Dumbfounded Ahmad was a weakling. He was all skin and bones. To add to his woes, he had a severe acne problem on his face. It was no surprise that he was not a hit with the girls in class. Added to his problems wasthe fact that he stuttered when he was shy or nervous.There was one advantage Ahmad had however. He had a beautiful voice. It was a clear, high and steady tenor. However, none of his friends knew about it as he practiced singing only in the bathroom. Once, he was caught unawares singing in the corridor by his classmates. The moment he saw them, he denied that the beautiful song they had heard was sung by him. They were convinced when his voice went to a characteristic stutter. "I ...I...real-lly did-didn't s-sing.... "One day, the class of Secondary 4B, which Ahmad was in, heard about a singing competition that was to be held in the nearby community centre. A prize would be awarded for the best student singer. It was a well-known yearly competition and many students support All, their classmate. He had a nice baritone voice and good showmanship. So it was really a surprise for the students to see Ahmad's name besides Ali's on the notice board, which announced the auditions on 15 May."You can sing, Ahmad? Get real! Don't make me laugh !" was the essence of the unkind remarks directed at him when they saw Ahmad before he entered the audition room. Ahmad felt awkward and sad. It was enough that they did not support him but ridiculing him was too much.When the results were announced, class 4B could not believe their ears. Ali had of course qualified but so did Ahmad for the finals. How on earth did the stutterer do it, they wondered.A few of All's friends accosted Ahmad in the toilet. They forced him to sing a favorite song. Of course, under such disbelieving eyes and prejudice from his classmates, poor Ahmad could not sing. He could only stutter!"I will show them like I did at the audition," Ahmad vowed to himself. In the week before the finals, he was fortunate to have the services of his father's friend, a former singing instructor who polished up his delivery and improved on his showmanship.The finals of the singing competition finally arrived. Ali's supporters were out in full force. Mr Mok, the principal, and some teachers caused quite a stir among the students when they turned up to support the two finalists from their school.Ali sang to the crowd's delight. It looked like he was the clear favorite. His resonant and modulated voice, together with his good showmanship, endeared him to the audience.Ahmad was next. There was a hushed silence before he began. The claps were few, coming from the principal, teachers and his only friend. Some subdued boos came from a few disbelieving schoolmates of his who felt that he was not fit to be a finalist. Quite a number of the audience had heard of his stuttering defect and came to see for themselves whether the judges had made a wrong decision to admit Ahmad in the finals.When Ahmad mounted the stairs to get on the stage, he was determined to prove them wrong. Mr Chan, his singing instructor, had told him to focus on himself and the song. To the encouraging smile of his instructor, he sang his heart out. His song was 'Climb Every Mountain'. He adapted his tone and expression to the lyrics, and his voice hit the right notes and pitch. His delivery was clear and his voice never wavered. "Where was the stutter?" his detractors wondered. But what amazed everyone, including the principal and teachers, was Ahmad's delivery and showmanship. He executed the song well and his movements were appropriate and well coordinated.When he finished singing, there were very few dry eyes. Then there was tense anticipation from the audience as the judges decided on the winner. In spite of Ahmad's outstanding performance, almost everyone felt that All would be the winner. They were wrong. When Mr Tan, the chief judge announced Ahmad as the winner by a narrow margin, the audience sat in stunned silence. Suddenly, everyone cheered and rose to give him a standing ovation. The winner had finally dared to 'climb his own mountain' and in the end tasted the sweet spoils of victory. baritone a man's singing voice between tenor and bass accosted confronted ovation applauseInheritance Mr and Mrs Othello were elated. They just received news that they had inherited a house in the Delli Culta district, one of the prime locations in Lahore. Less welcome was the news that Mr Othello's father had died and they had to conduct the proper funeral rites for him. In addition, they had to handle all the details concerning his demise before they could inherit the house. This was revealed by the lawyer in charge of the late Mr Othello's will. An observer would not be wrong in surmising that the son was not close to his father.The young Othello was the only son of the late Othello. He had a fierce row with his father when he wanted to marry his present wife, Dean, a pretty Australian and settle down with her in her homeland. The result was that his father had withdrawn all financial support and severed all ties with him. It was therefore a surprise for Alvin, the younger Othello, when he received news of the surprise windfall. "The old man must have forgiven me," he thought to himself gleefully. Because he was not doing well in Australia, this was an opportune time to settle in Lahore.Alvin dealt with all the