Urdu Hindi Navals

       I met you at last… my love! It was late 1970 in Sri Lanka. His name was Michel De Silva. He had a pen pal called Lisa Barton from England. Not like these days, that era used only postal mails to contact each others. That’s why they call those long distance friends as “Pen Pals”. Michael and Lisa exchanged mails and pictures for years. But they never talked even by a Telephone. It’s because, Telephone was a High Luxury Item for Sri Lankans in that era. very limited people had Telephones. Eventually they fall in love. Michel was from a middle class family, he hadn’t money to fly England. Lisa was a student. Neither, she didn’t earn money yet. But she promised to come to Sri Lanka one day for visit at Michael, as soon as possible, when she is able to do so.               Time passed, their love was matured day after day and they were in suc...

           BEST LOVE STO RY I was able to find her in the restaurant which is attached to the flower boutique. She was alone and having a drink while sitting on a stool. Still she is gorgeous.  I couldn’t stay without glance at her since I saw her. Perhaps she may saw me.  She looks pretty same as before. Her shoulders are exposed widely for the sleeveless frock that she wore.  I could see her half naked legs since she keeps her legs on that high stool’s spindle. I thought to myself, if I could talk to her right there. But I couldn’t move myself. I am stuck. She talked with few friends and smiled. only thing I did was looking at her for the whole time. Still I got the flower bouquet which I bought from boutique. I didn’t count the time since I saw her. Suddenly... She was about for leaving, and gave some hugs to her friends. She went outside and got in to a taxi. I followed...

Something that will stay with me forever.. It was the most beautiful days in my life. But I always felt that, I’m gonna miss it soon or later. And I knew that, I never find a girl like her again for my life time. She was the perfect one for me in every way. But I couldn’t tell her that, though I loved her so much. I always kept that within my heart as a secret. I never wanted to expose my love to her. I always tried to pretend I’m just a friend of her. But As Always, I wanted to be with her and I loved her. I knew, she also wanted the same. But she always tried to refrain it. And I didn’t let her know, that I always knew she was pretending that not so. I believe we both played the same game. So...I remember the last day that I met her in a cafe in "Volgograd"… “I can’t believe why I close to you so much Ivan… why I talk with you so much…why I’m so friendly with you so much, even I have a boy friend. You know what Ivan…I...

             LOVE STORY As usual, I met her under the old Oak tree. That is the only oak tree, which is near by a wooden bench. And this is where I met her for first time. We sat on the wooden bench. Then she looked in to my eyes for a while and leaned on to my shoulders. I always happy to stay like that, So I can feel her breath and smell. Then she runs her fingers through my chest. Her silky hair which disobeyed, is struggling with wind blow. All are seems to be OK, but one thing. Not like other days, she didn’t talk with me much. I could feel how deeply her breaths, and sometime it became a deep sigh too.  “Why this silence, and sad mood?” I Asked Instead of answering me, she embraced me tightly. Then I moved my face to her eyes, I could see there are some sparkling tear drops in her eyes which, is trying ooze out soon. Then I kept my lips on her forehead. Suddenly she raised her head due to a nois...

Only assistant? (love ) I always thought I deserved better in everything. But most of the time I was not that much lucky to have anything. Although things happened like that, my heart not ready to accept that reality, so I was trying in anything which wanted to achieve, even if it’s so hard or painful. But eventually, I've been drained of the energy to hold on. Every time I was with her, I wondered who I was to her. Sometime I thought I was just her friend. Friends, after all, would make some sort of effort to catch up with each other. But I was more likely her assistant. When she needs me for something, she wants my assistance, that’s all she wanted me. But when ever she wanted my attention, help or kindness I did it with bottom of my heart. If her were in broken heart, always I was nearby her and fixed her. I was so happy to do that. If her missed the classes, or had any difficulties about the projects, I was helping her without doing my own works. Someti...

        A Moment To Remember( love ) There’s a moment he will recall forever of her walking towards him along the winter path. They had arranged to meet beside the shrouded bandstand that gave protection from a bitter wind. She looked so beautiful, wrapped in a knee length fur lined coat with red hat gracefully balanced atop her vivid hair. The detail remained as sharp as ever. Why didn’t he tell her he loved her there and then? Why didn’t he announce it to the world? He knew why he couldn’t speak and it stung his soul. He knew why and burned inside with the knowledge. He had grown up in a home where love remained silent; an absent emotion that withered on the vine. He knew this as he took her hand, kissed her cheek, paid her a silly compliment about her frozen nose and made small talk as they headed towards the warmth of a restaurant. She wasn’t his, of course. He possessed no one and had given his soul to none. ...

