85. The Park That Went to the Dogs When Winnie and Arnold bought their house at the end of a cul-de-sac in 1980, they thought they had died and gone to heaven. There were only four houses on the street. Between their house and their neighbor’s house was a dirt pathway. The path led to…

84. Don’t Go Swimming on an Empty Stomach Pete had lived in Florida for 20 years. A boring 20 years, he often thought. His house was only a 10-minute walk from the Gulf. He walked to the sandy white beach almost every day. Bob’s Liquors was at the corner, halfway to the beach. It was…

83. Pump Up the Tires and Ride the Bike The blue bike was sitting in Owen’s living room. It had no kickstand, so he had wedged the front tire in between two bookshelves so that the bike would stand upright. Both tires were flat. Dust covered the bike. However, no household spiders had set up…

82. English Is Confusing “Good evening, everybody!” said the teacher, Donna. “Where is everybody?” That was sort of a daily joke by Donna. Usually the class started with only two or three students present, and then filled up as the minutes went by. It was summertime. Summer school was only eight weeks long. Class attendance…

81. He Goes to War to Save His Baby Roland was a carpenter in Virginia. He and Sheila had three kids—two boys and baby Jessica. The baby had been in and out of the hospital for the last year because of infections and other problems. She was very weak and sick. The doctors were not…

80. Squirrel Attacks Woman in Golf Cart A woman golfing with her husband and her mother was taken to the local hospital yesterday afternoon. The woman was struck by a golf cart driven by her mom. Ginger Rogers, 55, was hit by the cart about 2 p.m. at Fairway Golf Course. She was examining her…

79. Let’s Go to Vegas! Sandra had not been to Las Vegas in more than a year. She was excited. Her sister Janice was coming by to pick her up in about ten minutes. Sandra finished putting her toothbrush and toothpaste into her travel bag; those were the last two items on her “to pack”…

78. There Goes the Neighborhood! Carbon Street is a long, tree-lined street with majestic houses on either side. The houses are owned by millionaires who cherish their quiet, residential street. Throughout the day, the only noise is usually the sound of various birds singing in the trees or the occasional jetliner flying high overhead. Not…

77. The Doctor’s Almost Perfect Children Veronica was an only child. Even as a child, she decided that she was going to be a doctor. All her dolls became her patients. All her dollhouses became hospitals for her patients. She spent her early childhood treating her patients for all kinds of diseases and injuries. She…

76. The Final Phone Call “But I love you so much,” she said. “I think I must be crazy. I can’t stop thinking about you. I want to be with you all the time. I want to marry you.” “Maybe you are a little crazy,” he said. “Although I think that’s part of being in…