The stories of HeroicStories.
by Luella
City and State Withheld, USA
It’s a very small town, populated by a lot of elderly widows — the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else and there are very few secrets. When a comparatively young woman and her husband moved to town, they were of considerable interest to everyone because they were so very different from the life-long citizens.
By “Bill”
Austin, Texas, USA
I opened the door to the back stairs from the kitchen of the house where I lived in Worcester, Massachusetts, back around 1975. I smelled smoke. This wasn’t your ordinary somebody’s-cooking-burgers-on-the-grill kind of smoke.
by Sally M. Via
Countryside, Illinois, USA
It was around 1955 when we were living in rural Hewett, West Virginia, that my oldest brother, Jimmy Nichols, became my hero. Jimmy was 11 or 12 years old and was riding his bicycle, passing by the local beer joint in Hewett, when he heard a loud thundering noise and glanced around to discover an unoccupied coal truck, partially loaded with coal, barreling down a small hill directly toward the beer joint full of men. Some were locals, some were coal miners who had stopped on their way home from a hard day at the mines to grab a cold beer.
Amy K. Brown
Everett, Washington, USA
My husband, our then 2-year-old son, and I had just come out of our local grocery store late one evening in November 1998. The cart was full, it was pouring freezing rain, and we desperately wanted nothing more than to get baby and groceries home and dry.
by Bonny Yegon
Kenya
In April of 2001, I was pick-pocketed in Nairobi, Kenya, and I lost not only a very expensive phone but also all my contacts. I reported the matter to the police station because I knew my phone had a phone tracker and could be tracked.
by Mike Gallagher
Florida, USA
About 1976 my family and I left North Georgia to spend Christmas in Orlando, Florida. We were driving a 1972 Audi sedan, which was comfortable for us with our two children, 10 and 12 years old. The car developed what sounded like an engine miss, so I stopped several times to check under the hood. Except for a worn spark plug wire I could find no problems.
by Miep O’Brien
New Mexico, USA
Twenty-five years ago, I went traveling with my first boyfriend, “John”, traveling light. His parents were kind enough to store some papers and photos for me, and off we went. Several years later we returned to Los Angeles, separately. We kept in touch, but our relationship was over.
by The Teacher
New Jersey, USA
Another year as a junior high teacher in New Jersey was coming to an end. The morning ceremony for the eighth grade graduates was about to begin. There’s always a feeling of accomplishment at this time. You also hope that the students will look back and realize how much they learned and that they’ll be successful in high school.
by Tilas T.
Yukon Territory, Canada
When I was 20, in summer 2004, I took the bus down to stay with a friend for two weeks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. My friend worked days, so I decided to go exploring on my own. I knew where I was, up near the UBC Campus. I knew where I wanted to go, the Vancouver Aquarium. It sounded simple.
by Brian R. King
Illinois, USA
I am an adult with Autism and my consulting work requires a lot of out-of-state airline travel. Airports and air travel are very overwhelming for me. One day this October I woke at 4:30 a.m. to travel out of state, traveling and working until 10:30 p.m. that night.