               Clever Coyote Once upon a time, a long ago, a horrible monster stole all the buffalo from the plains and put them in his mountain hideout. "There," beamed the monster. "I have enough food to last forever." Coyote, a wild dog, called all the people and all the animals together in a great meeting to figure out what they could do. No one had an idea. They were too afraid of the monster to think at all. "I scouted the monster," Coyote spoke up. "He lives with a very small boy." "We cannot hurt a child," said one of the people. "Not even to get back our buffalo." "That is understood," Coyote nodded. "But I was thinking .... a small boy must be very lonely with no one love except a horrible monster. I think we should give him a pet to love. When the chance arises, the pet we send can set the buffalo free." All the people and all the animals thought that was a marvelous idea. First, they sen...

                  Wise Owl There is an old saying, "wise as an owl".  People are always saying that, but the truth is, owls were not always wise.  Once upon a time, a long time ago, the Everything-Maker was very busy, making all the animals and all the plants and all the rocks and caverns and everything else that covered the earth.  Owl had not yet been made. He had been given a voice. And two eyes. And a head and a body and strong wings. Owl was waiting his turn to be formed. "I want a long neck like Swan," Owl told the Everything-Maker. "I want red feathers like Cardinal and a beak like Hawk."    "Yes, yes," mumbled the Everything-Maker. "Whatever you want. But you must wait your turn." The Everything-Maker looked sharply at Owl. "Your eyes are open again. You know that no one is allowed to watch me work. Turn around and close your eyes. I have no time for you now. I ...

How Did the Butterfly Get its Beautiful Wings Once upon a time there lived a little butterfly. It had nothing but ugly grey wings. Whenever she went out she covered herself with a leaf because the other animals were more beautiful than her and made fun of her. One day she was really sad. So she decided to go far away in the woods so that nobody could tease her. In the woods lived an ugly cruel witch who had once been attractive. That's why the Gods had cursed her into her present form many years ago. The curse could only be removed if she helped someone or thought of somebody. The little butterfly sat in the corner of the woods crying. The witch thought this was her chance to reverse the spell so she went to the butterfly and asked her: "Why are you so sad?" "The other animals are so beautiful but I'm just a little ugly butterfly with grey wings," said the butterfly, in tears. The words of the butterfly touched the witch's heart and she be...

              The Goblin King Long, long ago lived a little boy called Billy. He had blue eyes, brown hair and oftens wore a baseball cap. Billy was a very funny and lively person but hated his little sister Lilly.  Billy's mum let him out to play with his friend Max. 'Bye Billy,' said Max in a calm voice. Suddenly the church bells rang. Oh no, thought Billy, its 6.00. We were meant to be at my house for 5.00.  It started to rain as he was going back to his house. Billy’s mum answered the door.  "Why are you an hour later we have been worried about you?" "Well I’m sorry I lost track of the time - sorry."  "Well now I and your father are going out so we want you to look after Lilly for us."  "But I hate looking after Lilly, she’s a nightmare."  "Well I’m sorry we will be back at 12.00 and don’t think you are getting away with your lateness."  "OK have...

           The Myth of the Spider Once upon a time, there was a temple to which many people went to pray to the Buddha. A spider made a net on the beams. As time went by, the spider was edified and received wisdom. All of a sudden, one day, the Buddha came to the temple. Inadvertently he saw the spider. He asked her:" You have lived here and thought for one thousand years, I want to ask you a question." The spider was glad that the Buddha would speak to her, so she promised to reply. The Buddha said: "What do you think is the most precious thing?" The spider answered:"I think the most precious thing is what I can't get and what I have lost." The Buddha left without a word. After a thousand years, the Buddha came and asked the spider the same question. The spider gave the same answer also. The Buddha said: "You can have a profound think, and I will come back to you some day." One day after a millennium, a sudden gale rolled a drop of...

