1. The thunder of hooves rang out across the desolate terrain. The horses were tired and hungry, but I had to keep pushing them. There was precious little water to be found, and we were sitting ducks for rustlers in this flat, open country.

2. Today was "family day" at the park. As Mom, Dad, and my little sister finished their picnic lunch, I wandered toward the edge of the woods. No one noticed as I followed a path deeper and deeper into the forest. Suddenly, the path ended at the opening to a dark cave. I stopped for a moment and then decided to explore. As I ducked into the opening, I noticed a strange smell.

3. It was summer vacation, and my friends and I had nothing to do. As we waited for my Mom to drive us to the pool, we decided to dig a hole in the flowerbed. Of course, we'd have to fill it in before Mom saw it, but we'd worry about that later. We dug deeper and deeper. Suddenly, a strange rumbling noise came from the hole.

4. It was an average day at Holy Angels School, where we were in computer class, gamely learning all about spreadsheets. Suddenly a bolt of lightning illuminated the lab, followed by a clap of thunder. The inevitable power surge crackled through the network, leaving all but Mrs. Laura Nordman's computer in a mass of melted plastic.

5. The pleasure of my daily run one chilly April morning was abruptly shattered by the shrill wail of a siren. I followed the sound along a narrow alley.

6. "One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three" The seconds seemed like hours as I struggled to focus on the math problem at hand. The clock made its painfully slow ascent toward 2:44, and finally, I was free. I shot down the hall toward the exit, dodging bodies as I thought about what was to come. Summer vacation was finally here!

7. The insistent ringing of the phone abruptly wrenched me from a sound sleep. The illuminated hands on the bedside clock read 2 a.m., an atrocious hour for anyone to call.

8. " I will make it. I will make it." The chant continued in my head as I marched through the main entrance of Columbia Records, Inc. The elevator walls were lined with pictures of my idols that seemed to mock me as they smiled down at my shaking knees and pounding heart. "

9. Her eyes were green ­ as intense as the jungle that surrounded her. I watched the tiny shaft of sunlight dance on her golden hair. The cries of the jungle's inhabitants went unnoticed as our eyes met.

10. The scorching pain in my shoulder jolted me awake. The blood on my shirt confirmed that I had been wounded. As I dragged myself upright, I struggled to remember what had happened.