As the sky darkened, a school bus arrived at the museum’s gate.

A man, in a military uniform with polished medals and ribbons, boarded it and addressed the group of nine-year-olds and their young teacher. “Welcome to Roninom. My name is Major Gerard Rovego. I flew for the Imperial Space Force in the last war. I now look after our country’s greatest spaceships.”

The children had so many questions. “What was it like flying in space?” “An amazing experience! You feel like a bird soaring through the heavens.” The man had never flown in space, nor ever left the ground for that matter.

After a few more questions, the children began to yawn. “Is it time for the Miraz?” a boy asked. They must have heard the stories from the older students at their school.

In the dark oval ship, each child received a personalized ticket along with a pillow and blanket. Wide-eyed, they found their sleeping berths in the roomy cabin. “This is softer than my bed at home,” one girl said after lying down.

“After I graduated from flight school,” the man said, “I piloted ships like the Miraz. Passengers slept in these very berths（舱位）as they travelled to the Moon.”

“Did this ship really go to the Moon?” a boy asked.

“Hundreds of times.” The Miraz had never flown, and the few ships lay there just in an effort to avoid a possible defeat. “Get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll show you all the beautiful spaceships here,” he said.

“Major Rovego.” A girl paused to swallow. “Were you scared in the war?”

The man smiled. “Never. I knew I’d come home one day.” Major Gerard Rovego was killed in action while piloting the Miraz’s sister ship, the Realnos.

The children asleep, the teacher took the man aside. “Thank you so much,” she whispered. “The children will remember this for the rest of their lives. The country must have its heroes, and children should know them.”

Back in his own cabin, the man carefully removed his brother’s uniform. “You probably hate me, Gerard,” the man whispered. “You’d say that children should learn the truth about the war…”

Believe it or not, nearly a fifth of older adults have contact with friends, family and neighbors less than once a week. In the United Kingdom, that amounts to nearly 9 million residents who are isolated with little social contact. In the United States, a 2019 survey on aging found 8% of older adults living alone who report feelings of loneliness.

●In Somerset, England, the local police found a way to fight social isolation. Local police chose a project that was local, where they could see the change they’d enabled. Their “chat benches” appeared in local parks, where they encourage strollers(散步者) to sit down and have a chat with a random stranger.

“The sign simply helps to break down the invisible, social barriers that exists between strangers who find themselves sharing a common place. We can all play a part…” according to a spokesman for the police department. “Simply stopping to say ‘hello’ to someone at the chat bench could make a huge difference to the vulnerable(易受伤害的) people in our communities and help to make life a little better for them.”

●Some Texans in the United States, are trying to relieve the loneliness and isolation that many elderly Americans are feeling during the coronavirus   pandemic（冠状病毒流行）by creating safe “hugging booths.”

Amber Crenshaw and her husband Steve Crenshaw own a business called Handle With Care and work with Unlimited Care Cottages, an assisted living facility. Amber said she and her husband designed and built the hugging booths after one of the nurses suggested the idea.

"The residents have been, just so filled with joy,” Amber said. “It was one of our resident’s birthdays. We were able to set the booth up for their birthday, and family members were able to come in and give birthday hugs. It has really lifted the spirits of the assisted living residents.”

The Crenshaws have just worked with Unlimited Care so far, but they said other assisted living facilities in Texas have contacted them with interest.