        The Legend of the Wolfess Long, long ago James, a 13 year old boy, lived in a small village. He had a terrible argument with his parents and ran away. He ran to the scariest woods where nobody goes and soon he got lost. He came across an old creaky house.  He rang the door bell which made a massive sound and Elizabeth, a 15 year old girl, answered the rotten old door and said: "Hello, what can I do for you?".  James told her his story so she invited him in. They talked well into the evening and found that they had a lot in common. Elizabeth said that he could stay overnight and showed him to his room. Elizabeth said: "Are you hungry?" "Yes," said James. So they had dinner. "What's in this dinner?" asked James.  Elizabeth didn't answer. James felt tired and went to bed. He fell asleep in his clothes and shoes. Elizabeth began to clear the dishes and wash them with dirty water. As she entered the kitchen and looked out of t...

             Common Sense Once there lived a man named Common Sense, he was the smartest man in the world. There also lived a beautiful goddess named Athena.  One day Athena was really bored, so she decided to look down from heaven to see if any one needed help or anything; she spotted a man walking in the woods.  Common Sense looked at the ground and spotted a bag of golden coins, so he picked it up. Athena flew down and said,  "What are you going to do with the coins?"  Common Sense looked at her with a bright smile and said, "I shall give them to the poor." So he did.  The next day Athena came down again and said, "You get 3 wishes." Common Sense was so happy he used them right away.  His first wish was for all of his things to disappear, his 2nd wish was for his family and every one he knows to forget about him and, finally, his 3rd wish was for Athena to chop him up and put a piece of h...

                     Wizards It all happened 65 million years ago. Burin and Marty were brothers and not to mention wizards. These two were the only people alive along with the great dinosaurs. Their mother and father died when they were both 18 and, since then, they have not got on. They lived opposite one another in small cottages.  Once or maybe twice a week they would send magical pranks to each other, such as a broom in a box which, when opened, starts whacking you and a rainbow bomb, which explodes with paint splattering everywhere. One day they both thought the same thing, which was to rule the world on their own with no other human around them. They then went on to think how to this. They both took 4 really long days of thinking and planning. Their plans were to have a dual - not knowing they had decided on the same thing. So, as Burin went to knock on Marty’s door, ...

The Grassy Mound of Notwood Forest Long, long ago there lived a 10 year old girl named Alice. She lived all on her own in an old run down cottage at the bottom of Notwood Hill. She was an orphan, separated from her parents when she was just 3 years old. She had been taken to an orphanage but the Mistress of the orphanage was cruel so, at the age of 6 she ran away, found the old cottage and made it her home. One day as she was out collecting timber in NotWood Forest to make a fire (for it was early December and very cold) she heard a strange screeching noise. She looked around and in horror noticed a beast flying above her. It had the head and wings of an eagle but the body of a lion. "A Griffin!" Alice thought to herself. Alice had heard stories about Griffins at the orphanage. She had been told that they were dangerous beasts that loved eating the flesh of human beings. Alice thought this one looked hungry. She froze not knowing whether to run or to stay still. She chose t...

              The Welsh Flag Many centuries ago when dragons roamed the land, a white dragon decended upon a small village and decided to live there.  The white dragon had an icy cold temper and would freeze everything in his path. But what the ice dragon did not know was that another dragon was already living in the area. A red fire dragon lived close to the village and was hibernating in a cave by the cliff. Six months later the red dragon awoke to find a huge white dragon wrapped around his village that he cared for. He could tell that his people were ill from the cold. The red dragon felt a chill of sorrow in the icy air. The Land was bare, nothing was able to grow not even the pesky dandelions. The people were starving. The people longed for the red dragon to free them from the icy misery, so that their life and land could return to the sunny and warm climate that it was once before. The red fire dragon chall...

     How Giraffes Got Long Necks A Long time ago, in a continent called Africa, giraffes had very short necks, about an inch shorter than any normal human’s neck to be precise. All the giraffes thought this was normal-and it was at that time…But here is the story about how giraffes got long necks… It was a hot summer’s day and all the giraffe families came together to have a picnic. All the little giraffes were playing games and the mothers and fathers were talking. Tim, a little giraffe was playing with 2 of his cousins Tina and Margaret. They were playing with a ball and passing it by bouncing it on their heads.  There was one naughty little giraffe though. His name was Alvin. He really liked to get Tim and other little giraffes into trouble. Tim, Margaret and Tina were all getting very thirsty and tired so they decided to have a rest for a while. Alvin saw that they were not playing anymore so he decided to do something naughty to t...

