story
Bob, the son of a high official,as well as Fatima, Norbert, and Sally,arrived at a wood,which lost itself in the shadowy distance.He was a boy who was wise but grew up pampered and spoiled.After a few minutes,he was worn out and so impatient that he jumped down from his horse, his nostrils yearning for any lingering hints of water.
\"I'm getting mighty tired of dragging you folk through the desert looking for your ‘whatever you call it.\" said Bob.
One of the others replied, \"I would like you to remember the terms of our contract, as well as your more than ample payment, Mister Bob.\"
This made Bob even more impatient.He spat on the ground, looked up at the sky,frowning.
\"Your objective is to get us to where we need to go. Once you interview some of the local, rural wildlife here in this… town, I'm sure you will have the answers we all need.\" Said Norbert,who was also terribly thirsty.
\"As long as you pay me the remaining half of my fee, I'm not likely to complain much beyond this point.\" Said the cowboy and he turned his gaze to the old,wooden building containing the local saloon.
\"I sure would like a long, tall drink of cold water first, though.\"Fatima, who held a bottle of water, knew that Bob would not find any water within.
Suddenly,there came a dull roar and the strong wind lifted the dust from the ground and into the air.Quite a number of trees fell down with the four people’s cry.Suddenly,Norbert shouted at the top of his voice ,\"RUN!\"
Then,they all ran away at the speed of light together and sticked together,closing their eyes.After the storm,everyone slowly opened their eyes and looked at the others.They all began to smile without consultation because they found that no one got injured.Bob was touched by the scene,his heart bursting out the feeling of warmth in the blink of an eye,which was like the sun shining in winter.At the same time,the feeling of impatience fade away.
Although at this moment they had escaped the storm,they still must confront the bad situation of lacking water.After thinking about that for a moment,Bob stood up,holding a jug ,and said to the others,
\"Hey!Don’t be negative!I still have a bottle of water here.I’ll give everyone a drink of it when we march by every one kilometer.\"
The remaining guys became excited and nodded in agreement.Then they began to carry out Bob’s wonderful plan.When they achieved the first one kilometer,everyone looked at Bob.However,Bob just said,
”I believe we can persevere with another one kilometer.Continue!”
The chance of drinking Bob’s water was destroyed by Bob one after another.Therefore,the three other people rolled their eyes at Bob from time to time and they no longer asked for water.Fatima kept silent all the time because she did not want to share her water.Finally,they walked out of the wood,which made everyone happy.However,the three did not speak to Bob,for he had “cheated”them.Suddenly,Bob took out the jug again,opened it,and inversed it,which made them open-mouthed.There was no water in it at all.Bob just wanted to encourage them to go on to find water and not to give up by “cheating” them.At the same time,Fatima hung down her head for shame and she took out her jug as if to receive their blame.Instead,the others just smiled and did not get angry.
They sat together and had a talk.Bob said,
“Storms are largely created by man himself. On the one hand, too much air pollution causes a greenhouse effect, which, in turn, leads to global wanning in climate. This results in wet places on the earth even wetter and dry places even drier. On the other hand, over grazing, poor fanning, tree cutting, strip mining all leave the land unprotected. When the wind blows, it blows away topsoil and loose soil.”
“Well,you are right.Storms are another punishment that nature gives mankind. We must be alert to this ecological alarm. We should not only take
effective measures to stop duststorms but also to draw some lessons from it. We should not ‘develop’ the local economy at the cost of the natural environment.”said Norbert.
“In view of the seriousness of the situation, effective measures must be taken immediately before things get worse. In the first place, it is imperative that pertinent laws be worked out and rigidly enforced to protect vegetation. In the second place, a deep-going, widespread and ever-lasting campaign should be launched to enhance people’s awareness of environmental protection. With proper laws and an alert public, it will only be a matter of time before sandstorms become things of the past. Actually,we should not pay all of our attention to pursue so-called material wealth. After this journey,I have learnt that we mankind should try to do something meaningful for others and the environment.”Fatima continued.
All of them smiled again and embraced everybody else.This was a meaningful journey which lost its original purpose.However,all of them have received much more than wealth,such as forgiveness,the spirit of sharing and trust.