necessary work to do with his father's death. Filial-wise, he appeared the dutiful son, shedding crocodile tears. A week after the funeral, the title deeds and keys to his father's house were handed over to him. With two young children in tow, the Othellos moved their scanty belongings from their hotel room to No. 11, Genggi Heights on a Sunday morning. On entering the driveway of the house, however, they started having serious misgivings. It looked rather seedy, neglected and ghost-like. The elder Othello had lived in rented quarters since the row with his son.Alvin cautiously approached the entrance. The set of keys was in the envelope but to his horror, he saw a bunch of keys. "Which one was the key to the front door?" he thought annoyingly. The next half an hour saw an increasingly irritable and frustrating time for the couple. Key after key was tried but none could fit the front door. Meanwhile, the kids were running wild in the garden. An angry Alvin decided to call Mr Lawrence, the lawyer. Finally, he managed to locate him. Mr Lawrence did not believe that the keys could not fit. He asked Alvin to try again.Alvin did try again but in vain. When Mr Lawrence received a phone call from Alvin again, it was to listen to an angry tirade of shouts and curses. "Calm down, Alvin," Mr Lawrence said. "I'll come by with an expert locksmith."When Mr Lawrence arrived with John, the locksmith, the latter got down to work. After examining the lock mechanism and the keyhole on the door, John said that the keys given would not fit. After another few minutes of examination, John said that the lock required a special brand of keys. This key was out of stock. Even if he could locate the brand of keys, it would take half a day to file them exactly to fit into the lock mechanism. The impatient Othellos conferred briefly and decided to break down the door. Then, an embarrassed Alvin approached Mr Lawrence. "Could you pay for the services of breaking down the door first, Mr Lawrence?" he asked. Mr Lawrence saw that Alvin was down in his finances. Even if he refused this irresponsible couple, the whining, hungry children had to be pitied."Let's go back to town to summon some help and to have lunch," he kindly suggested. After lunch was over, the party returned to 11, Genggi Heights with some laborers who promptly hacked down the front door. However, when the doors were down, the Othellos were in for a big shock. Big, strong, sturdy metal bars barred the entrance. It looked like the elder Othello was out to play a nasty joke on his son.The Othellos spent a miserable night at a budget hotel. In the morning, they returned with laborers to prise open and get rid of the bars. However, a more nasty sight greeted the couple. Alvin spied a musty note below the entrance. It read 'Welcome to your new home. May my spirit haunt this place. This is my revenge for your unfilial conduct. Your departed father.'With sinking hearts, dismay and anger, the Othellos looked around. What they saw further dismayed them. The walls were blackened, as if from a fire. There were cobwebs, insects and vermin everywhere. Alvin realized with a sinking heart that it would take a fortune for him to restore the place. Even then, it would be difficult to sell it. "The old man really had the last word," he thought grimly. surmising guessing musty moldy vermin pestsA partnership Jackson was a bitter man. He swore he would never trust another woman or marry again after his wife left him for another man.Mariah was a blind woman. She had been busking in an underpass for a year. This passage led from Jackson's office building to the nearby rail transit station. Daily, Jackson would see her singing in her sweet, angelic voice when he wearily headed for home at 7 p.m.Their characters could not be more contrasting. Jackson was sociable, talkative and blunt in his speech. Mariah, however, was the retiring type. One day, Jackson, unable to contain himself, uttered when he saw Mariah, "Why are you cheapening your talents in public by busking?"Timidly, Mariah replied, "I have a handicapped mother and myself to support. This is all I can do to make a living. Besides, I'm grateful for this work as I have been unemployed for a long time." For once, Jackson was speechless. Then, he felt pity and compassion.From then on, Jackson tried to ease her burden. Other than donating some money to her daily, he would also wait for her in the morning to set up her 'stage' and equipment. He would then pack up for her in the evening.Mariah appreciated Jackson's help. She had always been popular with the pedestrians as she had a sweet and patient nature. Moreover, she was a good singer. Her gentleness was like a balm to Jackson's disillusioned nature. She encouraged and calmed him as he poured out his woes and regrets over his past mistakes.Their relationship blossomed. Jackson found himself spending all his spare time promoting Mariah in the subway. She was having an increasing following. Word had it that there was a very good blind singer in Timmin South subway.One day, a talent scout heard Mariah singing. He spoke to Jackson about her potential. One thing led to another and from that day onwards, Jackson became her agent. Six months later, Mariah released her first album which became an instant hit. Jackson resigned from his job and devoted himself to promoting her talent.Mariah became famous