        Why The Owl Never Sings Once upon a time, the Creator was in bed. It was a nice bed from Mattress Man™ with four pillows. But I shouldn’t be telling you about the Creator’s mattress, because this story is about why the owl never sings. So, the Creator was in bed but he couldn’t get to sleep because of the racket that the birds were making. Remember, this is before birds could sing, so they made a hoarse squealing noise. The Creator decided that, the next day, he would go to see the birds of the world and give them all the songbooks in his library so that they can talk in song and sing him to sleep at the same time. The next day, the Creator gathered the birds of the world together in a forest clearing, and told them to form a queue. The queue was so long that the Creator got a bit scared that it may take years and years until he finished giving songbooks to the birds. At the back of the queue, th...

      Lacie the Scanty Mouse A long time ago there was a bitty little mouse-ling called Lacie. She had always felt distressed because she was small, strengthless and disinclined. All the other animals used to show off their ability but poor Lacie used to sit alone and just watch. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. There was some trouble in the damp jungle; all the animals had been captured, all except Lacie. Frightened Lacie knew that she had to do something but what ?. Just then Lacie had a stupendous idea. She nibbled and nibbled all the cages until her teeth were sore and, guess what, all the animals fitted though the narrow holes and came out again. They all thanked Lacie and said that she had the strongest teeth in the entire jungle!!! That was when Lacie realised that it was GOOD TO BE HER!!! Star books store

    Fred Frost's Plan of Destruction “Waaah” wailed Elfando dejectedly. “We are all going to die!” Elfando was a petite elf who worked for Father Christmas. Since it was winter, the cold breeze had gone to his head; moreover, it made him act hyper. “What’s wrong?” I asked curiously. Although he didn’t utter a word, I finally squeezed it out of him. He stated that the evil, grotesque Fred Frost had a plan to turn the world into ice! Elfando was absolutely terrified of Fred Frost! On the other hand, I was a human, plus, I wasn’t scared of anyone or anything; except for my older sister when she’s angry!! “The...the...” stammered Elfando, “Man gave me this,” It was a mini television screen for camera communicating. Suddenly, the screen turned on; it was Fred Frost! “Hello fellow weaklings. I’m sure you’ve heard my plan to turn the world into a ...

      The Monkey on Christmas Eve My Mom told me this story when I was about six years old and we were enjoying a chocolate shake in living room. As we sat on the brown couch, she told me… One Christmas eve, Santa was happily getting ready to leave. He looped the reindeers’ harnesses and hooked them to the sleigh. The Christmas Eve Crane set the presents on the red sleigh, too. Lastly, he said to the elves and Mrs. Claus, “Bye and have a good night.” He lifted off and he went to the first house. A few hours later, he was at the sixtieth house and he passed by the zoo.  A monkey saw Santa and got very furious, because Santa did not stop by the zoo. So the monkey squirmed through the bars and got out of his cage. He scampered after Santa. Santa stopped at the sixty-first house. The monkey waited angrily until Santa finished putting the striped presents under the green tree. When Santa was done he went on to the next house. The monke...

            Phineas and the Fox In the town of Chiddybang there were two kinds of people, the leaders and the followers. Phineas, a young town’s boy, was a follower. He was always getting into some sort of trouble and never became what his father wanted him to be, a leader. His father, Trophicles, was a born leader. He constantly got Phineas out of the worst circumstances and fought off many of the town's worst troubles, like the Cyclops and the Worm. He had high expectations of his son doing the same. So Phineas, not wanting to let his father down, searched for the best opportunity to show his dad, and the rest of the town, that he could be a leader, too. In the next week, the town began to run out of most of their food supplies and needed somebody with great title and rank to go and collect some berries and hunt for some deer in the woodlands directly out of the village. Phineas eagerly raised his hand and...

