It was dark and gloomy as the dark night swallowed the dense forest. The clear, starry skies in the backdrop (背景) made for a fitting view as the young koala bear made his way home along the river.

It was his first day out to search for food. He remembered every word that his mom said to him as he made his way back. But the words, “be back before dark,” were haunting (萦绕) him the most.

But the little bear lost track of time as the sun started to move towards the horizons.

The darkness had changed all that. His only guiding light was the shining north star in the sky, another advice from his mother which he refused to forget.

Suddenly, the north star disappeared. It seemed it was swallowed in the same blackness which had taken over the jungle.

But there was light, a raging light which seemed different to the little koala. It couldn’t be the sun, he thought.

It seemed it was getting nearer. The little bear stopped dead in his tracks. This didn’t seem right. Suddenly, a heat wave hit him in the face as he was surrounded by flames.

Battered and bruised (遍体鳞伤), the koala ran away from the flames. He could feel the fire chasing him, as the heat got stronger. He felt it creeping up his back almost reaching his fluffy ears. He was scared to death.

He longed to be home with his mom, away from this disorder. However, he was panicking, not knowing what to do. The heat was getting unbearable. He saw a hollow tree trunk in the distance. The little bear dived into it, hoping to find some relief from the flames.

But the unforgiving flames made him realize his mistake almost immediately. The poor soul looked on as the flames started to eat away at the trunk. The dryness made it all the more delicious for this fire monster to feast on the dead tree. The heat had made the little bear exhausted. He used the last bit of energy which he had left to run from the trunk, escaping from the flames.

All of a sudden, his fur caught fire.

A moment later the little bear was in the river with his mom.

Painting had always fascinated Bazan since she was born. At the age of two, she held her first art exhibition on the family refrigerator. “Your artworks are really unique! So, I assume you’re as good as Leonardo da Vinci or anybody else,” said her mother, who had always been highly encouraging with Bazan’s art. Then, Bazan signed up for an art class and quickly discovered her natural talent, “To me, a canvas( 画布) is a door to another world where I have full creative control,” Bazan used to say to her mother.

The year she turned five, however, she was diagnosed with mental anxiety. She struggled with focusing, paying attention, or siting sill. Her mother sill supported her in learning art, though. Even with family support, finding the feeling in control had often been a horrific challenge for her.

Bazan attended the University of Kentucky in 2010, whose major was art education, but didn’t connect with the prospect of teaching. It made her unhappy. “I just wasn’t drawn to it as much,” she said. Confusion about her uncertain future, coupled with her increasingly severe illness, made her eventually drop out of college.

Life went on for a decade. Bazan had a son and moved to Sheboygan, far away from her parents. She worked in a local grocery. Every day after work, she rushed home to care for her son. Life was difficult. Soon after, she divorced with her husband because of her bad condition.

As her son grew up, Bazan became restless, and reconsidered the meaning of life. She felt she couldn’t give up on the calling of her art. “I love art,” she said. It occurred to her that she could learn different techniques- from sewing and textiles to printmaking or painting. She would discover a new path in her professional development, instead of being a salesclerk all her life.

After days of consideration, Bazan made a big decision.

News spread 4 years later that Bazan graduated from college with honors.

Ryan’s parents passed away when he was only eight. Since then, his grandma raised him alone and tried her best to provide him with everything he needed.

When Ryan was 15, his grandma retired. In order to save enough money for Ryan’s college education, she took on a part-time job and worked as a cleaning lady at a nearby park. However, Ryan disliked his grandma’s part-time job, because he was afraid that his classmates would see her.

One day, Ryan was chosen to act the lead role in a school play that was scheduled for next month. Most of the students acting in the play invited their families to the performance, but Ryan was too ashamed to invite his grandma. Unfortunately, his grandma saw the posters of the play on the walls of the school. One night when they were having dinner, his grandma mentioned that she would love to see him perform.

“You won’t be permitted to see the performance, Grandma,” he lied. “No family member was invited.”

His grandma was shocked and tried very gently to know why Ryan lied to her.

“It’s because I don’t want my friends to find out you’re a cleaning lady!” Ryan broke down finally.

Little did Ryan know that his grandma kept working just because of him. If she had the choice, she would rather stay at home and enjoy her retirement. However, she knew that she had to make extra money so that she could give Ryan a comfortable life and send him to college.

Although his grandma was sad about Ryan’s behavior, she continued working. However, one Sunday morning, her back hurt so much that she could not get up and had to ask Ryan to look for the painkillers that she had been taking in secret. Soon, Ryan found the pills but they did not work.

Ryan was really frightened and rushed his grandma to the hospital.

Realizing what his grandma had done for him, Ryan decided to say sorry to her.