overnight. Her shy, good-natured personality and mellifluous voice captured the hearts of many fans. However, she was not good at handling all the media attention and business details. This was where Jackson's capability as an agent complemented her.Friends and business associates began to remark on their contrasting characters and yet noted how well they complemented each other while working.Jackson and Mariah discovered a growing fondness for each other. Very soon after, they announced to the media that they were an item. They sealed their business and love relationship by marrying on the anniversary of the occasion when they first spoke to each other.The unexpected partnership had turned out to be a successful one. busking to play music or sing in a public place so that the people who are there will give money disillusioned disheartened mellifluous melodiousSlip Mr Tai, the teacher in charge of athletics at SUKK Temarah, was getting on in years. He had just celebrated his 58th birthday -- an age which many would think seriously of retiring. However, it was not so with Mr Tai. He had an illustrious record of athletic achievements in the school sports scene. Some of the students he had coached had become national runners or even coaches themselves. The School Board concurred with his sentiments of not retiring as they did not want to lose the services of someone who had successfully led the school athletics team to reach the finals of the National Athletics Competition.In the year before, however, the school team did not garner as many medals in the National Athletics Championship as expected. To make up for this disappointment, Mr Tai was determined to have his runners bring as much glory as they could in this year's National Athletics Championship. His hopes were fired with enthusiasm this year by two promising star athletics, Farid and Hassan, who happened to be twins.In the Annual School Sports, Farid broke the school's twenty-year record for the 100 meters event. His brother, Hassan, was just a fraction of a second behind. Since Hassan had a recurring ankle injury, Mr Tai decided to submit only Farid's name to the finals of the National Athletics Championship. On the day he submitted the results of the best runner in the school, he mistakenly wrote Hassan' name instead.When Mr Tai received the list of the finalists in the 100-metre event in the National Athletics Championships, he realized his mistake. However, it was too late to inform the sports secretariat. Pride also did not allow him to admit his mistake to Farid. He decided to inform his brother, Hassan, and start grooming him in the final preparations for this prestigious event.When Farid learnt that he was not a finalist, he could not believe his ears. Even though he was glad that his brother had qualified, he was bitterly disappointed. To make matters worse, Mr Tai did not give him any reasons for his exclusion in the finals. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Farid as he realized that his hopes for athletic glory were dashed.His moroseness was further compounded when he heard that his fellow athletes had believed a rumor that he had been dropped from the list because of discipline problems. Depressed, he lost interest in his athletic practices and withdrew from his friends. His studies also suffered as his listlessness affected his academic performance.One day, his best friend, Wen Yi, pulled him aside to have a talk. Hassan poured out his grievances and sadness to Wen Yi who then encouraged him to arrange a meeting with Mr Tai. However, Mr Tai tried to avoid meeting Hassan. The teacher did not want to admit his mistake. When Hassan finally managed to confront Mr Tai, the latter consoled Hassan superficially and tried to make him accept that his brother was the better choice.Farid did not do well in the National Finals. His old ankle injury cropped up at the last minute and he came in last. The school's athletics performance was at its worst that year. Mr Tai was not appointed the athletics coach the following year.As for Farid, he withdrew from pursuing a promising athletics career. He did well enough to qualify for college and joined the Cadets. However prestigious his heart remained with running and throughout his life, he was embittered for he knew that Mr Tai had made a mistake and did not stand up to him. illustrious recognized prestigious important moroseness sullennessImprudence John and Jack were identical twins. When they were born, they were so like each other that even their mother could not tell them apart.When they grew up, they were therefore the butt of everyone's jokes. People wondered whether they thought alike, or went to the bathroom at the same time. The brothers were sometimes perturbed and irritated by these jokes but overall, they took it in their stride.Beyond the physical side, however, the resemblance ended. As they grew older, both began to differ more in character. Jack was always the extrovert one. He liked sports and was known as a ladies' man.On one fine day, Jack approached John for a favor. He had been in a relationship with a pretty college belle, Jessica, for some time. However, now, he wanted out of the relationship but despite the ample hints, Jessica did not seem to understand what he had been driving at. Jack asked John to stand in for him whenever Jessica wanted to go out with him. Jack and John were