阅读下面短文，在空白处填入一个适当的词，或填入括号中所给单词的正确形式。

    Laura and Susie were born on the same day in the same hospital and at the same time. They____ (be) very close friends since they were very little. One bright sunny day, as I____ (walk) home from the shops, I decided to take a short cut ____the park. All of a sudden I heard a loud scream. It sounded like a child. With fright I dropped my shopping bag and ran in the ____ (direct) of the noise.

    As I was getting ____(close) to the noise I saw two little girls, one of ____ was screaming in pain. The other child was frozen to the spot with a look of terror on her face. As I ran towards them, I quickly realized that I knew the children. One was my daughter Laura and the ____was her best friend Susie.

    I was totally shocked to see the girls there, as they knew they were not allowed to go to the park alone. Obviously the girls ____(hear) strange noises and then decided to run as fast as they could to get away. While ____(run), Susie fell over and could not get up.

    Susie's mother and I had another talk with the girls about not wandering off without an adult then. Both of them learnt a ____(value) lesson.