When I was little, I used to walk with my grandmother on a quiet and small road across which she and my grandfather lived. My grandfather rarely joined us. He was a seemingly strict man, an ex-soldier who. usually held back his emotions, especially his affection(喜爱). He wasn’t a man who hugged me often when I was a child, but I had never doubted his love for me.

Grandma and I would walk, hand in hand, moving at an equal pace. The sun would be shining; the birds would be singing. We would chat about this and that, or just walk in silence, enjoying the outdoors and each other’s company. Yet, for me, these times were not just a chance to get some exercise or be with my grandmother, though both were important. These walks were treasure hunts.

More often than not, at the road’s edge, there would be money. Not lots of it — I cent here, 5 cents there. Sometimes, on really lucky days, I’d find 10 cents or even 25. I’d pick up these coins, proudly show Grandma and joyfully put them into my pockets. Some days, I wouldn’t find anything. “Maybe next time, ” my grandmother would say. Other days, I’d come back from our walk with more than twenty-five cents to put in my piggy bank, or to buy candies — a treat for a six-year-old child.

Looking back now, it wasn’t even the money that was such a big deal; it was the joy of discovery. It was the hope of finding something small left or forgotten along the side of the road. It made me feel so lucky and so special. Yet, it wasn’t until years later, when I was in my late twenties, that the simple memory meant much more to me than simply the happiness of a child. It was my mother who told me the secret which brought a whole new meaning to my experience.

“Remember when you used to walk with Grandma and find money?” Mother asked.

Now, I would do the same thing my grandfather did.

9-year-old Igor lived in a huge forest in the north of Russia. His father was a woodcutter and his mother a tailor. The boy liked playing with animals in the forest, and knew the names of different birds and their songs. One freezing winter Igor was seriously ill and the doctor from big cities told his parents that only surprise could save him. Lying all day in bed, Igor only wanted his father to catch a bird and played with it. But in winter there were no birds in the forest. “You could make him a bird out of wood,” suggested the anxious mother.

The first finished birds were fat and too heavy to fly. He threw them into the fire, head in hands.

It was snowing heavily, and he really didn’t know where to find a bird. Then an idea occurred to him, “The bird needs two pieces of wood.” Eventually, he made it and showed it to his wife. “Beautiful!” she said, taking a needle and some thread (细线) and sewing the two ends together, like a real bird. She tied a long thread to the bird’s back. And it could be hung above Igor’s bed. Quietly, the woodcutter hung the bird above the boy’s bed.

At daybreak, his son was watching the bird carefully. There was a light in his eyes for the first time in many weeks. “Beautiful!” said Igor. “I’ve never seen it before in the forest. What’s its name?” “That’s a good question. I’ll find out and tell you.” The next morning, when the father entered Igor’s room, he found the boy sitting up in bed, trying to touch the bird. The last time Igor sat up in bed was many weeks before. “What’s it called?” the boy asked. “Oh, dear, I’m still not sure.”

Late on that night, Igor’s father went into his son’s room quietly and made the thread a little shorter. Then the bird was hanging a little higher above Igor’s head. Three days later, he found Igor kneeling on the bed, trying to touch the bird. His hand was very near it. “Have you decided on the name?” “Not yet. My son.” his father replied.

Again, at night the father went into his son’s room.

Several days later, Igor’s father was cutting wood when he heard a scream from the house.

Mary and Brad Gersh loved their son. They had planned on having a big family, but several years ago, Mary was injured and couldn’t have a baby again because of it. So the Gershs decided to adopt one.

One day, Mary and Brad were told that they would be receiving their new baby—a girl—in the next two weeks. They decided to tell Eddie the news, but were worried he couldn’t accept it. After all, Eddie had been an only child for eight years.

On Saturday morning after breakfast, Mary said to Eddie, “Eddie, we want to talk to you.” Eddie looked at his parents, surprised.

“Well, Eddie,” Brad started. “We had talked to you about maybe giving you a new little brother or sister?”

“Yeah!” Eddie said. “You mentioned that.”

“Well,” Mary smiled, ”you will be getting a sister soon.”

“A sister?” asked Eddie. “How old is this kid?”

“She’s just been born.” Mary explained.

“Just born?” Eddie asked, frowning(皱眉). “A baby that small…Eddie looked worried.

“You’ll need to look after her all the time!” Brad was starting to look worried. “Eddie, that doesn’t mean we won’t have time for you…”

“So she will be crying all the time.” Eddie said. “And she will be…” Saying this, Eddie stood up slowly, deep in thought, and then walked upstairs.

“Eddie,” Mary cried. “Wait!”

“Let him go,“ Brad advised. ”He needs time. This is a big change in his life. We’ll talk to him again later. ”

Three hours later, Mary went upstairs, only to find Eddie was gone! His piggy bank lay broken on the bed.

“Brad!” Mary cried. “Eddie’s run away!”

“What?” cried Brad. “Ran away?”

“He took his money…” Mary was crying. “Oh, Brad, he probably thinks we will pay more attention to the baby…”

“Calm down, Mary,” Brad said. “We will call his friends. If he is not with them, we will call the police.”

Mary and Brad called all of Eddie’s friends, but none of them knew where he was. The couple was about to call the police when they heard the front door open.

Mary ran to the door and found it was Eddie.

Eddie opened his bag.