There was a little, but always strange girl. Everything was bad for her. She wished to meet an enchantress (女巫) that would turn her life a 1tale.

    One day an enchantress came and said that one of her wishes would 2 The girl became very happy at first, but then she started to think that she had a lot of wishes and all of them were 3 for her. She could not 4 just one. Then the 5 enchantress that she would help her realize one wish every day. The girl became 6—now all her dreams will become realities.

    From that day on, she was waiting every morning with joy and 7. Then as days passed, the dreams became real ones.... But soon the little girl realized that 8 of the wishes d give her joy and happiness which she 9for. Many wishes brought her disappointment, and some 10 a pain. Almost every dream was an empty little girl's caprice (任性). Though being 11 she suddenly found that she did not 12 this. Soon she started to 13 dreams. She was afraid to 14 every day, waiting for the realization of another wish. Crying, she asked the enchantress to 15 only one her dream-to live as she lived 16and enjoy life.

    The good enchantress had 17 upon the little girl. She waved her magic wand and disappeared. The girl was happy 18 she knew that now she would carefully seek for her one big 19 dream, not wasting time with short-term20 quite unnecessary wishes.

    The Vietnam War broke out. The young husband joined the army and died in the war, leaving behind his wife and kids 1 great pain and sadness.

    Life after the war was 2, often without enough food to eat. People tried to 3 the wife who was still young and beautiful to remarry, but she refused and devoted her 4 life to raising her kids with the best possible care and education 5 sometimes she felt like giving up.

    Time passed by and the kids were 6. The first son moved to America and became an Engineer having a good life.

The son sent home letters 7, together with much money for mom to 8. However, year after year, with the many 9, the son stubbornly refused to travel home to visit Mom.

    When the mother died, the son returned and 10 a big funeral (葬礼) but people did not see him shedding tears. It seemed that he didn't really 11 the loss of his mother.

    Mother 12 a box that she always placed at the top of her bed. During the funeral, the son opened the box and 13 burst out crying, held his mother's coffin (棺材) and screamed 14, “Mom! Mom!”

    Everyone looked at each other and then looked at 15. It was full of $100 dollar bills and a piece of paper. It 16,“Son, My life is almost 17. I don't spend too much money. I 18 you a lot. Every time I 19 a motorcycle passing by, I ran out of the door,20 it wasn't my son. I saved this money for you in case (以免万一) you get sick.”

    When my son Gene was about 12 years old, I started helping him learn to work. I 1 twenty chickens and asked him to 2 them. I told him that they would be his own chickens and we would 3 the eggs from him. However, he would have to buy chicken 4 with the money he made from the eggs. Whatever money was 5 would be his to keep. Gene was 6, thinking he would make his first 7 .

    After several weeks' successful work, I began to 8 that egg production was going down. I 9 nothing about it. Then one night, Gene told me he didn't have 10 money to buy the feed. He said the chickens had never 11 a meal and he could not figure out why some of them had stopped 12 eggs.

    Then I asked him if he had 13 the amount of feed he had given the chickens. He was 14. It was like he did not think anyone would ever 15 what he had done. After a long 16, he said yes. He thought he would make more money if he gave them 17 food. I asked him, “Did you fool the chickens?”

    I was just astonished at the question in my own 18. I was dumbfounded at the 19 of it. Yes, you can fool everyone else, but you can't “fool the chickens”, because 20, you will find out, as the saying goes,“ What goes around comes around.”

A Game of Light and Shade

    It was a sunny day. I had gone up and down the tower when, outside the door at the foot, a blind man came toward me. In a moment, he disappeared up the stairs. I looked at the sign that said "To the Tower", and decided to1him.

    I caught up with him in the ticket office. There I was2to see the attendant (工作人员) selling him a ticket as if he were any other visitor. Then, with the ticket in one hand and3the wall with the fingers of the other, the blind man reached the stairs4to the hallway.

    "That man is blind. What would a blind man climb up the tower for?" I said to the attendant, expecting him to show some5, but he didn't answer.

"Not the6certainly," I said. "Perhaps he wants to7."

    I bought a ticket and8up the stairs. The man hadn't gone as far as I9. A third of the way up the tower, I heard his10. I slowed down and followed him at a little11. He stopped from time to time. When he got to the balcony (阳台), I was a dozen steps12. As I reached it, I saw him at the corner of the tower.

    At last, after ten minutes, I13him. "Excuse me," I said as politely as I could, "but I am curious to know14you came up."

    He smiled. "Coming up the stairs, you will notice how not just light but sun 15into the tower through the narrow windows here and there, so that you can feel the16—the cool stairs suddenly become quite warm—and how up here behind the wall there is17, but as soon as going opposite a window you can find the sun. There is no18so good as this for feeling the difference between light and shade. It is not the first time I've come up."

    The blind man seemed quite19, just like a child who was enjoying his favorite games. He told me the truth that blind men can also find the beauty in life20 they cannot enjoy the sights of the world.

    It was March 15, 2012. My two brothers were out in the driveway shooting around when they suddenly screamed," The sky! The sky! It's green!" My dad 1 turned on the TV news. There was a tornado heading towards Dexter. I quickly ran up the stairs and seized my most 2 items that I felt I needed. My mom was piling clothing up in the basement to make a fort(堡垒)to 3 us. My dad was still up stairs watching the news. He usually never comes down when there's a bad 4. As my ears heard a loud "pop", I looked up to see my dad 5 full speed down into the basement swiftly 6 the door behind him to join us.

    I for a brief moment thought that I was going to 7. When the tornado was going by it sounded like a heavy train was tearing through our 8.

    Everything started to settle. My dad made his way back up the stairs to see what the damage was. The ceiling(天花板) had fallen down. Everywhere I 9all I could see was pure destruction. In that moment I felt 10, I had no idea what to do, and I didn't know what was happening or what the situation was. All I could think about was that my home was 11 going to be the same again.

    This was the event that caused my family to have a(n) 12 on how lucky we were to be alive and together. Although the tornado wasn't one that was that deadly we felt extremely 13 to be alive. This moment was a scary and life-changing situation, something that I never thought I would have to experience. It just made me think how I should be 14 for everything that I am able to have because you never know what 15 can throw at you, especially when you least expect it.

    It was a snowy day. I 1 the friend who sat with me on winter evenings, talking about our experiences and thoughts—a true 2.

    I had almost given up hope of finding another 3 like that after I 4 to this city. I wanted to invite a woman I'd met only twice to come share my dinner, 5 she lived an hour away, and it was snowing. I was sure she wouldn't 6 to come. However, I decided to have a try. So I made the 7.

    "Don't feel you have to come if you don t want to."

    "Is it snowing? I have a 8, and I'm in bed. I'll think about it later, if that's OK with you"

    "Of course it is. And here are your 9, if you decide to come. I've just been shopping, so I can 10 you macaroni and cheese or fresh vegetable salad."

    There was a 11 for a moment. She was thinking

    "Since I'm sick, not the macaroni and cheese. Too rich for a cold. I 12 the vegetables," she said, "Vegetables. If it's not snowing too hard."

    An hour before dinner, the phone rang.

    "I've 13. I've been in bed all day. Looking forward to the 14."

    I was 15.

    An hour later, she 16, holding a piece of chocolate.

    We sat by the fireplace, eating and chatting. The smell of the vegetables filled the house. And we 17 love, art and travels. Everything was warm and good.

    As she left, she said. "Those vegetables were delicious. They kept me from 18 I didn't choose macaroni and cheese."

    "Next time," I promised. And I went inside, quite 19 , because I knew there would be a next time, and I didn't feel 20 anymore."