          Athena and Coranithus Once every year the city of Athens would experience terrible trembles and shudders. The sky would turn black as coal and hail would fall knocking people to the ground and leaving them unconscious. Everybody feared going out and the city was like a ghost town. This terrible happening was believed to be Coranithus, the ancient half crow and half Snake, demanding an innocent girl’s life in return for a safe city. So every year the people of Athens sacrificed a young girl in a bid to save their city. However, this did not seem to work as still Coranithus disrupted city life once a year. Desperate, the people of Athens begged King Stradivari to sacrifice his daughter, Princess Athena, to Coranithus. They had come to the conclusion that Coranithus was after a special girl in particular and who was more special than the King’s daughter. Every year the people begged but every year t...

The Jam Maker and the Wizard Once upon a time there was a Jam Maker called Hannie. Her jam was world renowned for its delicious sweetness that people used to come daily from everywhere to buy her jam. She made jam in various flavours like apricot, peach, strawberry, blueberry and many others, and because of that Hannie used to brag a lot that she was the best and not even a wizard could invoke a better jam with his magic. Once the town wizard heard of this, he became very angry. He took the form of a boy who needed to pick up jam for his mother. At her house, he pretended to be impressed by her and said, “Is it true that you said that you are better than a wizard?” Hannie lifted her eye brows and said arrogantly, “of course it is.” The wizard said ,”Don’t brag so much, if the wizard heard he will be angry.” Hannie said, “I can brag all I want and I’m not afraid of him. I bet the wizard can’t...

                      Trapped Lucy knew it was a bad idea to do trick or treat on door 401 but her best friend Jack who had the most vivid red hair and who was more mischievious than sensible Lucy thought it would be fun. As they strolled cautiously along the long, twining path, green mist swirled across the moss grass, Lucy stopped in her tracks, she saw a grey, old figure staring at her out of the attic window. "You knock!" Lucy screamed as she scrambled away from the silvery, sticky cobweb that dangled from the archway. "Scary cat Lucy, stop grabbing my arm, anyway he's probably got pots full of sweets!" Jack laughed  They walked carefully to the grand, wooden door and knocked loudly, the door opened, creaking from its hinges and a figure stood before them. "Trick or t..t...treat" Lucy stammered whilst Jack stared at his crusted face with curiousity. The figure grabbed ...

          Boy With A Paintbrush Long ago, the world we live in used to be black and white. No colors existed and life was dull. People hardly ever smiled. They did the same thing for decades with no entertainment. Women gathered plants and seeds, and did household chores. Men hunted and fed the family. That was their jobs. It was already set for them the day they came into this world. But one little boy Thomas, was special. He had one eye which saw black and white, and one eye that saw color. His mother told him to keep it a secret and to tell no one about his sight. His mother wanted her child to be like all the other boys. To grow up and get married and raise a family in this world of black and white. But Thomas felt differently. He didn’t hunt like the other boys. Instead he would hide out in the trees and observe all the things he saw, and go home telling his mother he didn’t catch anything. As the y...

SAM FROM GEORGIA After being diagnosed with depression at the age of fourteen, I went to three separate treatment centers over the course of two years. Finally coming home to my junior year in high school in May 2010, I knew I wanted to become a photographer. Using my past experiences of bullies, depression, my mother's alcoholism, and insecurities, with inspiring artists like Annie Leibovitz, Ai Wei Wei, and Lady Gaga, I knew I wanted to make dramatic and impacting photos. Naturally, with my risk-taking photos came along criticism. A middle aged woman once called me, "sick" and I am constantly putting my heartstrings on the line when I show people my work. But the overall achievement of portraying emotions in my photos is worth it all. I am 18 years old now and have received admission and possible scholarship from three art colleges. I am happy to say that being brave has paid off, and I promise it will for you, too Star books store

         Alexander from Florida In my own opinion, bravery means that you have the will power to do something that nobody has ever done before. Whether it be inspiring others to do something that has the potential to change things for the better or just fighting for what is truly right in this world. I've been faced with many obstacles throughout my entire existence. So I know what it feels like to be broken down and having to deal with the constant criticism. I've been a victim of bullying. I've been called so many names that were just hurtful due to my sexuality as a teenager. As time went by I was in a state of depression and just felt worthless, like as if nothing was worth living for. My mother, who only knew what I was going through, took me in for psychotherapeutic sessions and that had only helped me out for a bit. Later on, I began to develop a liking for the visual arts. Whether it was taking photographs, drawing or even painting it al...

