I lived in the State of Texas, where sudden storms often happened every year. Last Sunday, there was no dirt in the air, only bright spring sunshine and a clear blue sky. After lunch, Papa headed out to the field to check on the cattle while Mama started dinner. Everything seemed peaceful. Faye and I played happily in the yard. The heat had been building since dawn. Suddenly the temperature dropped--- it felt good.

Then Mama shouted from the house, “Iris, you and Faye get inside, read quick now!”

I looked to the west and saw a huge black cloud of dust, like thick smoke from a railway engine’s chimney. All the birds flew away. The stop lights nearby weren't working because of a power failure.

“Faye, go with Mama!” I shouted. “I’ll warn Papa.”

Faye ran toward the house. The storm hit so fast that I hardly saw her climb the steps. In a short time, the day turned into night. I screamed for Papa, hoping my voice would lead him back. But I couldn’t hear or see him at all.

Some poor house roofs were blown off, and small trees down. I thought a terrible storm was on the way and the scene was “the worst I've seen in several years.” The dirt and sand stung(刺痛) my face like a thousand bees. I needed to get to shelter. Covering my face with one hand, I made my way toward the car and opened the door. Dirt flew in with me as I pulled the door closed. Papa was still out somewhere! I needed to help him find the car.

I searched the dashboard (仪表板) and found the switch for the front lights. They made some rays, but would Papa see them in the thick darkness? I pushed the horn (喇叭) again and again, hoping Papa would hear it.

Suddenly, Papa’s face appeared at the window.

Papa shut off the car’s lights and I worried the dirt would bury us.

I woke at 5:30 A.M. after a restless night’s sleep. I slowly unzipped the tent door to inspect the new day. Just like yesterday, the wind had dropped. It was another beautiful Arctic day. I crawled out of my sleeping bag unwillingly. I am normally a morning person but the intense cold outside made that morning most unappealing. Anyhow, it was time to greet Charlie and start the day.

My dog Charlie was up and it was bouncing up and down at the end of his chain looking well rested. I poured what looked like a pound of dog food into his bowl.

Stepping out of the tent, I looked around for bears or tracks and saw none. It would never be a good thing to meet a polar bear. An Inuit (因纽特人) once told me that I should watch out for polar bears. He said that if I met a polar bear, I should keep the following rules in mind. First, keep eye contact, move sideways or slightly forward, never backward, stay calm. Do not show fear and stand beside a large object to make myself appear as large as possible. Weapons like flare gun(信号枪) are necessary, but do not shoot unless forced to. Don’t wound a bear, or you'll make it even more dangerous, and never run.

It was only six o'clock, so I decided to have a leisurely breakfast of a bowl of milk powder, coconut flakes, and butter mixed with warm water. I sat on my sled（雪橇） to enjoy my first breakfast of the expedition only to find that after the third spoonful it was frozen. So much for leisurely breakfasts! I added more warm water and ate the rest as fast as possible.

Suddenly I heard a deep, long growl coming from Charlie’s throat. In a flash I looked at him and then in the direction in which he was staring. It was a female polar bear followed by two cubs（幼崽） slowly, purposefully, toward me. They were two hundred yards away.

With my heart quickening, I grabbed my loaded flare gun and carefully walked sideways a few steps to Charlie.

The whole event lasted fifteen minutes but seemed years long.

As a teacher, my daily routine includes driving to a new school almost every day so I’m usually unable to predict the day’s events, good or bad!

On one particular day, I was teaching in a very difficult class. Some of the schoolboys didn’t finish their homework on time and that really annoyed me. I was managing behaviour all morning and by lunchtime I knew I needed coffee to even consider surviving the afternoon. So on my lunchtime, I drove to a nearby plaza to get a cup of coffee. There I had a wonderful time and forgot the unpleasant experience in the morning. Upon returning to the car, I realized I had locked my keys and my phone inside! I had about 15 minutes to get back to the school which was a good 4-or-5-minute drive away. I considered rushing back, but it was winter, and I thought a dirty fall on ice would only make the situation much worse.

So I ran into a Mcdonald’s which was in the same plaza and asked the man at the counter to call me a cab. The man happened to be the manager of the restaurant. I briefly explained my situation to him, and I could tell by the look, that he empathized. He hurried to the back to use the phone while I paced in the restaurant. I had less than 10 minutes to get back to my school at this point.

The manager returned, only to tell me that the cab company had put him on hold and then the line got disconnected, and that he was now on hold again, but had not yet been able to request the cab yet. My expression, I am sure, began to resemble some combination of hopelessness and fear.

Without a thought, the manager grabbed his coat and offered to drive me to the school.

The manager’s calm behaviour and kind nature made me think