Kalil examined the math book. It had been badly treated. The cover was torn and it appeared to be missing some pages. Still, Kalil knew that looks were less important than utility. He had learned that lesson long ago. "Thanks, Mr. Thompson!" he said with gratitude. Mr. Thompson looked up from his desk and said, "Sorry we don't have new books, Kalil, but there's still plenty of good math left in that book." Mr. Thompson smiled. Kalil felt appreciative.

The sound of lawnmowers roared across the suburb. Nick rose from his bed and slowly walked to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and threw on a pair of clothes. Then he ran upstairs. His mom was working by the oven. "Care for some eggs, Nick?" Nick smiled and said, "Yeah, that'd be great, Mom." His mom smiled at him and cracked a few more eggs into a large glass bowl. She stirred the eggs while he put his head down on the table. "Don't fall back asleep, Nick," she said. He chuckled.

Tiego and Tierra sat on the cliffs with their feet dangling from the edge. They were watching the sunset and thinking of the great battles behind them. They weren't talking, only exchanging looks, but their looks were packed with meaning. Tiego knew Tierra loved him, and Tierra knew that Tiego loved her. True mutual love like theirs is a rare and beautiful thing. They considered themselves lucky.

The sound of traffic filled the street. I pressed the doorbell again. I wondered if the button worked. Could the person inside hear the sound of the buzzer over the traffic noises? Were they even home? I decided that it didn't matter. I checked the address off my list and proceeded to the next house. Somebody was going to order cookies from me today. Somebody.

The steps of the dark temple towered before Kung and Kiko. Kung listened for the sounds of the enemy, but he heard nothing. This made him sure that they were walking into a trap. "Do you hear that, Kiko?" he said. Kiko listened intently. She heard a few birds tweeting and a light breeze blowing, but nothing else. She shook her head. Kung gave her a knowing look. Kiko understood what Kung had left unsaid. Her heart beat rapidly. Kung and Kiko were not the type of people to get afraid, but they knew that a fight was coming.

We stared at the Bubblegum Fortress from the mouth of the Cotton Candy Woods. The gumdrop soldiers were scurrying atop their sugar coated ramparts. I wouldn't be surprised if someone had tipped them off. Chet Eagle approached me and said, "What now, Commander Candy?" I thought about it for a second. "Well, they get better prepared with each passing second, so let's attack now." Chet Eagle bowed and said, "As you wish, Commander Candy."

Sheriff Wolf's hands were on his hips. He stood about ten feet back from the saloon and shouted, "Come on out, Bart. We've got a nice bowl of soup waiting for you at the jail house." Bart shouted back, "Call off your men, Sheriff, or I'm going to start shooting hostages." Bart cocked his weapon and pointed it at the piano player. The piano player started whimpering. Sheriff Wolf put his hands up in the air and said, "No need to do that, Bart. We've still got plenty of talking to do. But if I hear shots, we're done talking." Bart lowered his weapon.

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The shadows grew long in the valley. A wolf howled. A man riding on horseback dug his spurs into the side of his steed. "Giddy up, old girl," he said. The horse rode with explosive speed. About twenty feet behind him was a group of men. They were also riding horses. One of them was standing up in his saddle. He wore a headdress decorated with feathers. The feathered man nimbly grabbed an arrow from a quiver on his back. He notched the arrow and drew back the bowstring. He let out a war cry along with the arrow.

Carmen admired the twirling dancer in the music box. She was so beautiful, so fragile, just like herself, she thought. Then she heard a pounding on the door. Her heart jumped. "Billy, can you get that?" she shouted to her brother. He shouted back, "I can't pause this game! You get it!" Carmen accepted his answer as fact and then sighed. She passed by Billy's room on her way to the front door. He was sitting on a beanbag, covered in powdered sugar, and gaming intensely.

Kathy threw the chew toy at her dog Brando. Brando caught the chew toy in midair. "Nice catch, Brando!" Kathy praised him. She wasn't really all that impressed. Brando had caught it the last 200 or so times, but she felt that it was important to encourage Brando, so she did. Brando brought the toy back to Kathy and dropped it in front of her. Then he started running in circles and barking. Kathy sighed. She was tired of throwing the chew toy. "Ok, Brando, catch!" she tossed the toy yet another time.

A businessman with dark sunglasses walks down the street. You notice that his briefcase is handcuffed to his hand. Three other men walk behind him. They look like hired thugs to you. You've seen their type before and you've been trained to deal with guys like these. You are sitting in a relaxed posture on a park bench. The businessman doesn't even seem to notice you. You remain completely calm, but the moment of action is upon you. You begin counting in your head, "3... 2... 1..."

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It was a cold winter day, a particularly cold winter day. As I waited at the bus stop, the cold air cut through my parka. I crossed my arms in a futile attempt to gather warmth. The traffic passed me by indifferently. I watched the motorists who seemed so content in their little metal cages. So warm. I couldn't help but wish that that I was in a car too.