Deborah and Paul Evans loved nature. They especially liked hiking. They hiked the mountain almost every evening. They always took their dog Buddy. Buddy loved his owners. Hiking was one of his favorite things, too. One day, the news reported a cougar sighting. "We advise hikers to beware the mountains tonight," said the reporter. Deborah and Paul thought about staying home that evening. "I&'m sure we'll be safe," said Paul. "Cougars usually hide from humans." Deborah, Paul, and Buddy made it to the top of the mountain. Suddenly, they heard a roar. The cougar jumped out. It leaped at Deborah's face. Buddy jumped to save her. He scared the cougar away. Mr. and Mrs. Evan bought him a thousand treats and toys the next day.

Kenneth Baker woke up early Sunday morning. A terrible thing had happened. His cat was missing. "He must have run away again," thought Kenneth. He went around asking neighbors for information. "That's odd," said his neighbor Sandra. "My Chihuahua went missing last night, too!" Kenneth kept walking around the neighborhood. He hoped to find his cat roaming the streets. Instead, Kenneth found something else. There were signs everywhere. They all said,"Missing cat" or "Missing Dog". "I don't think all these animals are running away," thought Kenneth. Then, Kenneth saw something that broke his heart. There was a trail of blood on the floor. It led to the mountain side. A coyote must be taking all the small pets in the night.

George Hernandez had two best friends. They had been friends since elementary school. Now, they were all grown up. George was moving away to a university. Steven was starting a family in another city. Charles got a job in another state. They had to say goodbye. George didn't want them to ever forget each other. "Let's make a time capsule," he said. They all went home. They looked for things that held memories of their being together. They found old toys, pictures, and CDs. They put them in a box. Then they buried the box in a park. The boys promised to get together in ten years. They would dig up the box and feel like children again.

Betty Scott got big news. Her only son was going to have a baby. "I'm finally going to be a grandma!" she thought. Betty was very excited. She couldn't wait for the baby to arrive. "I need to get the baby something special," Betty said. She decided to make a blanket. She would knit it herself. Betty was an elderly woman. Her hands weren't as strong as they used to be. They shook a lot and hurt often. Knitting was much harder than she remembered it. Still, Betty kept working on the blanket. "Anything for that baby," she thought. Betty struggled with the blanket for many months. She finished it right before the baby was born. It was the best present the baby ever got.

Brian Nelson was late for work. He had been stuck in traffic for half an hour. The cars were finally starting to move. Brian had to make it to work in ten minutes. If he was late, he would be in big trouble with his boss. "There's no way I'll make it in time," said Brian. Suddenly, a car raced past him. Three seconds later, another car raced past him. They were going around 80 miles per hour. Brian knew that speeding was the only way he would make it to work on time. He looked around him. There were no cops in sight. He decided to push his speed up to 70. Two seconds later, he heard sirens behind him.

Michael lived in Minnesota. He was visiting the West Coast. His friends were going to show him around. "I just want to see Las Vegas!" said Michael. "Are you sure?" asked his friends. Michael insisted. He had always wanted to go to Las Vegas. Michael had seen a lot of movies about Vegas. Everything looked very bright and fancy. He couldn't wait to see it. When they arrived, Michael was confused. The streets all looked dirty and old. In the movies, everyone looked happy. In reality, half of the people were drunk. The other half were angry from losing money in casinos. "This isn't what I pictured," said Michael.

Jeff was a forty-year-old man. He had no job. He never even went to school. Jeff had lived with his parents his whole life. They were starting to worry about him. All Jeff did every day was to play video games. "You need to do something with your life," said his parents. Jeff ignored them. He was happy with his life. Jeff's parents came up with a plan. They started asking him for rent money. "How am I supposed to pay that?" asked Jeff. "With a job!" replied his mom. When Jeff didn't give them rent, they took all his video games and sold them. Jeff was furious. He went out to look for a job. He needed to buy the video games back.

Christopher bought a new car. He was going to travel the country with it. His friends helped him prepare for the trip. "You should carry a spare tire," said Brian. Christopher didn't see a point to that. "New cars don't need spare tires," he said. One week later, Christopher went on his trip. He couldn't wait to explore the country. Suddenly, he heard a loud pop. His car started making a strange noise. Christopher pulled over to the side of the highway. He walked around his car. A back wheel had popped. He had barely driven for one hour. Christopher had to call Brian for help. Brian laughed at him for hours.

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays in the US. It is followed by another major US holiday. This day is known as Black Friday. On this day, stores hold big sales. Then, Americans across the country go crazy. A lot of people get violent on Black Friday. One year, Carol went shopping on the day. She wanted to buy a new coat. "I hope the mall isn't too crowded," she said. She couldn't believe her eyes. Every store was flooded with people. Carol spotted a nice blue coat in one store. It was on sale for twenty dollars. Carol was about to try it on. Suddenly a lady jumped at her and took the coat away. "I'm going home," said Carol.

Barbara invited her friends over to her house. She was excited to show them her new house. "What do you guys think?" she asked them. Her friends didn't know what to say. They looked around and tried to think of something nice to say. "It's interesting," said Betty. Barbara had a strange taste. Everything in her house was pink. This included the curtains, the sofas, and even the carpet. "What does your husband think about it?" asked Betty. "He loves it!" said Barbara. Betty and the other women didn't believe her. "I swear he does," said Barbara. "He picked the color himself!".