studying in different private colleges, so Jessica was not aware of a twin brother.The first meeting between John and Jessica was a success. Jessica was pleasantly surprised with John's attentiveness. She felt that Jack behaved like a gentleman on that date. Of course, she was puzzled at some point; he had coffee instead of tea and he was not swearing like he usually did. John found Jessica interesting. He was attracted to her beauty, intelligence and honesty.Meanwhile, Jack was getting enamored with another popular college girl, Merry. Merry, however, hinted to Jack that she would welcome his attention only if he gave up his relationship with Jessica. Although John was the one going on dates with Jessica, Jack still had to hang out with Jessica on campus.Jack asked John to end his relationship with Jessica. However, a shocked Jessica could not believe that Jack wanted to end the relationship. She also refused to believe that it was John who had been going out with her.Jack now knew that things were going too far now. He scheduled a meeting with his twin brother to try to reason with Jessica. Jessica brought along her brother, Thomas. At the meeting, Jack apologized for misleading Jessica. Jessica, however, refused to believe that John had been posing as Jack, even though the twin brothers stood before her. She had fallen in love with Jack and she believed that he was the one who was courting her all the while. Even though John gave her certain details of their dates which would conclusively prove that he was with her, she refused to listen and practically shut her ears."I have been dating Jack and it is Jack I want to marry. If he is trying to get out now because he wants to go out with Merry, I will pursue him to his death," she asserted angrily.Thomas then dropped the bombshell to the shocked twins. Jessica was pregnant. She believed she was carrying Jack's child as he had been intimate with her. If Jack persisted in denying his responsibility, the matter would be handled by their parents and the school authorities.Jack pleaded and argued with Jessica and Thomas but to no avail. Jessica insisted that Jack bore the responsibility for her pregnancy. She wanted to be married as soon as possible.Desperate, Jack turned to his brother, John, for help. John tried to persuade Jessica to change her mind. He argued that even if they were to be married to each other, Jack was no longer in love with her. It would be meaningless. John also reminded Jessica how they got along so well together. Jessica, however, refused to listen. It was Jack all along, she insisted vehemently, who had been dating her.By now, Thomas was feeling rather annoyed. He argued that Jack had to bear the responsibility as the baby was his - Jack was the one she had been intimate with. Moreover, everyone had thought that Jessica and Jack were a couple. He also stated that his parents were old and could not take the blow if Jack did not marry her. As for Jack getting John to pose as him, he was uncertain about the truth. All he was certain was that Jack must face up to the fact that he was responsible for. When Jack protested again, Thomas silenced him with these angry words, "A man must be responsible for his actions. You do not have a choice."The impact of these words sank into Jack. He was stricken with guilt. A week later, he finally apologized and asked for Jessica's forgiveness. Then he held his future wife's hands as they went to their respective parents to explain the situation to them. He was determined to make things right, for Jessica, for their child. perturbed bothered enamored smitten stricken sufferingA holiday that turned out wrong It was the eve of National Day in Singapore. My family decided to break the usual routine of watching the national celebrations in Singapore but to visit Batam on National Day. Batam is an island a mere half hour ferry ride from Singapore. On that day, we woke up, all fresh and keyed up to enjoy ourselves.However, we got off to a disappointing start. No taxis could be hailed within sight and the few taxi drivers who pulled over were not too keen to bring us to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. They explained that the terminal was a distance accessible by a deserted side road. The authorities did not allow them to impose an extra charge, unlike the allowance at the airport. Moreover, it might be ages before they could pick up a passenger for the return journey. Unbelievably, we were rather sympathetic. After a long wait, a taxi driver finally agreed to take us.Upon reaching the terminal, we rushed in, all flustered and worried about missing the ferry. We were relieved to find out that the departure time had been delayed. However, our relief was short-lived. There was a long frustrating queue as the immigration staff could not cope with the unexpected crowd.There was a mad scramble for seats when we finally boarded our vessel. The mild weather had changed and the day became unbearably hot. It was stuffy in the ferry. Many were seasick and vomited. The queue outside the toilets was a sad and disheartening sight.Upon arrival, we waited for our coach. However, once on board the coach, another disappointment awaited us. Groans from the passengers greeted the guide's announcement that the watersports centre we were scheduled to visit was burned down the day before. We would visit a Go-Kart centre