Write a medium-length story (350-400) about a reclusive hermit who is seen as strange and is unliked by the town. Reveal at the end that his true motives are charitable, but the townsfolk still don't believe it.


Jeb was distrusted and feared by most of the town's residents. They saw him as reclusive, gruff, and mean. He was rarely seen, which only served to fuel the gossip.
"What sort of evil abomination is he making up there in his workshop?" they would whisper. When a local dog who belonged to nobody but was a friend to all went missing, the town's scrutinous eye turned to old man Jeb. It was much more likely that the dog's lifestyle had finally caught up with him, but it was easier for the town to pretend as though Jeb had done something to him.
"He never liked that dog," they would lie.

One day, a group of rowdy teens were wandering by the workshop where Jeb lived and dared each other to go inside. One accepted the challenge and, in a moment of utter stupidity, kicked the door open to reveal Jeb hard at work running a wood plane over a table that was not quite finished yet. Looking around, the teen saw that the room was littered with tables and chairs of various sizes.

Jeb was building them for families in need. Growing up, he'd never had the luxury of a simple table or chairs, so his family had sat on the floor. He wasn't the best at carpentry, but he'd dedicated most of his retired years to building sturdy tables and chairs that he donated to a local charitable organization. His craftsmanship was proudly displayed in homes around the state, a welcome gift for struggling families.

Of course, that explanation simply wouldn't do for the townsfolk, who had already painted old Jeb as a villain—and a villain he must stay. After the break-in, Jeb roared at the teen to leave, infuriated by the breach of privacy. The teen would later report that the tables were for cutting up the bodies of Jeb's victims, and from that day on, Jeb was inundated with curious onlookers peering through his windows. The curtains may have stopped the peeping townsfolk, but no amount of fabric could stop the whispers that continued to spread around town.