            Haylan from Texas Bravery, to me, means not losing sight of yourself; your true passions, morals. It means using your personal compass to the fullest, always trusting yourself and not letting others chink your armor. It's hard to describe, but that is what it's always felt like in my case. When I was little, the list of things people didn't like about me was lengthy. Going into my teen years it got even longer. You hear that it gets better as an adult, and as much as that's true, it's really because you have more opportunity to decide who you deal with rather than the forced social situations being underage gets you. I've learned over time that listening to yourself and, as cheesy as it sounds, believing in yourself and those who love you, is the only way to distinguish love in the world. Without getting it for yourself, from yourself, you can't offer it to anyone else. I was too skinny, I wasn't religious enough or I ...

          Gary from Washington I'm 27 years old, Indian by heritage, and was born with spina bifida that put me on wheelchair for life. When I first came to America, besides the fact I was on the wheelchair, I didn’t know any English and would get bullied around in school- for example getting called names like “cripple” and being pushed around on the wheelchair or getting flipped over in hall ways in school. It went on for 2 years till I sharpened up my English and got myself together and stopped caring what people think and stuck up for myself. Today my life is completely turned around.  I proved to people there isn’t anything I can't do that they can. I drive a car and I have friends and a good social and private life. Bravery to me is someone who doesn’t give a damn about what other people think how they look at you. It’s about how you look at yourself and know who you are and what you are capable...

The 14-year-old who saved two men from drowning Gordon Arnette's inner alarm went off when he heard Jimmy Dowd and Thomas McGarry loudly announce one June day in 1989 that they were going for a swim in the Norwalk River. The Connecticut teen said it was clear the two men, who he had chatted with at a neighborhood pharmacy, had been drinking, so he followed them down to the banks of the river and even asked them not to go in. But they refused and jumped into the swirling river, where they were quickly swept away by the heavy current, their heads bobbing in and out of the water. Arnette sprang into action, jumping into a nearby inflatable raft and paddling some 130 feet with his hands to reach the drowning men. Arnette grabbed Dowd with one hand and then paddled another 30 feet to McGarry who had begun to have a seizure. The teen left Dowd hanging on the raft and dove into the water to retrieve McGarry. "It was hard, but I grabbed him by his chin like they taught me in sch...

The teen who saved his South Dakota school from a Columbine-like tragedy Before Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and Columbine, there almost could have been Rapid City, had it not been for the swift acts of senior Chris Ericks. On Sept. 11, 1991, 17-year-old Ryan Harris entered Stevens High School in Rapid City, S.D., walked into a math class, demanded that the teacher leave, and held 22 of his fellow students, including Ericks, hostage with a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun. For four hours, the students cowered, while the young man blared demands for pizza, cigarettes, $1 million, and a helicopter getaway over the public address system, accenting each order by firing his weapon into the classroom. He shot at the chalkboard, the ceiling, and the window, making it clear that he had plenty of ammo and that he would leave no survivors. But then, for one moment, Harris put his gun down and Ericks lunged for it. Harris, realizing his mistake, jumped at the shotgun too, and the pair struggled for con...

The 18-year-old who pulled the driver out of a truck hanging off a cliff Peter Hanne was in his New Zealand home late one night in 2008 when a panicked knock came at the door. A passerby said a truck was on the brink of falling into the Waioeka Gorge, a riverway just a few hundred yards from Hanne's house. The 18-year-old didn't even think to grab his shoes; he just just told his family to call the cops and rushed to the scene himself. He found the 23-ton truck had jackknifed over the side of the road and was teetering on the edge, with the cab — and the driver inside — dangling underneath it. "I knew the normal thing to do was call the fire brigade and wait, but I heard it creaking and I knew we needed to get him out pretty quick," Hanne said. The young man climbed down the steep bank and into the space between the trailer and the cab. He broke the rear window with a wheel brace and helped the injured driver climb out. Hanne's bold rescue left even the police i...

