5-1 The Stone I

Yesterday on the way home from school, P

my friend Kevin made fun of me by calling me a "fat pig." P

I was upset with him for making fun of me for being fat. P

So I hit Kevin with my fist. P

After I hit him, I yelled, "Don't call me a fat pig!" P

Kevin was angry now too, and yelled, "Fat pig!" again. P

When Kevin called me fat again, I hit him again, P

but this time I hit him harder and made him fall down. P

Kevin started to cry loudly. P

Suddenly, I was very nervous. P

'What if someone saw what I had done?' P

5-2 The Stone II

I looked around. There was no one on the street. P

I ran home just as if I had been running away from something scary. P

I was still worried when I got home. P

I started to regret hitting Kevin. P

I wished that I had talked to him first instead of hitting him. I hoped he wasn't hurt too much. P

The sight of Kevin crying and falling to the ground kept coming to mind over and over again. P

I was so sorry that I hadn't stopped myself from hitting Kevin. P

"Should I call him to apologize?" P

I told my mother about it, and she said I should apologize right away. P

'But to be fair, it wasn't my fault that he made fun of me. P

Why should I be the one to apologize first?' P

But my mother's words kept coming back into my thoughts while I was studying, and I couldn't stop them. P

5-3 The Stone III

But I finally realized that what was most important was to apologize. P

It didn't matter who did it first. P

So I mustered up the courage to talk to Kevin during a break at school. P

I didn't know what to say, so I said, P

"Give me the stone." P

Kevin looked at me warily. P

"I just wanted to say sorry about yesterday. I hurt you, didn't I?" P

Kevin replied, "Yeah. Just a little though." P

"I'm so sorry! I never meant to hurt you! I promise never to hit you again." P

"No! I made fun of you first." P

"I'll keep this stone. I will look at it, and it will remind me never to fight with a friend again." P

5-4 Dream of Pretty Shoes I

One day, a little girl accidentally left her pretty shoes alone in the deep, dark woods. P

As the pretty shoes waited for the girl to come back, it began to rain. P

Soon, the shoes were filled with raindrops from the sky. P

"We're so happy to have you with us!" P

Said the lonely, pretty shoes to the raindrops. P

But the raindrops were upset with the shoes. "You've ruined our dreams!" P

The pretty shoes did not know why the raindrops were upset, and asked, "Don't you like being with us?" P

5-5 Dream of Pretty Shoes II

“When we were floating high up in the sky, we definitely did not dream of ending up in a small place like this!” P

“We understand and we’re sorry. But may we ask what your dreams were?” P

One by one, each raindrop told the pretty shoes its dream. P

The first raindrop said, “I wanted to become part of the roaring water of a waterfall.” P

The second raindrop said, “I wanted to become part of a stream that winds around in the forest.” P

5-6 Dream of Pretty Shoes III

As the pretty shoes listened to the raindrops' stories, they began to feel sorry for them. P

"Only if we hadn't been here, all of your dreams could have come true!" P

The pretty shoes wanted to set them all free, but they weren't able to move by themselves. P

The raindrops then asked the pretty shoes, P

"How did you end up here all alone? Didn't you have dreams, too?" P

"When we were holding on to the feet of our sweet little girl, we didn't need to have any other dream. P

But she forgot us and left us alone in this lonely forest." P

"Do you mean you have found a dream now?" P

"Yes." P

"What is it?" P

5-7 Dream of Pretty Shoes IV

"We wish that the girl would remember us and we could be happy together again. P

And I just thought of another dream!" P

"What is it?" P

The pretty shoes replied, "For all of you to be happy, too." P

When the pretty shoes said this, the raindrops were touched, P

and weren't able to be mad at the pretty shoes anymore. P

But the raindrops were still sad that they wouldn't be able to achieve their dreams. P

Just then, a tree that stood over the pretty shoes said, P

"Happiness doesn't only come from achieving your dreams. P

It can also come from helping others." P

The raindrops, who hadn't even noticed the tree until now said, P

"You seem to be very happy, even though you're stuck in one place." P

5-8 Dream of Pretty Shoes V

The wise tree said, "Though I stay here year in and year out, I can still help others every day. P

