China

"I'm not due for another 3 weeks!" Gracie complained when her labour began. "I know, but the baby doesn't does it?" Hee husband asked, helping Gracie off the couch. "Come on, we've got to get you to the hospital." Gracie's husband Barney ran frantically around their house, stuffing items into a rather large green bag before hurrying out the door, Gracie on his arm.

Hours later, Gracie had a little girl. But she'd hardly even got a glimpse of her little girl before she was whisked away. "Barney, what happened to her?" Gracie sobed. "I didn't even get to see her!" "It's ok, Gracie. I'll fix it." Barney soothed, stroking her hand. He stood up and approached a nurse. "Excuse me" he said, only a slight hint of anger in his tone. "What happened to our daughter? We haven't seen her." "I'll find out right now for you Sir, if you'd just like to stay with your wife, we'll come and let you know." She promised, busting away.

As it turned out, Gracie and Barney's daughter had had complications and they'd had to give her immediate treatment. Late that night, she was at last placed gently in Gracie's eagerly waiting arms. "China." She said. "China?" "For her name." Gracie explained. "Fragile, and precious." "China." Barney repeated, looking lovingly down at the little baby Gracie held in her arms.

All We Have

Ingrid and Malcom Emery were young and had been married a considerable ten years. So you wouldn't have expected what they'd both been through at all. They lived a quiet life in a small cottage, content with each other's company and happy with their simple quiet lifestyle. When they'd been married in their mid twenties, both Malcom and Ingrid's parents were alive but now, all were gone along with Ingrids three brothers and Malcom's two sisters. They were alone now, with each other.

One evening, Ingrid sat at their small dining table contemplating their deaths of both their families. Malcom came in and seeing his wife was upset approached her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. Ingrid looked up at him. He saw the same beauty he'd seen when he'd first met her fifteen years earlier. The only difference between that Ingrid then and the Ingrid he saw looking up at him now was that this Ingrid was slightly red round the eyes. Ingrid had sandy blonde hair, part of which was held by a clip at the back of her head. Her pale green eyes glittered with the aftermath of her tears and her soft pink lips smiled up at Malcom. "What's the matter Ingrid?" Malcom asked, concerned. "You never cry. Ever." "I know, I'm sorry." Ingrid smiled at him. "Don't apologise Love. Just tell me what's wriong." "Well, I was just looking at our old family albums now, the ones that our parents left us." She began, gesturing toward two large books spread out on the dining table. "But then I realise it's just us now. We're all each other has. This is it. All we have." Ingrid said slowly, hastily wiping away the tears that were falling down her cheeks. "That's ok." Malcom soothed, massaging Ingrid's shoulders. "At least we've got each other. We may be all we have but, we're in it together. Right till the end."

This had a hint of truth in it, for many many years later after having a few kids and a long happy life and marriage, Ingrid and Malcom were not a centimetre away from one another when the time came for them to die. They were truly in it together, right through till the end.

Do You Trust Me?

Candace and Angus lived in a place that had been torn apart by war. A richer villiage had invaded and of course, Candace and Angus's villiage, Rucksar fought back. They won the fight eventually and the richer villiage retreated back to their own lands.

During the wartime, you could never trust anyone. Not one person was your friend, not even your family. You were on your own and the only time you could really be sure was if someone extended a bold gesture towards you, in some cases, putting your life before their own. This was the case with Candace and Angus.

Angus and Candace had grown up together and had been friends all throughout their childhood. But when Rucksar was attacked when the pair were in their mid teenage years, they were no longer sure that the other was on their side.

