compassion

Personal Narrative·Carys Kim — A girl overcomes her fear to shave her head in solidarity with her grandmother who has cancer, discovering unexpected strength in the act.

Story·Emily Chang — A girl helping her elderly neighbor organize her attic discovers a French horn that triggers memories and leads to a medical emergency, forcing her to confront family tensions.

Story·Emily Beltramo — A teenage street musician teaches guitar to a young thief who tried to rob him, and together they land their first paying gig at a local restaurant.

Personal Narrative·Louise Johnson — Two cousins skip watching their brothers' soccer games to clean up trash from a forest stream, turning a boring morning into a meaningful adventure.

Story·Natalie Yue — A daddy longlegs trapped in a shower fears death when children find him, but one girl carefully releases him outside, granting unexpected freedom.

Poetry·Evans Yaffee — A brief poem urging readers to look up and recognize how the world needs their help, emphasizing awareness and responsibility.

Story·Nate Varga — A lost British soldier stumbles upon a Bedouin camp in the Arabian desert and is led to witness the rare blooming of the Queen of the Night flower, triggering memories...

Story·Deeksha Rajesh — A soldier on a battlefield, carrying photos from fallen comrades, hesitates to shoot an enemy and is killed, choosing to let another's future persist over his own.

Personal Narrative·Misha Joksic — A boy experiences sudden, severe stomach pain that turns out to be appendicitis, leading to an experimental treatment at NYU Langone Hospital instead of surgery.

Story·Ava Shorten — A river blocked from the sea becomes a puddle who befriends an aging frog that shares stories of the ocean and ultimately carries the puddle to its destination.