
"I was wrong," she said softly. "I want to live."
Her condition began to improve day by day.
A few days later, Sue brought sad news.
Old Behrman had died of pneumonia.
They found him soaked and freezing in the street.
On the brick wall outside their window, they discovered something remarkable.
The last leaf had not been real.
Behrman had painted it on the wall during the storm—creating his long-awaited masterpiece.
He sacrificed his life to save Johnsy's.
✨ Moral: True sacrifice and love can give others the strength to live.