My little sister, Meg, said that she wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore and she’d be OK staying with Aunt Lily in the country. “As long as you’re there, Mike,” she had said. Still, Mum was worried. Meg had never slept away from home, away from the city. So I told Mum I could handle everything.

Even though we were only staying overnight, Meg had brought six books-all about fairies (仙女). After we unpacked, Aunt Lily invited us to pick some flowers. As we followed her through the forest, Meg held my hand tightly. But once we reached the sunlit grassland, she let go. “Butterflies!” whispered Meg. She screamed with delight when one flew near her.   

Maybe I had nothing to worry about, I thought. I still remembered when I was here last summer, I found some amazing insects, like fireflies (萤火虫) and walking sticks which I’d never seen in the city.

“Fairies are magical. See these beautiful flowers they grow!” she kept telling absolutely everything she knew about fairies. I was glad that if she kept it up until bedtime, then maybe she’d fall right to sleep.

Meg did keep chatting, right through supper. Then the sun began to set. “Does it get really dark out here at night?” she asked. Her eyes were fixed on the window.

“Sure, but we’ve got plenty of lights inside,” said Aunt Lily. She leaned over and gave Meg a warm smile. But I could tell she was still worried. “I could read to you.”

I hadn’t even finished a page when her bottom lip started shaking slightly. “Mike,” she said, her eyes starting to fill. “I want to go home.” I quickly searched through her book for something to keep her from crying.

The book fell open to a page that was dog-eared from use, a page that was obviously one of Meg’s favorites. The text read: “Among the trees deep in the forest, the lights of fairies gleam (闪烁).” Aha! How could I forget those “tiny fairies” out there?

“Meg, there’s something outside I want to show you,” I whispered.

“Tiny fairies, Mike!” she said, pressing her forehead against the window, “Everywhere!”

It was Friday, and I was at my daughter’s place in Manhattan. My husband and I had gone out for breakfast with my daughter and son-in-law and their child. After breakfast, we took a taxi to Central Park. The plan was to take my 2-year-old grandson on his first horse and buggy(小马车)ride，pick up our bags from my daughter’s house and drive to my friend’s home in Flatbush, Brooklyn, for a visit.

The horse ride went well, and we all had a great time. My grandson was filled with joy and excitement all the time. We arrived back at my daughter’s apartment, picked up our bags and then I said to my husband, Moishe, “Where is your phone?” Usually, I will check everything before we leave a taxi since things can fall out, but this time, I guess I didn’t, and we could not seem to find it.

Maybe we left it in the buggy, or it might have fallen out in the taxi? I wondered. Or perhaps we left it in the restaurant at breakfast? I was in a state of panic, wondering what the one with the phone could do with it. Moishe was evidently at a loss as to what to do. My sensible son-in-law, Leon, had a clever idea of calling the phone to see if anyone would answer it.

With butterflies in my stomach, I watched as Leon dialed and got through. He turned the loudspeaker of his phone on so that we all could hear but what we heard was a lady’s poor, broken English. The person on the other side of the phone obviously had difficulty communicating with Leon. Leon was very patient and was speaking very slowly but I could see that he didn’t get much useful information before he had to hang up.

After some discussion, we decided to send a text message to the lost phone saying, “We will pay money to get our phone back, please tell us where you are.” This idea worked out well. Soon we got a reply message saying “119 Ocean Parkway, Mrs. Hichens”.

In no time, we all got into our car and headed for the address.

With Laura’s help, Mrs. Hichens was able to explain to us what had happened.

That school year God blessed me with two trusted children—Tom and Mary. Whenever I went out for training, programs or personal matters, I left everything to them.

However, the peace was ruined when one day I lost one thousand pesos (比索) in my bag. I always kept my wallet near me. I only chose my trusted students to get near my things. I kept the door of my office closed every time I went for my classes. My spine trembled upon my seeing my money was no longer there. I scanned my wallet, my secret pocket and everything in my room. But all my attempts were in vain.

I was angry. That morning before my class ended, I appealed to everyone to help me catch the “thief”. At 4:00 in the afternoon that day, I reminded them about my warning of returning my money before investigation took place. Then suddenly, a boy called Larry said, “Miss, look at the paper on the floor!”

My heart beat wildly when I saw the crumpled paper which I thought useless. I replied to them immediately upon holding the paper. “Yes, here it is!” I showed it to them. They urged me to open the paper. I opened it and to my surprise, I saw the one thousand pesos! I felt relieved. Then, a letter appeared among the banknotes.

“Miss, I am sorry that I stole the money. I returned it. Do not tell my classmates that I returned the money and do not mention anything about it in class, because it hurts me. Thank you, Miss. But I can’t tell you why I stole your money.”

Oh my God! My brain flashed the handwriting of my trusted boy—the “thief”. I was sure this was Tom’s handwriting.

In a small community located at a suburb of Exeter, a disheartening issue had been troubling the neighborhood for years. The once pleasant surroundings were ruined by piles of waste that seemed to multiply with each passing day. Residents were growing tired of the worsening environment, leading many to abandon their homes in search of cleaner neighborhoods. It was in this terrible situation that two young students, Emma and Mia, decided to take matters into their own hands.

Emma and Mia were classmates and best friends from Phillips Exeter Academy, both passionate about environmental preservation and deeply concerned about the pollution crisis their community was facing. Witnessing more and more neighbors’ leaving, they knew they couldn’t stand by any longer. Determined to bring about a change, they undertook a mission that would soon catch the attention of the entire community.

Their journey began with thorough research and planning. The two girls searched carefully on the Internet for information on environmental initiatives and connected with local environmentalists. They organized meetings with residents to understand the issues at hand, collecting data on the types of waste, the sources, and the areas most affected. Armed with this knowledge, Emma and Mia worked out a comprehensive plan and announced it to ask for opinions from the residents. Surprisingly it was strongly supported.

Their strategy was twofold. First, they initiated a waste classification and recycling program. They distributed recycling bins(回收箱) to every household and educated the community about the importance of responsible waste management. Soon, the streets began to show signs of improvement as the volume of garbage inappropriately thrown away decreased gradually.

The second part of their plan was more ambitious. Emma and Mia gathered volunteers from their school and the neighborhood to take part in a massive clean-up campaign. Armed with gloves and trash(垃圾)bags, they began systematically clearing the waste from the streets, parks, and even the local bodies of water. Their firm commitment and hard work inspired others to join the cause.

Half a year later, the changes were significant.

Emma and Mia received recognition and honors for their work.