Along a beautiful river lived a young and beautiful bird named Hamsa. Besides, he was unique from all other birds that lived in the area. He had two heads and a single body.

One day, Hamsa was walking along the river bank. He saw a beautiful golden-reddish fruit lying on the sand. As soon as the first head saw the fruit, he cried, “Oh, my Lord... this is the most beautiful fruit I have ever seen. God has sent this fruit for me.”The second head replied, “Oh, you cheap fellow. Let me have it; I wanna taste it!”

The first head did not want to share the fruit. He said to the second head, “We both share the same stomach, so whether you eat or I eat, it really does not matter. So I will have it.” The first head picked up the fruit and gave it to their wife, who liked the fruit a lot. The second head was very disappointed with the artfulness(狡猾)of the first head. He kept quiet and did not say anything.

A few days later, Hamsa was again wandering along the banks of the river. The second head noticed a bluish and whitish fruit lying on the sands of the river. The second head immediately picked it up. When the first head saw the fruit, he understood what it actually was! He cried, “Oh, my dear partner, please throw away this fruit. Do not eat it. It’s actually a poisonous(有毒的)fruit. Both of us share the same stomach. If you eat it, we both will die. So save both of us.”

The second head was not in a mood(心情)to listen to the first head’s speech. He replied, “Oh, you double-dealing(口是心非)one! You are jealous(嫉妒的)now that I have been rewarded(回报)with a beautiful fruit. Now keep quiet and let me have it.”

The first head kept warning him.

The wife served medicine to Hamsa.

Many years ago, when I was just a child, my family struggled to make ends meet. Despite our financial difficulties, I sought out ways to earn a little pocket money by offering my assistance to our neighbors.

One cold day, I knocked on the door of an elderly woman’s house and kindly asked if she needed help to clean her yard. Surprised by my presence, she looked at me with kind eyes and asked why I wasn’t in school. I shyly pointed to my worn-out coat, unable to stay warm on the freezing cold day. Touched by my situation, she allowed me to work in her yard.

As I worked hard in the yard, the lady watched quietly, sometimes giving me a kind smile. When I finished, she looked at the tidy yard and said gently, “You’ve worked really well today, but you should be in school. Promise me you’ll go back.” Then, she took out a jar of money and told me to take what I needed.

I was grateful and took enough to fix my old coat and buy some food. I kept my promise and went back to see her, sharing my school progress. Each time, she welcomed me warmly, checking my report card with interest. Whenever there was an “A”, she’d be proud and reward me with money and tasty treats.

Even though my family faced tough times, I treasured the moments with the kind lady. Her kindness and support motivated me to do well in school and in life.

I studied even harder, knowing that only through education could I change my life and that of my family. The kind lady gave me strength, urging me forward.

My efforts finally paid off. After graduating from high school, I earned an opportunity to attend a prestigious (知名的) university. Upon graduating from college, I landed a well-paid job that I enjoyed. Our family’s financial situation greatly improved as a result, and I had the means to give back to the community that once helped me. I would never forget the kind lady who gave me a chance when I needed it most.

One day, I was walking past a gift shop.

Returning to the little boy, I presented him with the gift.

At 6 pm in the mall on Christmas Eve, I was tired from my part-time job as an elf (精灵) helping Santa with kids’ photos to earn money during the December of my sixteenth year.

Everyone was very busy. I looked over at Shelly, our manager, and she gave me an encouraging smile. Instead of angrily shouting at her workers, she always positively encouraged us and stood behind us. Under her leadership, we had achieved the highest number of mall photo sales in California.

I knew it was a difficult holiday season for her —she was experiencing a family crisis. I hoped she knew how great she was and what a difference she had made to her workers and all little children coming to have their pictures taken.

Our Santa booth(摊位)was open until seven. At six, things started slowing down and I finally took a break. Although I didn’t have much money, I really wanted to buy a little gift for Shelly so that she’d know we appreciated her support.

I got to a store just as they locked the door. “We’re closed!” cried the tired clerk. I looked around, noticing all the stores had already closed. I was really upset. I had been working all day and had missed buying her a present by one minute.

