THE BRIDGE
Peter's parents died when he was a child of 5. He was brought up by his grandmother, who took great care of the child and did her best to make him happy. But the boy was very shy and timid.
One day he took his bicycle and went for a ride. Suddenly he saw another cyclist in the distance. Soon he could see that the cyclist was a young girl. As soon as the girl noticed Peter, she increased her speed, as she didn't want Peter to catch up with her. Suddenly Peter remembered that a few yards ahead of them there was no road, as the bridge across the river was under repair. Peter realised that the girl would run a terrible risk if she tried to cross the bridge. He cried out to her to stop, but it was too late. The girl had reached the bridge, and at once Peter saw her lose balance and fall into the water together with her bicycle. When Peter rode up, he saw the girl holding on to a board standing in the water. Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped into the water, as he wanted to help the girl. The current under the bridge was very strong, and Peter had to swim against it. At last he swam up to the board and saw the girl's frightened eyes looking at him with hope. "Can you swim?" asked Peter, but the girl shook her head.
Peter ordered the girl to hold on to his neck, and they both started for the bank. It was very difficult for Peter to swim with such a burden, and at moments it seemed to him that he could not stand the strain and that they both would be drowned. When they reached the bank, Peter was so tired that he could hardly breathe. When he came to himself, he saw the girl looking at him with admiration.
"You are a real hero," she said. "You are the bravest boy I've ever met," and she smiled. And it was at that moment that Peter felt a great confidence in himself. He was afraid of nothing now; he was able to overcome any difficulty.

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