It’s time for our annual 100+word-story Contest again. How do we pick out the winners? Read our final choices last year below. After reading these, head over to Facebook and submit your own story to Reader’s Digest.

WINNER: $1000   Lynne Momple   South Africa

Mavis took one end and I the other and together we carefully moved the old bed through the bedroom door and the open balcony doors.We lifted it over the balustrade (扶手) into the hands of family members waiting below. Carrying it under the low Albizia branches, then past the loses, they gently put it down in the middle of the freshly mown lawn.

Chantelle carried out the cotton sheets, the embroidered pillows, and finally the multi-coloured blanket her great-grandmother had knitted for me.

Tonight, on her 90th birthday, my mother wants to sleep out under the stars.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID:

“We thought this story had a strong visual impact thanks to the rich selection of words. It is a deserving winner.”

RUNNER-UP: $250   Ritu Hemnani   Hong Kong

Cope and Meera played together every day. “Race you to the garden !” Meera won. “I’m one step ahead!”

Cope chased Meera around the trees. Then she wept “We’re moving away.” Cope’s heart broke. “I will write to you.”

For years they remembered. Then life pulled them apart. Yet neither one forgot.

“It’s time for you to marry.” Cope’s father said one day, “I have chosen a girl.”

“I hope she’s sweet.” Cope prayed.

Later, he lifted her veil (面纱). “Meera, it’s you!” “I guess I’m still one step ahead!”

Meera smiled.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID:

“This entry tells a complete story. It conveys a rich tenderness and intimacy that has a lasting impact on the reader.”

Nowadays there seems to be an app for everything. And mobile apps have been a part of our life. The following apps are part of the most popular apps.

If you're looking for natural, chemical-free ways to clean your home, look no further than the fruit bowl on your kitchen counter. 【小题1】 Here are ways a lemon can help you to clean your entire house.

A common use of lemon is cleaning your cutting boards. Because it's the place where you prepare your family’s dinner, you probably don't want to wash a cutting board with anything other than the most natural materials. 【小题2】 To remove stains from wood or plastic cutting boards cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the board. Rub the juice in with the lemon half, and then let sit for 20 minutes. 【小题3】

Lemon can also help clean stained food containers. If you have a cupboard full of discolored plastic containers, let a lemon work its stain-fighting magic. Squeeze lemon juice onto the stained plastic and rub with the cut side of the lemon. 【小题4】 Stubborn sauce stains will disappear.

Lemon can be used as a degreaser（除油器）on almost any hard surface besides wood. Combine the mixture of fresh lemon juice and baking soda in a spray bottle and shake well. The lemon fights stain, and destroys bacteria, while the soda acts as a gently rubbing agent.

【小题5】 Add stained clothing to a pot of water with a few lemon slices, and then boil for a few minutes. In this way you can freshen up the appearance of white clothes and towels.