Thereby 16-year-old who braved thin ice to save a boy from drowning In the winter of 2011, Kole Devisscher was driving by a stretch of the Red River in Winnipeg, Manitoba, when he noticed a blue jacket floating in the freezing waters. Curious, he backed up his truck for another look to find that a young boy was struggling to get out of a crack in the ice. The 16-year-old used his truck's tow strap to pull the 10-year-old out, but the boy wasn't able to grab the rope because his hands were already turning blue. Devisscher made a loop out of the rope and threw it back into the river, telling the boy to put it around his shoulders. It worked. Devisscher was honored with an award for bravery, which he said was "pretty awesome." When asked about his heroic act he said only that "I hope someone else would do that for me if I was in the same situation." Star books store Star books store

The 14-year-old who saved a young boy from a burning building One evening last September, Marcos Ugarte was doing homework with his dad when the two saw an orange-red hue down their street. They ran to their neighbor's home in Troutdale, Ore., to find the house aflame and four of the five family members safe outside. The father who lived in the burning home, You "Alex" Ma, said his 8-year-old son Cody was trapped in a room on the second floor. Marcos offered to run inside, but his father, Eduardo, told him to stay put while he attempted to retrieve Cody. The heat and smoke forced the elder Ugarte out, but Marcos was already on the move. He got ahold of a ladder and placed it under the second-story window. With his father holding the ladder in place, Marcos knocked the window screen out and guided the boy out the window and down the ladder. Cody was taken to the hospital, but was unharmed. While the Ugarte family is proud of their son, Marcos himself remains humble: ...

The 14-year-old who protected a rape victim from her assailant James Persyn III was home alone on Jan. 16 watching his two younger siblings when he heard frantic banging at the door of his house in a small Michigan town. Though frightened, James unlocked the door to an alarming sight — a woman, a senior at Central Michigan University, who was wrapped in clear packing tape, with bruises on her face, and cradling one arm. She said she'd been raped by a man who held her at gunpoint and was transporting her in a car when she escaped. James could see headlights coming up his long, winding driveway. The 14-year-old wasted no time. He locked all the house doors, herded everyone into the bathroom, turned off the lights, grabbed his hunting knife and waited. The alleged rapist, Eric Ramsey, came pounding at the door, reportedly screaming, "Let me in or I'll kill you!" James called his dad and the victim called 911, so help was on the way. But Ramsey, unable to break in, had ...

The high school baseball team that lifted a car to save a life On May 8, in the parking lot of Sacramento's Valley High School, a student's mom was picking her daughter up when she hit a car in front of her. Panicked, she quickly reversed, not realizing her daughter was directly behind the car. The girl was hit and became trapped under the car. Meanwhile, Valley's varsity and junior varsity baseball teams were having their last practice of the season nearby. They heard desperate screams for help. The team sprinted toward the parking lot, jumping over fences to get there. About a dozen of the players surrounded the car, lifting the four-door sedan off of the girl. The teams' assistant coach pulled the girl out and she was sent to a hospital, where she was reportedly expected to recover. Co-head coach Brett Sawyer said he was proud of the boys' brave actions. "To be honest, we might not have the best baseball team around, but we sure do have a great group of gu...

The prom-bound teens who came to the aid of car-crash victims Wearing three-piece suits and floor-sweeping gowns, 20 seniors from Western High in Davie, Fla., were heading to their prom in a white stretch limo on May 11. In front of them on a highway, a Honda Odyssey van started swerving wildly, nearly driving on two wheels, until it hit a side barrier and flipped over. The limo screeched to a halt, narrowly missing the van, whose passengers were already in a panic, yelling, crying and trying to free themselves from the broken glass and crumpled metal. The limo driver and the students scrambled out to help. The limo driver reportedly kicked one door open to get access to the passengers inside. A student climbed on top of the van, forced the sliding door open, and reached inside to free some of the passengers. There were young kids in the van, including a small child who was stuck under one of the seats. The limo driver was able to pull the child out and handed the kid over to one of t...

Going through fire to save a woman from dying Jodi Oakes was driving to see a friend after work, when she, tired and sleepy, blacked out behind the wheel. With her foot still pressed on the gas, her car drove full speed into a tree, and caught fire. While driving home down the same road, Michael Gay noticed a curious sight on the side of the road. He noticed a big fire in an empty field. He saw a tree burning and got curious. He turned his car around and drove closer to the tree. Then he saw a car on fire. Michael heard screams, and realized there was a woman in the burning car. Inside the car, Jodi was panicking and was trying, but unable to unfasten her seatbelt. Michael ran up to the passenger door of the car, but it was stuck and wouldn't open. Then he ran to the driver-side door, but the flames were too big to get to her that way. So he ran back to the passenger side door and this time, squeezed himself through the window. The fire had burned Jodi's s...