I help give shade to those who are hot. And others call me their home." P

The raindrops began to realize that thinking only of their own dreams was a little selfish. P

"Wise tree. We would like to help the pretty shoes, P

but how are we supposed to help if we can't move away from here?" P

"I think you may already be helping someone, without even knowing it. But don't worry. P

There will come a time when you will be of great help to others." P

The raindrops were confused and didn't know what to say. P

But the pretty shoes were very happy that the raindrops wanted to help them. P

5-9 Dream of Pretty Shoes VI

Soon night came, and the pretty shoes, the raindrops, and the tree became good friends. P

"See, it is the north star. Oh, there's the moon, too!" P

The pretty shoes were very excited and happy. P

Though the pretty shoes weren't able to hold the soft feet of the little girl, P

they were happy to be holding the handful of raindrops that had fallen down from the sky. P

"Why did we think that we were useless being stuck in these shoes?" the raindrops said. P

And it made the raindrops happy to see how happy the pretty shoes were to hold them. P

The next day, the sun came up and blazed its heat on the pretty shoes. P

And the raindrops in the pretty shoes became lighter and lighter. P

Soon, the raindrops had become nothing but vapors, and said, P

"We promise to help you pretty shoes! We'll help you find your little girl for you!" P

And then the last of the raindrops floated away into the sky. P

5-10 Dream of Pretty Shoes VII

A few days passed. P

As the pretty, lonely shoes waited and waited, a storm brought rain to the forest again. P

The rain poured heavily, and the sun shone bright when it was done, P

and a beautiful rainbow spread across the sky. P

And at that moment, the little girl who had lost her pretty shoes came and found them. P

The raindrops had turned into the beautiful rainbow to help guide the little girl back to her pretty shoes, P

and the pretty shoes were filled with joy. P

The little girl shouted, "Mom! I found my pretty shoes!" P

Under the shade of the wise tree, the girl was filled with joy to have found her pretty shoes again. P

The little girl then picked up her pretty shoes and took them home and out of the lonely woods. P

5-11 Late for Class I

One day, Brandon's mother became very ill and couldn't get out of her bed. P

His grandmother made his breakfast for him and said, P

"Brandon, wait a minute and have your breakfast." P

"I don't want to. I told you yesterday that I have to go to school early because I'm the room monitor today." P

His grandmother tried to call Brandon back, P

but he was already running to school and didn't look back. P

Once he arrived at school, he opened the windows and put things in order. P

His classmates began to arrive, one by one, P

and when everyone was there, Brandon also sat down. P

The class began, but Scott's chair was empty. P

"Why isn't Scott here yet?" P

Scott had never been late or missed any classes before. P

5-12 Late for Class II

Everyone in class began wondering what had happened to Scott. P

After ten minutes of class, Scott came in looking exhausted. P

He blushed, and looked down as he entered the classroom. P

One of the kids yelled, "Ooh! Scott came in late today!" P

And the classroom then became noisy with chatter. P

"Scott, why are you late?" asked the teacher. P

Scott looked down at the floor and was silent. P

Under his breath, so only the other students could hear, Brandon said, P

"Scott can be late just like everyone else. P

I guess there's nothing special about him." P

But Brandon only said this out of jealousy. P

In the beginning, Brandon was the student body president, P

but ever since Scott had transferred to Brandon's school, he had taken Brandon's place. P

5-13 Late for Class III

Brandon was also jealous of Scott because he felt that his friends liked Scott more. P

Scott was embarrassed by Brandon's remarks, and Brandon showed off because he wasn't late today like Scott. P

The teacher simply told him not to be tardy again, and asked him to take his seat. P

The first period ended, and Scott walked up to Brandon with a lunch box. P

Brandon asked, "What do you want?" P

"Your grandmother called my house and asked me to give you this lunch box. P

So I stopped by your house on my way to school and picked it up for you." P

And Scott placed the hot lunch box on Brandon's desk. P

5-14 A Happy Shoe Store I

Long ago, there was a very happy shoe store in a small town. P

The owner of the shoe store was known as Mr. Haha because he was always laughing. P

