short stories -part e

7/28/2019 Short Stories -Part E

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Part E

Short story 1 - COMPLAINTS

Two survivors of a shipwreck managed to swim to a small island on which nothing but a

huge tree grew. Standing in the middle of the island, the beautiful tree gave them foodand sheltered them from the sun and rain. At night they lay on leaves that cushioned theirbacks from the cold earth. When their clothes wore out, they fashioned some simplecovering from barks and leaves.

However, as the days passed, they got so used to the tree that they started finding faultwith it.

"All we have is this stupid tree!" they grumbled.

Or one of them would murmur, "I wish we had something better!"

Unknown to them, every complaint they uttered caused the tree to wither a little. After afew months, the tree died, leaving the two with neither food nor shade.

Complaints drive away contentment.

Short story 2 - HONEYMOONERS

A man and a woman decide to honeymoon in an exotic land. In their desire to make it amemorable trip, they put their heads together and plan everything diligently. They decideto buy first class plane tickets, book in the most luxurious hotel, buy smart but

comfortable traveling clothes, and get ready a sizable amount in cash and traveler'schecks.

At the airport, thy double check each item on their list, making sure that they have notoverlooked anything.

"Do we have all our luggage?" asks the man.

"Yes," replies the woman.

"How about the tickets?"

"I have them right here."

"Cash and checkbook?"

"I've got those, too."


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The man sighs with relief. Suddenly, his face falls. It has dawned on him that they hadforgotten the most important thing of all.

Oblivious to his mood, the woman places her arms around him and whispers, "Honey, I'msure we will have a wonderful honeymoon."

"I don't think so."

"Why not, dear?"

"We forgot to get married."

Short story 3 -THE SWINE AND THE BIRD

One day, a sparrow flies into a stinking piggery where she watches a swine gobble downhis food.

Seeing his unexpected visitor, the swine starts boasting about his life. "I live like a kinghere. I don't even have to lift a paw to get something to eat. Several times a day, someonecomes to bring me food. I do nothing but eat and sleep - what a life!"

The little bird says nothing.

"How you must envy me," says the swine, as he fills his mouth with swill.

"It is you who must be envious of me," trills the sparrow.

"I? Envy you? Never!" protests the swine loudly. "I am like a king in this pen while youhave to work for your food. You are a slave to your needs!"

At this the sparrow flies away, leaving the swine munching his meal noisily.

After sometime, the sparrow returns to the piggery. Piercing screams are coming from thepen. Flying nearer, she sees the plump swine being led to a nearby slaughterhouse.

The swine looks up and sees the sparrow. While he strains again the rope that binds him,the swine tells the little bird, "I lived like a king and now I shall die like a slave."

After uttering these words, the swine sees the butcher sharpening his knife. As he followsthe flight of the sparrow with envious eyes, he feels the knife at his throat.

Short story 4 - THE HIGHER HOUSE

When Sheik El Jahm heard that his neighbor Sheik Al Dakir was adding a third story tohis mansion, he immediately hired workers to build three stories over his own house.


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After Sheik Al Dakir's house was finished, he gazes proudly outside his window. To hisconsternation, he saw that his neighbor's house would soon be higher than his.

"Mine must be the tallest house in town," he muttered to himself. Thus, he hired severalworkers to add five more stories to his house.

Then Sheik El Jahm found out that Sheik Dakir was adding another five stories to hisown house.

And so it went on. The two sheiks continued to try to outdo each other's efforts. Both ofthem wanted to own the highest house not only in the neighborhood but in the wholecountry. Finally, their houses were hundreds of feet high, towering structures that almosttouched the clouds.

One day, however, a very strong gale blew over the land. It buffeted their tall houseswhich trembled and shook and crumpled to the ground. Both sheiks were killed instantly.

Beware of vain rivalry.

Short story 5 - COMMON SENSE

After their ship sank, a group of men and women were able to seem to a nearby island.To their chagrin, they were immediately taken captive by a tribe of cannibals.

