An elderly woman named Doris boarded a crowded city bus, holding a cane in one hand and a large shopping bag in the other.

She scanned the bus for a seat, but the vehicle was packed. Her eyes landed on a young man sitting comfortably near the front. He was engrossed in his phone, with headphones in. Doris tapped him gently on the knee with her cane. The young man looked up. “Yes?” Doris …

An elderly woman named Doris boarded a crowded city bus, holding a cane in one hand and a large shopping bag in the other. Read More

The Red Shirt

Long ago, when sailing ships ruled the sea, this captain and his crew were always in danger of being boarded by pirates from a pirate ship. One day while they were sailing, they saw that a pirate ship had sent a boarding party to try and board their ship. The …

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An elderly widower and a widow who had known each other for many years.

In a sun-dappled Florida mobile home park, two longtime neighbors—a silver-haired widower and a widow with a penchant for floral dresses—found themselves sharing a table at the weekly community potluck. As meatloaf and mashed potatoes were passed around, he sneaked glances at her crinkled smile. By dessert time, bolstered by …

An elderly widower and a widow who had known each other for many years. Read More

A boy, his father, and his mother are having dinner, but the boy refuses to eat his broccoli.

A boy, his father, and his mother are having dinner, but the boy refuses to eat his broccoli. “Eat your broccoli!” says the mother. “No!” the boy shouts defiantly. The father leans in, whispers something in the boy’s ear, and just like that, the boy gulps down his broccoli and …

A boy, his father, and his mother are having dinner, but the boy refuses to eat his broccoli. Read More