Mr. Haha's shoe store rarely had any customers, P

because the other shoe stores had huge signs and glamorous decorations. P

The other shoe store owners told Mr. Haha that he needed to improve the look of his store, P

but Mr. Haha believed in quality before quantity. P

They all argued that Mr. Haha's shoes were too sturdy and lasted too long without replacing, P

which is why his customers rarely needed to come back. P

The owners of the other shoe stores said, P

"You need to find a way to make your shoes wear out faster, P

so that your customers have to come back sooner." P

However, Mr. Haha did not listen to their advice. P

Then one day, an old man wearing shabby clothes entered his store. P

5-15 A Happy Shoe Store II

The old man looked around the store, and picked up a pair of shoes and asked, P

"Looks like a good pair for my grandson. How much are they?" P

Mr. Haha said, "Oh, that's a pair of excellent shoes, sir. P

I'll give them to you for one gold coin." P

"Well, that's very expensive, and though they look like very sturdy shoes, P

I am not sure if these will fit my grandson's feet. P

Would it be all right with you if I take these shoes home with me and let my grandson try them on? P

If they fit him, I'll come back and pay you." P

Mr. Haha hesitated, but then agreed to the grandfather's terms. P

5-16 A Happy Shoe Store III

After the old man had left the store, Mr. Haha found a box sitting on a chair. P

"This must belong to the grandfather. I should keep it in a safe place." P

He waited until very late at night, but the grandfather never returned for his box. P

Days passed, then months, and yet the grandfather never came back for his box or to pay for the shoes he had taken. P

One day, Mr. Haha became curious about the box the grandfather had left behind. P

When he opened the box, he was greatly surprised. P

Inside the box, there was a gold chest that held all kinds of treasures. P

"Now I don't have to work and I can live comfortably for the rest of my life." P

5-17 A Happy Shoe Store IV

That night, Mr. Haha could not fall asleep. P

Whenever he closed his eyes, the grandfather would appear and yell at him, P

"Give me back my gold chest! The gold chest! You have taken my treasures, haven't you?" P

These nightmares kept him awake all night. P

The next day he put a note on the door of his store. P

"I apologize for not being here today. I have put price tags on all of the shoes. P

Please leave your money where the shoes were displayed and feel free to take your shoes. P

Thank you, Mr. Haha. P

5-18 A Happy Shoe Store V

And Mr. Haha went out to search for the grandfather tirelessly, day and night. P

When people heard that Mr. Haha had left his store unlocked and untended, P

they all came to see if the stories were true. P

So even though there was no owner present, the store was always full of customers. P

Mr. Haha could never find the grandfather, and finally came back to his store to find an unfamiliar envelope inside. P

"I apologize for being so late with my payment. Here's a gold coin for the shoes. P

They fit my grandson's feet perfectly. And the gold chest is a gift from me to you." P

The next day, a strange rumor spread around the village about the shoe store. P

"Did you see the angel that visited Mr. Haha's store?" P

5-19 A Good Scrooge I

One day, on our way home from school, P

my friends asked if I wanted to ride bicycles with them in an open parking lot. P

But they were only teasing me, because I didn't own a bicycle. P

Since I was not able to ride with them, I just went home. P

When I got there, my father was fixing something in the garage. P

Our garage was always full of old junk that my father would bring back on his way home from work. P

"Father, what are you doing?" P

"I'm fixing this washing machine. You know the old woman who sells grain in front of the pharmacy? P

She says that it's hard for her to wash her clothes because she doesn't have a machine at home." P

5-20 A Good Scrooge II

I quietly watched my father work, and my fingers fiddled with some nails on his workbench. P

My father could tell that something was on my mind and asked, P

"Do you have something you want to tell me, Nate?" P

"Dad, can you buy me a new bicycle? P

I'm the only one of my friends who doesn't have a bicycle!" P

"Do you really want a bicycle? If you do, then have a little patience, and I will get you one." P

"Thanks dad! That's so cool!" P

But I wasn't sure that I totally believed his promise. P

My father rarely ever bought things. P

He was always fixing old things to reuse them instead. P

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