The chieftain turned out to be a learned man. Moreover, everyone in the tribe was literate.

The chieftain told the frightened prisoners, "Tradition dictates that before we eat you, we

will let you read a book."

"Oh," exclaimed a survivor "is there a library here?"

"Yes," said the chieftain. "It belonged to some missionaries who once tried to convert us.However, we found their teaching so difficult that we decided to slaughter them all."

Smacking his lips, a tribesman interjected, "They were delicious!"

"Please give me the Bible," requested a pious woman. "I want to read God's word beforeI die."

"Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire !" clamoreda college professor.

"I'll have ShakespearesRomeo and Juliet," said a poet. "I want to savor the beauty ofhuman love before I die."

"Cornelius Ryan's A Bridge Too Far," said a soldier.


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Finally, everyone turned to a monk who was known to be a holy man. They were curiousabout what the book he would ask for.

"And you, Brother Monk," asked the chieftain, "what book would you like o read beforeyou die?"

"Die? I will not die," answered the monk confidently.

"Why do you say that?"

"We will be friends after I read the book that I will borrow. You will have no recoursebut to spare me."

Mystified, the cannibal asked, "What book is that?"

"Dale Carnegie'sHow to Win Friends and Influence People."

Short story 6POPULARITY

Two politicians, Mack and Clancy, were bitter rivals who seldom agreed on anything.But in their desire to settle the issue of who was more popular between the two of them,they met one day and came up with an ingenious plan.

They would publish fictitious announcements of their deaths in all the widely readnewspapers. And whoever got the greater number of mourners would be the morepopular man. They agreed to implement the scheme right away.

On the day that the morning newspaper carried the obituaries, the two politicians stayedhome and waited expectantly for the crowds of mourners. But they both waited in vain.No one showed up at their houses to mourn their supposed deaths. Depressed, Mack tooka walk to Clancy's house.

"There are no mourners in my house," Mack told his rival.

"Well, as you can see, there are none in mine either," Clancy replied.

At this, their trusted aides barged into the room. All were visibly agitated as they soughttheir respective bosses. They reported, "No wonder there are no mourners in your

houses--the whole town is gathered in the plaza."

"Mourning our deaths?" Mack and Clancy chorused.

"No, rejoicing over it!"

Short story 7 - THE QUESTION


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A particular Monastery admits only one disciple each year. When the designated time forentry comes, hundreds of young men flock before the gates of the ancient monastery,asking to be admitted.

The abbot sees each aspirant for a brief interview. It is said that he asks only one

question, but no one knows what that is. Any aspirant who fails to give the correct answeris made to drink a mysterious concoction which expunges the interview from hismemory. There are certain years when no one of the applicants is able to answer theabbot's question.

One young man, who is determined to enter this great monastery, decides that he muststudy every possible subject and lives in a cave by himself to do so. He studies the historyof various nations, the different branches of science, the wisdom and teachings of manyreligions, and the great literatures of the world. Last but not least, he memorizes theKoran and the Bible word for word!

He emerges from the cave after five years, confident that he can answer the abbot'smysterious question. When the season for accepting aspirants comes, he is among thefirst to be called. He is led by a monk to the aged abbot's chambers. Seated on an elevatedchair, the abbot looms over the young man. The aspirant's heart beats fast withexcitement as he waits for the abbot's question.

"Young man,"says the abbot solemnly,"ask yourself this question: 'Who am I?'"

He gapes at the venerable old man. He cannot utter a single word because he does notknow what so say. Thus, like many others before him, he is quietly led out of themonastery, never to be heard from again.

Short story 8 THE SPIRIT OF EMULATION

Among the inhabitants of the apartment building where I live, the spirit of emulation isquite intense.

For a long time they limited themselves to competing with one another in dogs, cats,canaries or parrots. The most exotic among them never went beyond little squirrels or aturtle. I myself had a beautiful German shepherd that was just slightly smaller than ourapartment and a lovely spider.

