The Necklace

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  “SHE WAS one of those pretty, charming young ladies, born, as if through an error of destiny, into a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no hopes, no means of becoming known, appreciated, loved, and married by a man either rich or distinguished; and she allowed herself to marry a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education. . . .  She had neither frocks nor jewels, nothing. And she loved only those things. She felt that she was made for them. She had such a desire to please, to be sought after, to be clever, and courted.” —THE NECKLACE Guy de Maupassant    France, 1884 (pic by Grok) Read this short story here:  https://americanliterature.com/author/guy-de-maupassant/short-story/the-necklace

"If I should die before I wake . . ."

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William prayed every night before he went to bed, but last night he had trouble. "If I should die before I wake . . . if I should die . . ."

"Go on, William," said his mother, "you know the rest of the prayer."

"Just a moment," he said, and jumping to his feet he ran out the bedroom door and down the stairs. Shortly, his running feet brought him quickly back into the room, and he fell down on his knees, taking up the prayer from where he left off.

When his mother asked him about what happened, William said, "Mom, I thought about what I was saying and had to stop and put all Johnny's skateboard tools back on his dresser. I had hid them just to see how mad he'd be in the morning. If I should die before I wake, I wouldn't want him to find them missing. Lots of things seem fun if your gonna keep on living, but you don't want 'em that way if you die before you wake."

His mother's voice quivered, "You are right, sweetheart."

What wrong do you need to undo against someone, in case you die before you wake?

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