Short story collection 5

1.

##The power of forgiveness

 On June 8, 1972, during the Vietnam war, South Vietnamese forces dropped a napalm bomb onto the town of Trang Bang in North Vietnam. Photographer Nick Ut was there at the scene. He took a photo of a little girl, running away from her home village naked with a look of horror and pain on her face. Her clothes had been burned off. The photo became famous and won the Pulitzer Prize. The picture was a wake-up call to many about the horrifying reality of war and the damage done by the war in Vietnam.

 The girl in the photo was Phan Thi Kim Phúc and she was 9 years old. She survived the incident, but with severe burn scars all over her body. The doctors doubted she would survive. Kim, only a little child, had to stay at the hospital for 14 months, going through many operations, and then had to go through years of therapy. But she survived, and eventually moved back to her home village to live a normal life with her family.

 While at college, she met a man with severe burn scars on his arm from having rescued someone from a burning building. A girl she knew made a comment on his scars, saying that nobody would want to date someone with such ugly scars. Kim thought about how her scars were much worse. This caused her great emotional turmoil - she couldn't bring herself to eat, sleep or study for 3 days. Eventually, through prayer and self-talk, she managed to pull herself together again. However, she didn't think she would ever find a boyfriend or a husband. But she did find a boyfriend, whom she eventually married and had her 2 sons with. Her husband says that if anything, the scars make him love her more.

 Kim admits she felt bitterness and hate over the incident, which left her with chronic physical pain. She often wondered why it had to happen to her. But she soon realized that she needed to overcome these negative emotions to find peace. She needed to forgive, so she could move on for good. After she had forgiven those that were responsible for the event, she felt at peace.

 On Veteran's day, 1996, Vietnam war veterans gathered to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington. Kim was also there. She gave a speech about the attack she survived. She talked about how she no longer felt anger towards those responsible, as she had found the strength to forgive them. Suddenly, John Plummer, the pilot who was in the plane that dropped the bomb, stood up and started moving towards Kim. He shouted to her that he was responsible and that he was sorry. Kim came down from the stage and hugged him, and told him he was forgiven.

 Kim believed she survived what happened because of a higher purpose, and that the event was necessary to teach her a lesson about helping and forgiving others. In 1996 she founded the Kim Phuc Foundation, that helps other child victims of war. That same year she also became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. She found joy in helping people, visiting other victims of war at hospitals and giving them hope. Her strength to forgive, positive attitude and tireless efforts to help others inspire everyone she meets.

2.

##Clever Coyote

Once upon a time, a long ago, a horrible monster stole all the buffalo from the plains and put them in his mountain hideout.

"There," beamed the monster. "I have enough food to last forever."

Coyote, a wild dog, called all the people and all the animals together in a great meeting to figure out what they could do. No one had an idea. They were too afraid of the monster to think at all.

"I scouted the monster," Coyote spoke up. "He lives with a very small boy."

"We cannot hurt a child," said one of the people. "Not even to get back our buffalo."

"That is understood," Coyote nodded. "But I was thinking .... a small boy must be very lonely with no one love except a horrible monster. I think we should give him a pet to love. When the chance arises, the pet we send can set the buffalo free."

All the people and all the animals thought that was a marvelous idea.

First, they sent Mouse to win the heart of the small boy. The boy liked Mouse and took him home. But the monster told the boy to send Mouse away. Next, the people sent Killdeer, a bird. But the bird fared no better.

Coyote called another meeting. "I think," Coyote told all the people and all the animals, "that I must go myself."

That very day, Coyote set out for the monster's lair. When the boy saw Coyote, his eyes brightened. The boy loved Coyote immediately and took him home. The monster was very angry. "Get that mangy dog out of here before I eat you both!"

The boy and Coyote ran out of the lair. The boy sat down. He tried not to cry, but a tear ran down one cheek. Coyote licked it away.

"Poor dog," sighed the boy. "I bet you're hungry."

Coyote put back his head and howled. That is the sound Coyote makes to comfort you.

The buffalo heard Coyote's cry. It frightened them. They began shuffling and stamping their feet the way buffalo do when they are nervous.

The more the boy cried, and the more Coyote howled to make him feel better, the more frightened the buffalo became. One buffalo became so afraid that he began to run. The other buffalo ran after him. They ran and ran until they had scattered all over the plains. The monster ran after the buffalo.

While the monster was gone, Coyote took the small boy to live with the people.

The monster hunted and hunted, but the buffalo had scattered without a trace. Late that night, when the monster returned to his lair, young warriors were waiting. They killed the monster, much to the relief of one small boy and all of the people and all of the animals.

That is why the elders say it is Coyote to whom we owe the buffalo. Even today, the people still give thanks to clever Coyote. If it had not been for the smart head and warm heart of one little dog, that horrible monster would have kept all the buffalo for himself forever.

3.

##Puppies for sale

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about Nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he Felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the Eyes of a little boy.

Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer.

And with that he let out a whistle,"Here,Dolly!" he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this One noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself To a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need Someone who understands."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands.