1.

Spending time at national parks can be an exciting adventure,

but this wasn't the type of excitement she was hoping to
experience. As she contemplated the situation she found herself
in, she knew she'd gotten herself in a little more than she
bargained for. It wasn't often that she found herself in a tree
staring down at a pack of wolves that were looking to make her
their next meal.

2.

3.

They rushed out the door, grabbing anything and everything they
could think of they might need. There was no time to double-
check to make sure they weren't leaving something important
behind. Everything was thrown into the car and they sped off.
Thirty minutes later they were safe and that was when it dawned
on them that they had forgotten the most important thing of
all.

4.

5.

Finding the red rose in the mailbox was a pleasant surprise for
Sarah. She didn't have a boyfriend or know of anyone who was
interested in her as anything more than a friend. There wasn't
even a note attached to it. Although it was a complete mystery,
it still made her heart jump and race a little more than usual.
She wished that she could simply accept the gesture and be
content knowing someone had given it to her, but that wasn't
the way Sarah did things. Now it was time to do a little
detective work and try to figure who had actually left the red
rose.

6.

7.

The cab arrived late. The inside was in as bad of shape as the
outside which was concerning, and it didn't appear that it had
been cleaned in months. The green tree air-freshener hanging
from the rearview mirror was either exhausted of its scent or
not strong enough to overcome the other odors emitting from the
cab. The correct decision, in this case, was to get the hell
out of it and to call another cab, but she was late and didn't
have a choice.

8.

9.

He read about a hike called the incline in the guidebook. It

said it was a strenuous hike and to bring plenty of water. “A
beautiful hike to the clouds” described one review. “Not for
the faint-hearted,” said another. “Not too bad of a
workout”, bragged a third review. I thought I’d hike it when
I fly in from Maryland on my day off from the senior citizen's
wellness conference. I hiked 2 miles a day around the
neighborhood so I could handle a 1.1-mile hike. What a foolish
mistake that was for a 70-year-old low-lander.

10.

11.

The kids were loud. They were way too loud for Jerry,
especially since this was a four-hour flight. The parents
didn't seem to be able, or simply didn't want, to control them.
They were yelling and fighting among themselves and it was
impossible for any of the passengers to concentrate or rest. He
thought about politely tapping on the parents' shoulders and
asking them to try and get their kids under a bit more control,
but before he did he came up with a better idea. Sure, it was a
bit sinister, and he'd probably end p in a lot of trouble, but
he really didn't care at that point.

12.

13.

He wandered down the stairs and into the basement. The damp,
musty smell of unuse hung in the air. A single, small window
let in a glimmer of light, but this simply made the shadows in
the basement deeper. He inhaled deeply and looked around at a
mess that had been accumulating for over 25 years. He was
positive that this was the place he wanted to live.

14.

15.

He picked up the burnt end of the branch and made a mark on the
stone. Day 52 if the marks on the stone were accurate. He
couldn't be sure. Day and nights had begun to blend together
creating confusion, but he knew it was a long time. Much too
long.

16.

17.

It had become a far too common an event in her life. She has
specifically placed the key to the box in a special place so
that she wouldn't lose it and know exactly where it was when
the key was needed. Now that she needed to open the box, she
had absolutely no idea where that special spot she placed the
key might be.

18.

19.

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty
cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time
by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher
until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of
parsimony that such close dealing implied. One dollar and
eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas...

20.