instead. This place was in the middle of nowhere and we spent a mindless two hours watching the kids queuing and then squealing in delight at the limited turns they get.My family and I were not Go-kart enthusiasts, so Dad offered to pay for any souvenirs we wanted. But these were outrageously priced at the shops we visited.Lunch was the only bright spot in the journey. The seafood dishes were varied and delicious. We tried sucking edible snail meat from the famous 'kong kong' snails. It was a nice change. We finally relaxed amid the breezy and tranquil seaside surroundings.Batam city was dirty and rather squalid. It had just rained and there were mud puddles everywhere. We had to walk through the mud just to get to the few shopping centers. They invariably sold the same souvenirs. The unenthusiastic, bored salesgirls and beggars outside these tourist spots made us realize how comfortable an experience shopping in Singapore was!We had not dared to try eating the many interesting roadside snacks or colorful syrupy drinks sold by vendors because of the constant presence of flies. Fear of dengue fever also reduced us to paranoid tourists slapping at mosquitoes.Our tour guide blithely ignored our requests to visit a popular shopping centre. We learnt later that the place would not pay him a commission for bringing us there. Instead, the brazen man kept pushing us to buy his homemade cookies.Thankfully, there was no wait for ferries on the journey back. We arrived safely but realized to our dismay that we were at the Harbour Front Centre, a considerable distance from our home.There were no taxis in sight. It seemed that the roads leading to Harbour Front Centre were closed due to the National Day Parade. We whiled away our time at a coffee shop and waited restlessly for the roads to be opened.However, it was a relief to be back in dear old Singapore! Never again, I vowed, would I celebrate a public holiday Day abroad! squealing yelling squalid filthy blithely casuallyWrite about an incident in which you were a victim of unfairness It was one of those sunny mornings when merely breathing seemed to be an event worth celebrating. I was in a particularly good mood as my mother had just given me RM400 for my daily expenses during the week that she would be away with my father in China to visit her ailing grandaunt. I was in seventh heaven just contemplating the things I could do with the RM400. If I survived on bread and butter the whole week, I would have a little windfall of RM300 to buy the latest computer games! It was certainly a great way to begin the day.The physical education lesson was, as usual, a gruelling session of endless running and weight training. I could hardly catch my breath as I trudged back wearily to the classroom. As I neared the classroom, I heard a loud commotion coming from it and quickly rushed in. My classmates were gathered around Tommy's table as the latter ransacked through books, stationery as well as some personal effects in obvious distress. Tommy had always been a popular boy in class. Not only was he bright and well-mannered, he also came from a wealthy family that provided him with all he could ask for. Yet, he chose to share everything he had with us, never minding the fact that he always provided while we received.As such, I rushed immediately to his side when I saw his anxiety. My classmates quickly told me that Tommy had lost the money that he had brought as a donation to the welfare home that we were supposed to visit that afternoon. Understanding the situation, I proposed that we organise a search around the classroom and inform the class teacher as soon as possible. Taking my suggestions seriously, the classimmediately took action. In no time at all, Miss Soh rushed to the classroom to take control of the situation. She decided to run a search through everyone's bag. We quickly stood by our tables and emptied the contents of our bags onto the table. When it came to my turn, I diligently took out all my possessions for inspection. My wallet was the last item to be checked and as Miss Soh took out the RM400 from it, the class fell into a hushed shock.Up till then, I had no idea that the amount lost was exactly RM400. Had I not been aware of my own innocence, even I would have agreed that the evidence was incriminating enough to indict me. Everyone stared at me in horror. Miss Soh was triumphant - pleased that her efforts at flushing out the thief had borne fruit. In a loud and harsh voice, she demanded to know where the money had come from. I told her the truth, which obviously fell on deaf ears. She appeared not to have heard anything that I had said, choosing instead to dwell on the 'facts' of the matter. She proclaimed loudly that I had been caught red-handed, dismissing my story as ludicrous in view of the fact that my family was not well-off and could not possibly afford to give me RM400. She also went on to elaborate on the evils of envy, implying that I had stolen from Tommy because I was envious of him. All this while, I was struck dumb by her convincing words, amazed at the conjectures that she had come up with based on the RM400 found in my wallet. The situation was worsened by the unfortunate fact that my parents could not come forward to corroborate my story.By this time, the whole class was shaking their heads mournfully at me, obviously in full accord with the teacher's