The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis's Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place. Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack'sdare. They liked camping, but not near this swamp.

"So," Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. "How did this place get its name?"

"Are you sure you want to hear it? It's a scary story," warned Jack.

"Of course!" cried out Tom. "If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn't have chosen this place!"

"Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you," said Jack, and he began this tale.

"Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different — it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.

"‘You are clearing too much land,' warned one old man. ‘The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. '"

"‘Silly fool,' said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I'll become wealthier. He's just jealous!'"

"Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants."

"What happened?" Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.

"The land hit back — just as the old man warned," Jack shrugged. "Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found."

"What a stupid story," laughed Tom. "Plants can't …" Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom's face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

Pooja Rai was a young architecture student in 2014 when she went with a friend to give food to a local orphanage. She was surprised at what she saw.

Kids were playing with anything they could get their hands on. One group was rolling around a broken metal pipe. Two boys were trying to play badminton, using old shoes as rackets. "Play shouldn't just be part of a rich kid's lifestyle. All kids have a right to enjoy their childhoods." Rai says.

Over the next few weeks, she talked with friends about collecting money for a playground. And that's when she thought of old tires. Around 100 million tires are thrown away in India every year. Could they reuse them as playground materials and help the environment, too?

That idea became a reality in 2015, using old tires—all cleaned, carefully looked over to make sure they are safe to use, and painted in bright colors. The following year, she created Anthill Creations, which has built 275 playgrounds across India —celebrating the power of play in public spaces. orphanages, and schools.

"Our work always begins with talks with kids about what they want from this space." says Rai. Sometimes it can take a few hours, or a few visits, until children are ready to open up. She also draws on her experience as an architect. "I found that spaces are powerful in shaping people's behavior." she says.

Most of the play spaces Rai designs feature large tire sculptures of cars, buildings, or animals, paired with more classic elements of swings and jungle gyms.

In one girl's school in Bengaluru, the children wanted their play space to be shaped into a boxing ring, with tires doubling up as punching bags. "Their teacher was unsure about it." Rai remembers. "But the girls said they didn't want people to see them as weak. They wanted to practice self-defense and grow stronger." In December 2019, this playground became a reality.

On her 71st birthday in July, Sajean Geer went to spread her husband's ashes near Obstruction Point, inside Olympic National Park.

When she finished, she realised she had got 1 . Geer became worried. Though an experienced hiker, she wasn't prepared to be in the park for such a(n) 2 period of time. She only had her 3 

with her. She had a cellphone, but there is no signal. And worst of all, she hadn't told anyone where she was going because she hadn't 4 to be gone for long. 

She spent that first day trying to 5 her way out of the park but was unsuccessful. Geer remembered the knowledge she'd picked up from several outdoor survival books. One key tip 6 her:it's important to have a positive mental 7 and a fighting spirit that you're going to live through this. 

So she 8 what she needed. She started by constructing a shelter. She walked to a stream three times a day to get fresh 9 and lived on pine needles and even bugs(小虫). 

Ticking off the days, she 10 the six nights she and her dog had spent in the wilderness. All the while, she remained 11 , remembering that motto about a positive attitude. 

Meantime, a friend in Hawaii grew worried when she couldn't 

12 Geer for several days. She contacted Geer's brother, who asked the police to check on her. 13 , a park worker noticed her car and they began to look for her from the sky. Then they found her. When Geer was rescued, she had only a few bug bites, but 14 that, she was in good shape and spirit. 

Now, she views the experience as a good one, allowing her to learn about herself and 15 on what's important in life. 

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. My husband was taking care of our baby girl so that my six-year-old and I could do some yard work, just the two of us. It was sure to be 1 . But soon, the clouds of mosquitos seemed 2 to our bug spray (喷雾). I was sweating, itchy (痒的), and arguing with my son about how to 3 weeds. I had told him the "right" way—getting those weeds out from the bottom, by the roots, 4 them entirely.

However, my son went about things in his own way. He pulled the 5 of the weeds off, moving quickly down the line as he left the remaining part still in the soil. Somehow, I found this to be incredibly 6 . Why couldn't he do it in my way and save me the time of having to 7 his share? Why did he do it at all if he wasn't going to do it properly?

"If you would do as told, we'd be done earlier and promised a longer period 8 we would have to return and pull weeds next time," I said, trying to keep my tone 9 .

"But people do things…10 , Mom," he said innocently.

My fire soon faded, replaced by the 11 realization that I'd just received a valuable 12 from the person that I was supposed to be teaching. While trying to 13 my baby girl, my kindergartener, and the yard work, 14 was a lifeline for me. But my way was, perhaps, not the best way after all. His time shouldn't be 15 . His job was to be a kid and take his time, for as long as he was able.

Edmond was a school bus driver for 22 years. One morning, the rain pouring down, he and the bus monitor Valentine were called to1 a student who missed the bus. What2 them was that the student didn't turn up when they reached the specified place.

Edmond and Valentine didn't expect they had a larger3 to achieve. Just around the corner, they found two children4 in the rushing floodwaters. The boy and the girl were struggling to hold onto a5 to avoid being swept away.

Edmond and Valentine couldn't6 to save them, but neither could swim. Jumping into action meant putting their own7 on the line. Since the bus was for special needs children, it was8 with removable seat belts. They got a(n)9 . Immediately they tied the seat belts together so as to10 the children.

Close by neighbors additionally got here to11 , and the group made combined efforts to12 the boy and the girl from the tree. They created a human chain and13 the tied belts out until Edmond got a firm hold on the children and pulled them to safety.

The two children were14 of Edmond, giving him a big hug. Surrounding them, everyone present was filled with happiness, though wet all over. This great rescue operation went viral on social media and drew praise for their15 from all quarters.