One morning, while I was feeding my pet, the neighbor from 7-C - whom I had nevereven seen before - came by to borrow my newspaper. Afterwards, he just stood there fora long time with the newspaper in his hand. He was staring, fascinated, at Gertrude myspider, and in his stare there was something that made me shudder. It was the spirit ofemulation.

The next day he came by to show me the scorpion he had just bought. In the hallway, themaid of the people who live in 7-D overheard our dialogue on the life, habits and feeding


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of spiders, scorpions and ticks. That very afternoon her employers acquired a crab.

Then, for a week, there was nothing new of note. One day, as I was returning from thegrocery store, the bags almost flipped out of my hands when I bumped headlong into thelarge anteater which was being lowered from a truck, en route to the doorman's office.

One of the many onlookers who had congregated there mumbled loudly that it was not areal bear. The attorney's wife looked startled at this, and ran, trembling, to take refuge inher apartment. I didn't see her reappear until a few days later when, with a radiant anddisdainful face, she came out to sign the receipt for the freight delivery men who had justbrought her a real American brown bear.

Short story 9 POSTCARD FROM NEW YORK

Woke up this morning to something you never get in this city. Silence.

Not a car horn, siren, or murmur of voices reaching up to the 14th floor.

The street below was empty or so I thought. In the flats opposite the hotel folk were alsolooking down from windows to the street below.

Then I saw what they saw.

A road block of police cars and then a figure like an extra out of a B movie movingslowly up the street. He or she was dressed in what looked like a deep sea diving suit. Heor she walked slowly, very slowly.

I followed his or her every slow step until they stopped and I saw it. Directly across from

my hotel was a briefcase, an everyday briefcase, sitting upright, and so alone looking, onthe sidewalk.

And I was on the 14th floor with a lift I had already found out never arrived when youwanted it.

I watched.

The deep sea diver with what looked like a metal rod ever so slowly edged open the case(I dont know how that suit would have protected him) and out flew streams of paper.Paper that drifted higher and higher down the street, to God knows where else.

Minutes later the car horns, sirens, murmur of voices returned and folk streamed, almostbored looking, out of flats and hotels like water released from a dam.

And I walked down the fourteen flights of stairs and joined them.

Short story 10 SATURDAY SHOCK


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Carlos felt something strange. What was wrong?

He woke up late that Saturday, as usual. The street sounds sailed through his window. Peoplewere talking loudly. He heard laughter, mothers calling for their children, kids playing, someoneyelling. The music blared from the stand at the corner. What was wrong?

In his apartment, everything was silent. He didnt hear his wife fussing in the kitchen. Rebeccausually made a big breakfast on Saturdays.

He didnt hear his daughter, Katie, bumping her shoes or fists into Jerrys door. He didnt hearhis son screaming for her to stop. Even the dog was quiet. What was wrong? No radio. Noconversation.

Carlos looked at the clock across the room. Ten oclock. Something was definitely wrong!

He pulled on his jeans and ran his hands through his hair. He went slowly to the door and

listened. Nothing. He opened the door a little and looked around. Nothing. He slid his bodythrough the opening. His heart was pumping. He could feel it pound in his chest.

He started toward the kitchen. His feet moved slowly from heel to toe.

Beca? Jerry? Katie? He thought he heard a scuffle in the kitchen. He inched his way throughthe kitchen opening. He jumped back startled.

Happy birthday, to you, happy birthday to you!!! His wife and children were grinning fromear to ear. They let the dog loose. The little terrier jumped into Carlos arms.

Sitting in the middle of the kitchen table was a box. The gift wrap was bright red. It had a silverbow on its top. They all looked at it and held their breaths.

Carlos walked to the box and slowly opened it. Inside were the keys to a dirt bike. The bikewasnt new, but it was his! Everyone had chipped in to buy it. Carlos was speechless.

