Lucy was the only child in her family. She had a quarrel with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily. She couldn’t help weeping sorrowfully when she thought of the scolding from her mother. Having wandered aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat. She stood beside a stand for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing his business. However, with no money in hand, she gave a sigh and had to leave.

The seller behind the stand noticed the young girl and asked, “Hey, girl, you want to have the noodles?”

“Oh, yes, but I don’t have money on me,” she replied.

“That’s nothing. I’ll treat you today,” said the man. “Come in.”

The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, the smell so attractive. As she was eating, Lucy cried silently.

“What is it?” asked the man kindly.

“Nothing. Actually, I was just touched by your kindness!” said Lucy as she wiped her tears. “Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so merciless compared to a stranger!” Hearing the words, the seller smiled, “Girl, do you really think so? I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you since you were a baby. Can you number the times she cooked for you? Have you expressed your gratitude to her?”

Lucy sat there, speechless and numb with shock; she remembered her mother’s familiar face and weathered hands. “Why didn’t I think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel grateful. Why haven’t I thanked my mum for what she has done for me?”

On the way home, Lucy made up her mind to make an apology to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.

Approaching the doorway, Lucy was very nervous and took a deep breath.

A gentle touch on her hair called her mind back.

In 1989, just out of high school, I was faced with the tough job of deciding my own course of study, which was only three months away from university. In those days in Pakistan, there were limited choices: becoming a doctor or an engineer or entering the financial world after obtaining a business degree. I didn’t have any interest in engineering, so all I had to do was either medical or commercial work. I couldn’t decide.

My uncle, an influential member of the family, recommended that I spend a month in an international company and then a month at a hospital. Then I could make a decision. I thought it was a great idea.

I was accepted for a month’s placement (实习工作) at a foreign bank in Karachi. I had some insight into how the financial world worked, met new acquaintances, and enjoyed the general relaxed atmosphere of the office.

The month passed quickly, and I was soon employed at one of Karachi’s premier hospitals. The experience could not have been more different. There was a tense atmosphere at the hospital. Days began sooner(at seven as opposed to nine in the morning at the bank), and they were full of interminable (无止境的) chores and late-night visits! It was insane (疯狂的), working all day, all night, and then another.

I was starting to think about both of my experiences. The bank had offered a more relaxing environment, better working hours and less pressure. It was exciting and unpredictable in the hospital, but it was hard to learn and practice. It looked like the business choice would win.

Near the end of my month in the hospital, I was on my way back from a particularly hectic (紧张忙碌的) evening call, and there was a public bus in front of me, and there were some kids in it. While the driver threaded his way through the cars, I saw that the boys were swaying left and right.

All of a sudden, a boy fell from the back of the bus.

When I visited him at the hospital the following morning, all his family members stood up with grateful smiles on their faces.

There was once a beautiful town in which there were a couple of lovers who would often stay together on the top of the mountain enjoying the sunrise and by the sea appreciating the sunset. Everyone who knew them could not help envying them and praying for their happy love.

But one day, the man was severely injured and lying in bed in hospital for several days without any consciousness. The woman guarded him by the bed in daytime, calling his name constantly while at night, she would go to the church and pray to God until her tears ran up.

A week passed by and the man was still sleeping. The woman was exhausted, but she persisted. One day, the God was finally moved by her love and persistence and would like to do her a special favor.

God asked her, “Do you really want to exchange your lover’s life with yours? The woman answered without the least hesitation,” “Yes” God said, “All right. I can help your lover recover quickly on the condition that you should promise to be a butterfly for three years. Do you agree with the deal?” She said excitedly and firmly, “Yes, I do!”

The next day, the woman became a beautiful butterfly and said goodbye to God, flying hurriedly to the hospital. It turned out that the man came to his consciousness and woke up, talking with a doctor. She could not hear what they were talking about because she could not fly into the house. What she could do was watch her beloved through the windows helplessly.

After several days, the man entirely recovered and went out of hospital. However, he was unhappy and asking every passer-by for the woman’s information, but no one knew where the woman went. The man searched her persistently without eating and resting. So much did he miss her that he was eager to see her immediately. Never did he know that the woman had turned into a butterfly that was flying around him all the time. She could not speak to or hug him. She could only bear the suffering that he did not realize her existence.

After summer was over, the autumn came.

The butterfly felt heartbroken.