There once was a little boy who wanted to meet the king.He set off,walking towards the king's castle.After many years of walking,the king's castle came into his view.However,as the boy drew closer to the outside of the castle,the guards noticed him.

“Get out of here!”ordered the guards.

Well,the little boy didn't have to be told twice.He turned...and ran.All he wanted to do was to tell the king wonderful things,and see all the beautiful things in the king's house.But he couldn't even get near the castle!The boy finally stopped running,sat down and cried.

A young man happened to be coming down the path at the very moment.He saw the little boy and stopped. “What's wrong,young man?”he asked.

"Sir,I walked and walked just to see the king.But these guards made me scared.I wanted to tell the king how lovely everything is and just tell the king that I just wanted to see him!"

The man looked at the little boy thoughtfully.“Look,why don't you try again.I'll come with you this time.”

The little boy got up and took the man's hand.The king's guards spotted them.

“Look,mister,we don't have to do this...I don't want you to get hurt.We can just turn around now.”

The man held the little boy's hand and went on.The boy really thought the man might be crazy until he looked back up at the guards.They were all smiling now.The little boy was amazed.

“Who are you?”asked the little boy in astonishment.

“Why,I'm the king's son.You can enter the castle and be with the king.”Said the man.

The little boy broke into a huge smile.

Once, I was invited to see a performance by my friends. Little did I know that I was about to see something I would never forget.

After they introduced the young musician, Mr. Patrick Henry Hughes, he was rolled onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play the piano. His fingers danced across the keys as he made beautiful music. He then began to sing as he played, and it was even more beautiful. For some reason, however, I knew that I was seeing something special. About ten minutes into Patrick’s performance, someone came on the stage and said, “I’d like to share a seven-minute video.” Then the lights went dim.

Patrick Henry Hughes was born with no eyes and a tightening of the joints, which left him disabled for life. However, as a child, he was fitted with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first birthday, he discovered the piano. His mom said, “I could hit any note on the piano, and within one or two tries, he’d get it.” By his second birthday, he could play simple songs as requested. His father was excited. “We might not play baseball, but we can play music together.”

Today, Patrick is a junior. His father attends classes with him and he’s made nearly all A’s. He’s also a part of the marching band. He and his father do it together. They attend all the band practices and performances. His father rolls his son around the field to the cheers of Patrick’s fans.

But it was Patrick’s “attitude of gratitude” that touched my soul deeper. On stage, between songs, he talked to the audience about his life and about how blessed he was. He said, “God made me blind and unable to walk. BIG DEAL! He gave me the ability, the musical gifts I have… the great opportunity to meet new people.”

When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered for over five minutes.

Not so long ago, Shelly Ann Francis Pryce was just an average high school athlete. There was every indication that she was just another American teenager without much of a future. However, Stephen Francis observed then eighteen-year-old Shelly Ann and was convinced that he had seen the beginning of true greatness. Her time was not exactly impressive, but even so, he believed there was something the other coaches had overlooked when they had assessed her and found her lacking. He decided to offer Shelly Ann a place in his very strict training seasons. Their cooperation quickly produced results, and at Jamaica’s Olympic games in early 2008, Shelly Annbeat Jamaica’s unchallenged queen of the sprint(短跑).

Then, at the Beijing Olympic she became the first Jamaican woman ever to win the 100 meters Olympic gold. She did it again one year on at the World Championship in Briton, becoming world champion with a time of 10.73—the fourth record ever.

Shelly-Anner’s journey to becoming the fastest woman on earth has been anything but smooth and effortless. She grew up in one of Jamaica’s toughest inner-city communities known as Waterhouse, where she lived in a one-room apartment, sleeping four in a bed with her mother and two brothers. Waterhouse, one of the poorest communities in Jamaica, is a really violent and overpopulated place. Her mother Maxime, one of a family of fourteen, had been an athlete herself as a young girl but had to stop after she had her first baby. However, Maxime determined to ensure that her kids would not end up in Waterhouse’s poverty. One of the first things Maxime used to do was taking Shelly-Ann to the track.

Shelly-Ann’s victory was far greater than personal glory. The night she won Olympic gold, the routine murders in Waterhouse and the drug wars in the neighbouring streets stopped. The dark cloud above one of the world’s toughest criminal neighbourhoods simply disappeared for a few days. “I have so much fire burning for my country,” Shelly said. She plans to start a foundation for homeless children and wants to build a community centre in Waterhouse. She hopes to inspire the Jamaicans to lay down their weapons. She intends to fight to make it a woman’s as well as a man’s world.