Soon his friends and other relatives began to drop by. They stood on the sidewalk, smiling,whistling and screaming.

Carlos could not hear them. He could not think, or talk, or even eat. But he could drive. Theywatched him round the corner. The sound of the motor was sweet music. He had all day to hear

it.

Short story 11 - ROMEO

Julie got Romeo for her birthday. Romeo was a Sheltie. Bob bought Romeo from a man on afarm. But Bob didnt like dogs much. They chewed his shoes and barked at cars and jumped onthe sofa. Romeo did all those things and more.


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A Shelties job is to make sure the sheep dont get lost. But Bob and Julie lived in the city.There were no sheep to guard in the city. So Romeo tried to herd Bob.

Every night Bob went out to water the yard. Every night Romeo barked and bit his heels andpulled at his socks to keep him in line. Over and over, Bob said, No, Romeo! Stop it! Every

night Romeo ran in circles, barking. And every night the man next door opened his window andyelled, Cant you keep that dog quiet?

Bob always seemed mad at Romeo. Julie was always mad at Bob, and so was the man next door.Romeo wasnt mad at anyone, but he missed the sheep and the big green fields. He was aSheltie! He liked playing with Bob in the yard and taking Bob and Julie for walks.

When they went for walks, Bob tried to teach Romeo how to go home. He wanted Romeo tofind the way home when they went to the mailbox. He wanted Romeo to find the way homewhen they walked to the video store. He wanted Romeo to find the way home when theyjogged. But Romeo didnt pay attention. He liked to bark at all the dogs in back yards. He

liked to sniff at the bushes and curbs.

One night when Julie was busy, Bob took Romeo for a jog around the park. The park wasempty. On his last lap Bob missed the curb as he got to the street. Bob fell and twisted hisankle. When he tried to stand, he couldnt walk. No one was near, and Bob didnt have a way tocall Julie.

Go home, Romeo, go home! Bob begged. Romeo didnt move. He sat next to Bob andbarked. He licked Bobs ankle. He licked his face. He just barked and barked. Bob put hishead in his hands and moaned.

Julie was worried. Bob and Romeo had been gone a long time. She went out in the yard to lookup the street. Then she heard a sound she knew. It was far away. She got in the car and drovetoward the sound. She found Bob and Romeo on the curb.

Bob was very happy to see Julie. He patted Romeo and hugged his neck. Youre some dog,he said. He put his arm around Julie and hopped on one foot to the car.

I guess Romeo knows how to take care of lost sheep, Julie said, smiling at her family.

Short story 12 DR. OCHO

Niko felt awful. He didnt know what was wrong. He felt a pain in his stomach and a pain in hishead. His dad said he just needed a hard days work in the sun. His mom gave him chickensoup. His grandmother gave him menudo. His aunt gave him green tea. His wife gave him ahard time. Nothing helped.

So Niko went to the doctor. In fact, he went to seven doctors. After a while he couldntremember their names, so he gave them numbers. Each one said something different.


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Dr. Uno said he had a stomach virus. He gave Niko pills.

Dr. Dos said he had food poisoning. He pumped Nikos stomach.

Dr. Tres thought it was an ulcer. He told him to eat mashed potatoes and dry toast.

Dr. Cuatro did an ultrasound. He didnt find anything, but he gave Niko herbs and vitamins justin case.

Dr. Cinco said it was in his head. He sent him to a head doctor.

Dr. Seis asked a lot of questions but he didnt have any answers. He said, Mmmmveryinteresting, and How do you feel about your mothers chicken soup?

I feel pain! Niko said. He wanted to scream, Pain from the questions, pain from the pills,and pain from the doctors! But he kept quiet. Dr. Seis sent Niko to Dr. Siete for tests.