Risking his life for a stranger For Dave Hartsock, a 44-year-old skydiving instructor, going skydiving had been standard routine for years. For Shirley Dygert, a 54-year-old woman, it was her first time to go. She decided to go on the adventure to celebrate her 54th birthday. She was afraid, but also very excited to be doing something so adventurous and out of the ordinary. Dave was her instructor. They did what is referred to as a tandem jump - they jumped together, Shirley attached to Dave, who was hovering above her and would open the parachute. At first, everything went according to plan. Shirley was enjoying herself and the remarkable view. But when it came time for Dave to open the parachute, it opened only partially. Disasterously, the backup parachute got tangled with the first one. They were now freefalling through the air. Shirley was terrified, praying to god she wouldn't have to die this way. And Dave was determined to do everything in his ...

Fighting a cougar Colton Reeb, a 12-year-old boy was staying in a cabin in Australia, on a camping trip with his family. He was on his way to an outhouse, when a big male cougar suddenly jumped on him from behind. The cougar locked his front paws around the boy's neck and bit Colton's head. Marc Patterson heard Colton's screams and ran outside. Seeing what was happening, he immediately rushed to help the boy. He tried to get the cougar off the boy by kicking it in the head with his foot 5 times, but the huge wild animal didn't even flinch. Marc jumped onto the animal, wrapping one of his knees and both of his hands around it's neck, and squeezed as hard as he could. This time, he managed to pull the cougar off Colton. The animal freed himself from Marc's grasp, turned around, took a threatening position and growled at him. But Marc didn't back down, and growled back, intimidating the animal, who then started backing off. Marc kept screaming and flinging ...

Sacrificing his life to save a stranger's Robert Cook, a 22-year-old skydiving instructor, was on a plane with 21-year-old Kimberley Dear. She was about to make her first ever skydive, and he was her instructor. But soon after the plane had taken off, the engine failed. The airplane started plummeting towards the ground at a rapid speed.    Robert calmly told Kimberley to sit on his lap. He then hooked her harness up to his and embraced her to take the brunt of the impact onto himself. He stayed incredibly calm and composed and told Kimberley exactly what she needed to do and kept her calm as well. He then turned his body so that he was underneath her. When the plane hit the ground, his body softened the blow for her. Robert died after hitting the ground. But thanks to his heroic actions, Kimberley survived. He had given up his own life to save someone who was a complete stranger to him. Robert's father says selflessness was in...

Fighting a robber...while in a wheelchair    On the evening of November 6th, 2010, Larry Skopnik was shopping in the relatively empty Commercial Drive Food Stop store. A nervous-looking man in a black shirt was at the counter, wanting to buy cigarettes. He handed the store owner, Cindy Grewal, a $50 bill. She immediately recognized it as fake and told him she refused to accept the money as payment. The man denied the bill was fake and demanded she give it back to him, but Cindy insisted on calling the police first and having them settle the conflict. This angered the man. He started swearing and arguing with Cindy. He then told her that he was going to rob the store and got behind the counter, where he proceeded to threaten Cindy with physical violence.    Having seen the robber preparing to physically attack Cindy, Larry immediately reacted. He wheeled himself over to them, got behind the counter and pulled the man away from her, wrestling him in...

The heroic teacher willing to do anything to protect his students     3 o'clock in the afternoon on February 23, 2010. The students at Deer Creek Middle School were leaving class as usual when a mysterious strange man walked into the schoolhouse. Without any warning, he pulled out a rifle and started chaotically firing shots into the crowd of students. Two students, 13-year old Reagan and 14-year old Matt were shot.    Nearby, their 57- year old math teacher, David Benke, heard the gun shots and rushed to the scene. Courageously, he ran up to the shooter and tackled him into the ground. The assistant principal and another teacher also rushed to help him, and managed to take the rifle from the criminal.    After the incident, David did not expect any praise or admiration for what he did. All that was on his mind was the worry about his students and even some regret over not having managed to intervene earlier. Like a true her...