Emma had lived in the lighthouse her whole life. While other children went to school together and played in town, Emma spent her days helping her father tend the great lamp that guided ships safely past the rocky shore.
"I wish I could have friends like other kids," Emma often said. "It's lonely out here."
One stormy night, a ship sent a distress signal. Emma's father was sick in bed, too weak to climb the tower. "I can't do it alone," Emma thought, staring up at the steep spiral stairs. "I'm just a kid."
But then she imagined the sailors on that ship - someone's father, someone's brother. She grabbed the oil can and began to climb.
The wind screamed outside as Emma trimmed the wick and lit the lamp. Its light cut through the darkness just as the ship changed course, avoiding the rocks by mere feet.
The next day, the ship's captain came to the lighthouse. "Your daughter saved twelve lives," he told Emma's father. Behind him stood a group of townspeople who had heard the story.
"We've been so focused on our own lives," one woman admitted, "we forgot about the brave family protecting us every night."
After that, Emma wasn't lonely anymore. The townspeople visited often, and Emma finally understood - being different didn't mean being alone. Sometimes the things that set us apart are the very things that connect us to others.
Marcus had never been the best at anything. His older brother Tyler was the star athlete, and his younger sister Jade was the musical genius. Marcus was just... Marcus.
When his teacher entered him in the school spelling bee, Marcus wanted to refuse. "I'll just embarrass myself," he thought. But something made him start studying anyway. Every night, he practiced words until his eyes burned.
At the bee, Marcus spelled word after word correctly, surprising everyone - including himself. In the final round, against the school's top student, he faced the word "perseverance."
He knew this word well. It meant continuing even when things are hard. It was exactly what he'd been doing for weeks.
"P-E-R-S-E-V-E-R-A-N-C-E," Marcus said. "Perseverance."
When he won, his family cheered louder than they ever had at Tyler's games or Jade's concerts.
"I didn't know you had that in you," his father said proudly.
Marcus smiled. "Neither did I."