Dr. Siete made Niko look at cards with messy ink stains. He made Niko read the letters of thealphabet out loud. He made Niko count backwards by seven. When the tests were over, Nikoshead hurt even more. His stomach was in knots. He didnt know whether he or the doctor wasmore stupid.

Niko called his friend Beto. Beto worked on the same line at the plant. Man, Im sick, andnobody can help me.

Come on over, said Beto.

Niko drove over to Betos house. Beto was sitting on the steps drinking a Coke.

Niko sat down beside him. Niko liked Cokes, but he didnt want one now.

Whats up? asked Beto.

I dont know, man, Niko said. I dont feel good. Things keep going wrong. I left my carlights on last Monday. The battery was dead the next morning. I left the water running all nightTuesday after I washed the car. Wednesday was O.K., but Thursday I forgot to pick up Susanafter work. Boy, was she mad! My insides are dog meat.

I know what you mean, said Beto. The last two months have been rough at work. The bossis on my case. I thought he was going to fire me yesterday, and I almost didnt care.

Niko was surprised. You, too? he said. He looked at Beto. Beto was looking at the groundbetween his feet. He looked like a hound dog with no rabbit to hunt.

Beto, he gave me a warning last month, said Niko. Told me I had one month to get mynumbers up or hed sack me. Said I wasnt a team player. I cant tell Susan.


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A week from Monday is the 31st, said Beto. What are we gonna do?

Niko and Beto sat and thought. Both were quiet. Both had quotas to fill at work.

Both needed their jobs.

Niko said, You have such a good spot on the line, Beto. Id like to be taping and marking thoseboxes.

Yeah? I think its a drag. I hate writing. I always wished I could do what you do. I have agood eye for pulling bad cans, Beto said.

Then it came to Beto. Hey, man! Why dont we trade jobs? We make the same wage. As longas we make the boss look good, he wont care.

Think we can get our numbers up in a week? Niko asked. But Niko had already made up his

mind.

Its worth a try, said Beto, excited. Then he remembered. Hey, Im sorry, man. I forgot.You came to talk about your stomach.

Doesnt matter anymore, said Niko. I feel much better. Hey, Dr. Ocho, how about thatCoke?

Short story 13 Real men go Camping

I do not like camping. I like my house and my bed and my shower. I guess that means Im

weird. Men are supposed to like camping. When I was eight, my father took me on our first andlast camping trip together. It was the worst weekend of my life.

It was freezing cold. It rained. We went for a hike, and I got lost. My dad had tried to teach mehow to use a compass. We walked for a mile while he talked about north, south, east and west. Iwas cold and bored, so I didnt listen very well. He left me with the compass and told me to findmy way back. My dad says I wasnt lost for very long. It felt like a whole day. I swear it wasdark when my dad found me, but he says there was plenty of light.

The food tasted like dirt. The sodas were warm even though the temperature was below zero.My sleeve caught on fire when I tried to warm my hands. And my dad would not stop talking

about survival. Tommy, if you practice these 33 survival tips, you might be able to live in thewoods for up to 4 weeks. I have never been so happy to get home.

My company recently transferred me to Denver, Colorado. I heard that winters in Denver arealmost as cold as Alaska. My new co-workers have invited me to go hiking or camping severaltimes since I arrived. I keep making excuses, because I do not want to tell them the truth.


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My wife thinks I should just tell them. My buddy from Texas thinks I should get over it, becauseIm not eight anymore. Im afraid that if I go, I will make a complete fool of myself. If I dontgo, they will quit asking. If they quit asking, I wont have any buddies to hang out with.

Back home, my buddies and I played golf every other Saturday. I miss golf. I thought about

asking these guys if they want to play golf sometime. It didnt take long for me to realize that itwas a bad idea. They would think I was joking. Wilderness stuff is what people here do for fun.

I finally decided I would give it a try. They made plans to hike in the Rocky Mountain NationalPark this weekend. Once again, they asked me to join them. I told them I was glad to report thatI did not have plans for the weekend. They said they were glad to hear it. After work, I foundthe nearest wilderness shop. The salesperson thought I had lost my mind, but boy he had a bigsmile on his face.

