(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-20 11:41

Stories of heroism are not the only ones to have emerged from the darkness of the past week. Child survivors of the deadly quake have also been recalling how they coped with being trapped under rubble.

Their stories offer a glimpse at how many spent their time as they faced death.

When rescuers found Deng Qingqing, a first-grade student at Yinghua Town Middle School in Shifang city, the girl was reading a book under a flashlight.

"It was totally dark down there, and I was afraid," she said later. "I was cold and hungry. I had to read to quell my fear."

Chen Quanhong, the head teacher of Deng's class, embraced her as she prayed for the safety of other students. "Good girl as long as you are alive."

Chen and other teachers had been digging through the debris with their bare hands. The teacher has a special attachment to Deng, who comes from a poor family and studies very hard. She often reads her textbooks by flashlight on her way home at night.

Luo Yao, a schoolmate of Deng who was also saved on Tuesday, kept humming melodies to stay awake. She has always harbored a dream of becoming a pianist, and that dream saved her.

School principal Kang Yulong said about 100 students are still missing. Upon receiving news that his father-in-law had died came, Kang paused, brushed away tears and continued the search. "I won't leave until the last student is found," he said.