allegations. I was appalled and terrified. I could feel the jaws of misguided justice closing around my neck and struggled against it. I kept protesting my innocence, trying to drown out their accusations with the sheer volume of my voice. But it was to no avail.The principal was called in to handle the situation. He promptly decided that the evidence against me was damning enough to warrant an immediate suspension or expulsion once my parents returned from their trip. I was devastated. How could they decide on my guilt without even checking out my story? Even a phone call to my parents was considered too much trouble for the school. Instead, they chose to concentrate on consoling Tommy and placating his parents. I knew then that my average background was the reason why my words carried less weight than Tommy's distress. It was a sobering experience, educating me in the realities of life.The entire week was spent in a state of confusion. I kept to myself a lot, choosing not to leave the house at all. I lost a great deal of weight, since I was subsisting only on bread and butter. The RM400 had been confiscated by the school as 'evidence', leaving me only the loose change around the house to buy things with. Humiliation and anger were my constant companions during that week. None of my classmates telephoned me, not even those who were my buddies. Obviously, the stink of being a thief was more potent than that of friendship.My parents finally returned. They rushed down to clarify matters once they realised what had happened. The school authorities, instead of feeling apologetic, chose instead to place the blame squarely on what they called my "inability to put across clearly the situation". My parents were infuriated. They wrote a long complaint against the school and transferred me to a different school. The matter was finally resolved when the principal and Miss Soh were chastised for their mishandling of the situation and I was officially cleared of all charges. But to this day, it still hurts to know that to certain people, wealth spoke louder than truth. incriminating implicating ludicrous absurd corroborate back upWrite a story based on this line : "By evening, she was running a high fever ... " Far up in the mountains of Canada, there is an old abandoned log cabin. Once it was occupied by a young couple who wanted to distance themselves from the chaos of this modern world. Here they were miles away from the nearest town. Bob, the husband, made the occasional trip into town to buy supplies whereas Jan, his wife, spent her free time by the fire, sewing. Their life was simply idyllic.Then, one midwinter's day, Jan woke up from bed with a strange ache in her bones. Putting it down to overwork, Bob shooed her to bed and made sure she rested. Though Jan was impatient to get to her chores, Bob soothed her, "Relax, Sugar. You're overdoing things. All these chores will be here when you recover."However, Jan seemed to be getting worse instead of recovering. By evening, she was running a high fever and in greater pain. In spite of his best efforts, Bob could not manage to ease her suffering. And then suddenly, she started to lapse into unconsciousness.It was then obvious that she was seriously ill. What could Bob do? He had no experience in treating the sick and Jan was getting worse by the minute. He knew that there was an old doctor in town but he lived three miles away, downhill. Pot-bellied and obese, there was no way the doctor could make it up to their cabin.Something had to be done quickly! Bob racked his brains but to no avail. The only thing left to do was to go to the doctor. In Jan's condition, she could never walk that far in the waist-deep snow. Bob would have to carry her!Bob searched his mind for a way to move poor, sick Jan. Then, he remembered. He had once made a sledge so that they could ride together over the mountain. They never got around to using it though, because the whole mountain was thickly covered with rocks and trees. He had never found a safe way down, not even once."Well," he thought, "looks like I'm going to have to try it anyhow," as he dug out the sledge from the storeroom. "Jan may die unless I get her to the doctor, and life means nothing to me without her." With this thought in mind, Bob gently tucked Jan into the sledge, got in the front, and with a short prayer for safety, pushed off.How they got through that ride alive, Bob has never figured out. As trees loomed up in front of him and just as quickly whizzed by his side, close enough to touch, he felt relieved that Jan was not awake to experience the ride. It was all he could do not to scream as collision seemed imminent, time and again, with only inches to spare.At last, bursting from the mountainside, the town came into view. Barely slowing down, they sped through the icy streets, only losing speed as they neared the doctor's house. The sledge, battered through the journey, collapsed in the left ski as it came to a halt, spilling out its occupants. Bob picked up his Jan and made his way into the doctor's house.After what seemed to be a long winter, Jan recovered fully from her illness but Bob never recovered from his fright. They moved into the little town so as to be near help in times of crisis, and have lived there ever since. idyllic simple and carefree rack one's brains strain to find a solution batter to damage as by heavy wear