I bought one of almost everything, just in case. I even bought a wilderness guide. I think I couldsurvive on Mount Everest wearing the coat he sold me. I went home and read all the manuals. I

practiced setting up a tent in the backyard. I tried to build a fire too, but my wife quickly put astop to that. I wore my new hiking boots around the house until I got a blister. I told my wife Iplanned to sleep on the floor the rest of the week. I woke up in the middle of the night drenchedin sweat.

After packing my car Friday morning, I could not see out the back of my Jeep Cherokee.Everything I bought was crammed inside. We decided to caravan to Estes Park and then hike upBeaver Meadow Trail. The guys said they knew the perfect camping spot. They remembered itfrom the last time they went on a hike. I wondered if we would get lost. But I just wanted to playit cool and follow along.

After work, we met in the parking lot to discuss who would lead the caravan. As soon as theysaw my Jeep, they started giving me a hard time.

Are ya movin in, Tom?

Movin in where?

To the woods. They all laughed.

Oh that. Just wanted to be prepared. They raised their eyebrows and gave me the OK sign. Ifelt like a complete idiot.

You should have told us. We would have left everything we own at home.

Very funny. Bunch of comedians."

On the way to Estes Park, I tried to relax. I told myself this was no big deal, a piece a cake. Itried to think macho thoughts. And then it started to rain. I panicked. All I could think about


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was being 8 years old, alone in the woods, cold and hungry. My stomach was growling. By thetime we got to Estes Park, I thought I might puke.

The guys didnt seem bothered by the rain. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it. We all put on ourbackpacks. Once again, I stood out. My backpack looked spotless. I forgot to rub it in the dirt

and stomp on it. The tag was still hanging from the zipper. My backpack was the only onedripping with gadgets. They all stared at me.

What?

Nothin man, that just looksuh, heavy.

Well, its not.

OK, man, whatever you say.

On the way up Beaver Meadow Trail, the rain started to pour. It was cold and harsh. It felt like Iwas being poked with hundreds of forks. I removed the Mount Everest coat from my waist andput it on. One of my gadgets was a small, sturdy umbrella. I pulled it off the hook, opened it,and held it in front of my face. The waterproof gloves I bought felt toasty warm. I lookedaround at my macho friends. They were checking out my backpack. I suddenly felt moreconfident. They looked miserable, and I almost felt sorry for them. When it started to hail, wemoved off the trail. The large Aspen tree was not big enough to shelter 5 grown men.

I removed my backpack. A rolled up tent was attached to the bottom with straps of Velcro.They didnt laugh this time. It took us 30 minutes, but we finally put the tent together. It wasnot big enough for five people. Somehow, we squeezed inside anyway. We were almost sitting

on top of each other. After several awkward moments, someone said So what else you got inthat backpack, Tom?

We spent the next hour joking and laughing and eating beef jerky. I told them all about my firstcamping experience. I also told them that I miss playing golf. They said they would give it a trysometime. I decided camping might not be so bad after all.

Short story 14 UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. Hecalled his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring homewith me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."


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"There's something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting.He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want himto come live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicapwould be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something likethis interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'llfind a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few dayslater, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died afterfalling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken

parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son.They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, theirson had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-lookingor fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feeluncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smartas we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us withan unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up weare.

Short story 15 DETERMINATION

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacularbridge connectingNew Yorkwith the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughoutthe world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It justcould not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all thetime and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream withsomeone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his sonWashington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could beaccomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration,and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build theirdream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on thesite took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of
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brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

"We told them so.""Crazy men and their crazy dreams.""It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since theRoeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicapWashington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and hismind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too dauntedby the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through thewindows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky andthe tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he coulddo was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowlydeveloped a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call theengineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what todo. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until thebridge was finally completed. Today the spectacularBrooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as atribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated bycircumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a manwho was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love anddevotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband andtold the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terriblephysical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Short story 16 (April Fool's Day Story) HOLD UP YOUR CREDIT CARDS!