On my way back to the Santa booth, I saw Nordstrom was still open. Fearful that they would also close at any moment, I hurried inside and toward the Gift Gallery. I found other shoppers were all well-dressed and wealthy; I was a poor teenager in an elf costume. How could I find anything under fifteen dollars in such an elegant store?

A saleswoman came over, asking if she could help me. Then, everyone in the department turned around and stared. Quietly, I said, “No, that’s okay. Just help somebody else.” She looked right at me, smiling, “But I want to help you. By the way, I’m Stephanie.”

I had to tell her who I was buying a gift for, and then admitted I only had $15.

By now the store was closed, but she stayed to help me wrap the hat.

Unfortunately, 81-year-old Barney had lost two most beloved people of his life, his wife, and his only daughter, who left her 6-year-old son Tommy in his hands.

Tommy was a bright, talented young boy with a promising future ahead of him. But with insufficient resources, he knew it would be hard to provide Tommy with the way he deserved and dreamed. Barney applied for a job as a pizza deliveryman. It was exhausting, because Barney had to go up and down to different addresses on hot, cold, and rainy days, door-delivering pizzas to customers. Hard though the job was, the pay was not that great.

However, Barney was fueled by the thought that every box of pizza he delivered was money and one step closer to giving his grandson a better life. With the thought of his grandson’s future in his mind, Barney drove to the address that winter morning.

The cold winter air froze everything on its path. With a deep sense of relief, Barney finally arrived at the address. His heart raced at seeing the angry client, a teenage boy named Fabian, on the doorstep.

“What took you so long?” Fabian screamed. Barney observed the teen’s anger and realized he wouldn’t get any tips. However, he was fortunate enough that he was at least able to deliver the pizzas to the client.

Just as Barney made his way up the stairs with the pizza boxes, he fell down on the concrete, hurting his leg. And the 15 boxes of pizza he was holding went everywhere on the ground.

“How did they hire an old man like you? Clean up the mess and get out!” Fabian made fun of Barney as he struggled to rise on his feet. To make things worse, Fabian’s friends ganged up cruelly laughing at poor Barney. Barney realized he had broken his leg due to the severe fall. Fabian’s angry words kept ringing in Barney’s head as he lay helpless and painful on the icy ground, crying.

Suddenly, the boy saw his friends running away in different directions. Fabian froze still when he recognized it was his dad, Albert. The gentleman was beyond shocked as his son would throw a party at home when he was supposed to be preparing for his exams.

Albert’s blood boiled with anger as he rushed to help Barney.

Later, Albert tried to teach his son to know the value of hard work and respecting people.

Marla Adams had spent her last dollar on the ticket to a show. Although it was a bit expensive, she was very happy. Sadly, her joy quickly disappeared due to a voice behind her. “Look at her worn clothes. Who allowed this woman to sit with us?”

Marla’s eyes welled up, and she looked behind to see a woman looking at her sharply. “Yes, I’m referring to you! Ugh, how did you get in here?”

A man in black shouted, “Security, get this woman out of here! We don’t want to sit next to her!”

They kept commenting on her appearance until the guards led her to a corner seat in the last row where no one could see her. Marla felt so hurt and disrespected. However, not a single person in the audience came to her support. They were all wealthy and looked down on Marla.

Marla dried her tears and forced a smile on her face. She told herself not to cry. It was a special day for her. So she forgot about their rude words and cheered herself up.

“These actors are so young but so gifted,” Marla said when watching the performance.

When the show was over, the actors held each other’s hands and bowed in front of the audience, who clapped their hands for the excellent performance.

Soon after, people started leaving their seats to head to the exit when a voice stopped them. “Could you kindly take your seats, ladies and gentlemen? We’d like to introduce you to someone special today! Our special guest for tonight,” a young actor announced. The audience was in confusion. Marla, too, was confused. They weren’t informed about the special guest before.

The young actor smiled and invited Marla to stage. He continued, “Everyone, this is Mrs Adams. It is she who helped us reach where we are today. We were a group of irresponsible teenagers who were hated by our whole school, yet she believed in us.”

The audience was shocked at this point. The crowd just couldn’t believe the woman they had looked down upon was the special guest.

The audience sat back in their seat, listening to the young actor.

There was deep silence in the hall, and Marla was in tears.