“Usual boring day!” This would be the answer from John if somebody asked him how his day was. These days he found everything boring, nothing excited him.

One day he was lying in his room as usual. After a while he felt it was rather hot in his room. Though he did not want to leave his room, he had to. Unwillingly, he left his room and came to the living room which was slightly cool as it had two huge windows.

His young brother was playing with his friend. They were rolling on the floor. He was looking out for the TV remote, but couldn't find it. He got up and searched for it everywhere, but the remote was nowhere. He looked at his brother who was still lying on the floor playing. He asked him, “Where is the remote?” “Under the sofa, ” his brother yelled.

He tried to look through, but it was dark. He put his hand under the sofa. He touched something, grabbed it and took his hand out. Oh! It was a snake in his hand!

After seeing that his brother started to cry, “Snake, snake!” Mom came as soon as she heard his shouting. She too was horrified to see a snake. She was so scared that she even couldn't speak a word. Two kids were trying to hide into each other's back. “What an old trick!” Roman thought and threw it to the kids.

As the snake landed on the floor near to the kids, it started moving from the left side to the right. Only then did John realize that the snake was real, not a toy. He threw the snake to the kids because he thought it was a fake snake and the kids were playing some tricks.

This time Mom almost got a heart attack. Now he was scared too. The snake was only 10 meters away from the kids and was staring at the kids. They even couldn't call a rescue team. There might be some deadly damage before their arrival. There was not much time to think. It was the time for a quick action.

As John was farther from the snake, he jumped to the window and grabbed the curtain.

After the rescue team caught and took away the snake, everyone went inside the home.

He was fifteen years old and still on his father's farm. He loved his father. He had not known it until one day a few days before Christmas, when he had overheard what his father was saying to his mother. “Mary, I hate to call Rob in the mornings. He's growing so fast and he needs his sleep. If you could see how he sleeps when I go in to wake him up! I wish I could manage alone.”

“Well, you can't, Adam.” His mother's voice was brisk, “Besides, he isn't a child anymore. It's time he took his turn to help milk the cow.”

“Yes,” his father said slowly. “But I sure do hate to wake him.”

When he heard these words, something in him spoke: his father loved him! He had never thought of it before, taking the tie of their blood for granted. Now that he knew his father loved him, he got up, stumbling blind with sleep and pulled on his clothes.

And then on the night before Christmas, that year when he was fifteen, he lay for a few minutes thinking about the next day. He wished he had a better present for his father instead of the usual tie from the ten - cent store. He lay on his side and looked out of his attic window.

A thought struck him like a silver dagger. Why should he not give his father a special gift, out there in the barn (畜棚)? He could get up early, earlier than four O'clock, and he could creep into the barn and get all the milking done. He laughed to himself as he gazed at the stars. It was what he would do, and he mustn't sleep too soundly.

He must have awakened twenty times.

Back in his room he had only a minute to jump into bed, for he heard his father up.

Yours,

Li Hua