Back in the days of the Cabbage Patch Kid craze it was usually very hard to get one for thekiddies.

A radio station (I don't know where) announced that Mattel was going to get Cabbage Patch Kidsout to the people of this particular city.

The plan was that they had to go to the football field of the local university and wait. An airplanewould fly overhead and the dolls would be dropped onto the field.
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People were supposed to hold their credit cards up so that a photographer with a telephoto lens inthe airplane could get the credit card numbers and charge the price of the dolls to the recipients'accounts.

People actually showed up, waving American Express cards in the breeze.

Short story 17 (April Fool's Day Story) CLEANING THE PHONE LINES!

One radio station prank took place on April Fool's Day. They announced that the phonecompany would be cleaning the dirt out of the phone lines that afternoon. They do this, itseems, by blowing air into the wires in the switching station. The problem is that the dirtcomes out of the earpiece and mouthpiece of the telephone and could dirty the rugs orfurniture in your house.

Consequently, the phone company asks that the good citizens please get plastic bags andput them over the handsets of the telephones to protect their belongings.

Stores reported a run on plastic bags, and the phone company made the radio station retractthe original claim.

Short story 18 -CRIMINAL LAWYERS AWARD

A Charlotte, NC, lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured themagainst fire among other things. Within a month having smoked his entire stockpile of these greatcigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the lawyerfiled claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "ina series of small fires." The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason: that the

man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.

The lawyer sued...and won!

In delivering the ruling the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim wasfrivolous. The Judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company inwhich it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insurethem against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable fire, and was obligatedto pay the claim.

Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling

and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare cigars lost in the "fires."

NOW FOR THE BEST PART...

After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts ofARSON!!! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being usedagainst him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and wassentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.


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Short story 19 - A TRUE STORYA lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit,stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the president ofHarvard's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hickshad no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge.

She frowned. "We want to see the president," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," thesecretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied. For hours, the secretary ignored them, hopingthat the couple would finally become discouraged and go away.

They didn't. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, eventhough it was a chore she always regretted to do. "Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes,they'll leave," she told him.

And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have thetime to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up hisouter office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady toldhim, "We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here.But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect amemorial to him, somewhere on campus."

The president wasn't touched, he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly. "We can't put up astatue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like acemetery". "Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue.

We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard." The president rolled his eyes. He

glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have anyearthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in thephysical plant at Harvard." For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Hecould get rid of them now. And the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all itcosts to start a University? Why don't we just start our own?" Her husband nodded. Thepresident's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. And Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanfordwalked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bearstheir name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing forthem or to them." - Malcom Forbes

Short story 20 - ANATOMY OF FRIENDSHIP

My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body. Through the years Iwould take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer. When I was younger, I thoughtsound was very important to us as humans, so I said, "My ears, Mommy."

She said, "No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again


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soon."

Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I hadcontemplated the correct answer. So this time I told her, "Mommy, sight is very important toeverybody, so it must be our eyes."

She looked at me and told me, "You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because thereare many people who are blind."

Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years, Mother asked me acouple more times and always her answer was, "No. But you are getting smarter every year, mychild."

Then last year, my grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. Even my fathercried. I remember that especially because it was only the second time I saw him cry. My Momlooked at me when it was our turn to say our final goodbye to Grandpa. She asked me, "Do you

know the most important body part yet, my dear?"

I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her andme. She saw the confusion on my face and told me, "This question is very important. It showsthat you have really lived in our life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have toldyou were wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to learnthis important lesson."

She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, "Mydear, the most important body part is your shoulder."

I asked, "Is it because it holds up my head?"

She replied, "No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry.Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you haveenough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it."

short stories -part e

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