One day, both Angus and Candace were fleeing from the enemy when they reached a dead end. Candace did her best to find a good place to hide until the attackers passed through. Little did she know, Angus was close by, frantically searching for an escape. He spotted Candace hidden in a dense bush but didn't acknowledge her presence until he came across a rickety wooden bridge. "Candace!" He called to her quickly, urgently. "Angus?" Candace answered uncertainly. Angus saw her brown front fringe and slowly the rest of her rise from the bushes. "Come, we must hurry! They are nearing us!" Angus outstretched his arm, his eyes looking wildly at Candace. She took his hand and climbed up out of the bushes to stand next to him. "We haven't much time!" Angus urged. Angus slowly, carefully, cutiosly made his way across the wooden bridge, knowing that if he fell, it would be a long, long drop. "Candace come on!" He yelled at his friend. "We don't have time to way up the pro's and con's!" "Are you sure it's safe?" Candace asked nervously. "Do you trust me?" Angus asked simply. The word trust and what it meant ran through Candace's mind as she contemplated his question. "Do I trust you?" She repeated at last. "Do you trust me?" Angus said again, more urgently, thrusting his arm towards her. The bridge swayed a little and Candace, scared held her breath. Candace could hear a collection of booming footsteps. The attackers were getting even closer now. "Yes." She said nervously, slipping her hand into Angus's. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and pulled her acrss the bridge toward the other side where he stood. As Candace jumped from the bridge to safe ground on the other side, the bridge felll through and descended rapidly down into nothingness. They heard yelling and looking up, saw that the attackers had reached the other side. Angus and Candace stood bent over double panting with exhaustion, relieved in the knowledge that they'd safely escaped the enemy.

Exactly How I Feel

There were many things happening in Ella's life right now. But the thing playing on her mind the most were thoughts. Thoughts about a boy. Cooper was his name and they were in the same year at the same school. Unfortunately though, they had not 1 class together.

As Ella cleaned the house, lher iPod playing her favourite tunes through shuffle, a song came on that exactly mirrored what she was thinking and feeling at that point in time. The song, a song by one of her favourite country singers, drew her thoughts even further to Cooper. His soft pink lipped smile, green eyes and fly away black hair. She stopped in her tracks, staring up in to space a moment, staring into nothingness as she focused solely on the song. The song was talking about love and how love can change your decisions and your perceptions.

Ella felt a small tear trickle down her cheek as she realisaed the realities. Cooper and Ella mixed in different social circles, they had different friends, different spots they typically were in breaks and different groups of people. Yet still, Ella longed for him and wished the realities were somehow, somewhat different. Cooper however, was oblivious to all of this. That very fact, somehow broke Ella's heart a little.

Hidden in the Bushes

Maya George was walking home from work one day when she walked passed some bushes. As she passed them, she thought she heard a rustle. She turned back and looked to see a head pop up. Well, part of a head at least. Freaked out, Maya began to walk faster, keen to get home all of a sudden.

"Maya! Wait please!" Called a voice. Maya turned around, realising that the person she'd seen behind the bushes seem to know her, assuming it was the person behind the bushes. When she turned around she saw none other than Kyle Turner, the boy that had been her best friend throughout her childhood. Maya had lost touch with Kyle when they both graduated high school. It had been a whole 5 years since then.

"Kyle?" She asked, not believing it was really him. "It's me Maya." He confirmed. She looked him up and down. He looked smart but a little ruggered from hiding behind the bush all this time. He wore a dark blue, white and black checked long sheeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up part way so it looked like a three quarter sleeve and denim jeans with sneakers the same colour as the blue of his shirt. His dusty brown hair was wild yet tame as he had fringe that went diagonally across the left side of his face,just touching his eye. "Kyle!" Maya was excited to see her friend again. "This is amazing!" "I know. I never thought I'd see you again yet here you are." "What were you doing in the bushes?" "I fell." Maya laughed. Both friends agreed to catch up sometime soon, a planned encounter this time and exchanged details before going their seperate ways once again.

Unknown to Maya, Kyle took one last look it her before he walked on again. He looked at Maya, thinking how beautiful she was, how much he'd missed her and it was that moment that he realised he loved her. Really, he had all along. She looked elegant yet classy in her work clothes. She had on a pearl white blouse with buttons lining the middle. The blouse was tucked into a plain black, straight skirt. Beneath that her legs were covered by black stockings and she had on a pair of low heeled black shoes. Her dusty brown hair, the same colour as his own was up in a tight bun in the centre of the back of her head and her small dangly pearls looked radiant in the glow of the late afternoon sun.

That chance encounter had been 20 years ago and now Kyle and Maya told their children the story of the time they'd been reunited by chance. As they say, the rest is history.