1. The box sat on the desk next to the computer.

It had arrived earlier in

the day and business had interrupted her opening it earlier. She didn't
who had sent it and briefly wondered who it might have been. As she
began to unwrap it, she had no idea that opening it would completely
change her life.

2. It was a simple tip of the hat. Grace didn't think that anyone else
besides her had even noticed it. It wasn't anything that the average
person would notice, let alone remember at the end of the day. That's
why it seemed so unbelievable that this little gesture would ultimately
change the course of the world.

3. If you can imagine a furry humanoid seven feet tall, with the face of an
intelligent gorilla and the braincase of a man, you'll have a rough idea
of what they looked like -- except for their teeth. The canines would
have fitted better in the face of a tiger, and showed at the corners of
their wide, thin-lipped mouths, giving them an expression of ferocity.

4. Then came the night of the first falling star. It was seen early in the
morning, rushing over Winchester eastward, a line of flame high in the
atmosphere. Hundreds must have seen it and taken it for an ordinary
falling star. It seemed that it fell to earth about one hundred miles east
of him.

5. There had to be a better way. That's all Nancy could think as she sat at
her desk staring at her computer screen. She'd already spent five
years of her life in this little cubicle staring at her computer doing
"work" that didn't seem to matter to anyone including her own boss.
There had to be more to her life than this and there had to be a better
way to make a living. That's what she was thinking when the
earthquake struck.

6. Waiting and watching. It was all she had done for the past weeks.
When you’re locked in a room with nothing but food and drink, that’s
about all you can do anyway. She watched as birds flew past the
window bolted shut. She couldn’t reach it if she wanted too, with that
hole in the floor. She thought she could escape through it but three
stories is a bit far down.
 7. The red glint of paint sparkled under the sun. He had dreamed of
owning this car since he was ten, and that dream had become a reality
less than a year ago. It was his baby and he spent hours caring for it,
pampering it, and fondling over it. She knew this all too well, and that's
exactly why she had taken a sludge hammer to it.

8. Why do Americans have so many different types of towels? We have

beach towels, hand towels, bath towels, dish towels, camping towels,
quick-dry towels, and let’s not forget paper towels. Would 1 type of
towel work for each of these things? Let’s take a beach towel. It can be
used to dry your hands and body with no difficulty. A beach towel could
be used to dry dishes. Just think how many dishes you could dry with
one beach towel. I’ve used a beach towel with no adverse effects while
camping. If you buy a thin beach towel it can dry quickly too. I’d
probably cut up a beach towel to wipe down counters or for cleaning
other items, but a full beach towel could be used too. Is having so
many types of towels an extravagant luxury that Americans enjoy or is
it necessary? I’d say it's overkill and we could cut down on the many
types of towels that manufacturers deem necessary.

9. She didn't understand how changed worked. When she looked at

today compared to yesterday, there was nothing that she could see
that was different. Yet, when she looked at today compared to last
year, she couldn't see how anything was ever the same.

10. It really didn't matter what they did to him. He's already made up his
mind. Whatever came his way, he was prepared for the consequences.
He knew in his heart that the sacrifice he made was done with love and
not hate no matter how others decided to spin it.