Featured Stories

‘If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth…’

'If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth...' : Short story by Arthur C. ClarkeThis coming of age story by Arthur C. Clarke carries a familiar theme for 1950s/1960s science fiction: the prospect of Earth being rendered uninhabitable due to nuclear conflict, and humankind existing only in isolated settlements throughout space. Here, a man takes his ten-year-old son on his first trip outside the protective dome of a moon colony. The boy’s wonder at seeing stars for the first time soon fades as he observes the glowing, radiated Earth and realizes that his generation will never be able to return. Other themes include isolation, survival, self-sufficiency, misused technology, legacy, hope.

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Thank You, M’am

Thank You, M'am: Short story by Langston HughesThis 1950s story from Langston Hughes has messages for both young and old. A teenage thief (Roger) learns that in addition to it being wrong to try to get things “the easy way”, sometimes the person you target is a kindly soul who can ill afford it. Mrs Jones knows what it is like to grow up poor. Instead of handing Roger over to the police, she tries to help him. Sadly, one suspects that her actions (taking the lad home for a meal and friendly chat) would not be safe in today’s world. Themes: crime, forgiveness, understanding, trust, kindness.

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Magnificence

Magnificence: Short story by Estrella AlfonThis confronting story by Estrella Alfon explores one of a parent’s worst nightmares: the sexual abuse of a child by someone they know. An after-school tutor, loved and trusted by his two students, “loses control” and soils the dress of a seven-year-old girl he had placed on his knee. The major theme is the “magnificence” of the mother in confronting and humiliating the man. Set in 1950s Philippines, a secondary feminist theme is gender reversal and empowerment – the need for women to fight back against male mistreatment. Other themes include innocence, motherly love, child abuse, betrayal, absentee parenting (the father).

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Mary Postgate

Mary Postgate: Short story by Rudyard KiplingSet in World War 1, Rudyard Kipling‘s Mary Postgate, can be interpreted in a number of ways, each of which suggests a different reason for the unusual reaction of the protagonist (a prim, proper, middle-aged spinster) to watching the slow, painful death of a seriously injured pilot. Her almost orgasmic physical response and subsequent behavior – a luxurious hot bath before tea – indicate that she found it an uplifting experience. This suggests that her bitterness was directed at not only the enemy, but also other aspect(s) of her life. Themes: the brutality of war, repression, loss, anger, revenge, release.

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The Fall of the House of Usher

The Fall of the House of Usher: Short story by Edgar Allan PoeThis Edgar Allan Poe story is a masterpiece of the Gothic Horror genre. A man visits a childhood friend in his crumbling family mansion to help him cope with an acute attack of depression. An interdependent relationship exists between the friend, his twin sister and the house (some say a shared soul), which ends in the downfall of all three. The story’s most remarkable feature is the almost total lack of physical action. The feeling of terror and impending doom develops solely from Poe’s descriptions of setting, characters, and atmosphere. Themes: isolation, friendship, fear, madness, the supernatural.

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Where Is Here?

Where Is Here?: Short story by Joyce Carol OatesOne of the beauties of this unsettling story by Joyce Carol Oates is that it is open to many interpretations depending on how much one reads into the visitor’s identity and purpose. At its simplest, the story involves a man behaving strangely as he confronts pleasant and unpleasant memories during a visit to his childhood home. More imaginative interpretations include revisiting a scene of child abuse and/or patricide, and a ghostly warning from the past or future about looming danger or a cursed house. Themes: (general) nostalgia, connection, domestic violence; (through the riddles) mortality, time, infinity.

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The Water of Life

The Water of Life: Short story by Howard PyleThe major themes of this fairy-tale by Howard Pyle are that money and status don’t necessarily reflect the inner man, and loyalty can sometimes bring great rewards. A princess vows to marry whoever brings her a cup of water from the “Fountain of Life”. A young king sends a servant on the long and dangerous journey to collect some, and falsely claims the prize. The doubtful princess sets him two more tasks, one of which requires cutting off the faithful servant’s hand. Thanks to the Water of Life, things end happily for the servant but not so for the king.

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The Lumber Room

The Lumber Room: Short story by H. H. Munro (Saki)This humorous story by Saki describes a clever but mischievous boy’s efforts to explore the wonders of his house’s off-limits-to-children lumber-room. [Not to be confused with planks of wood, the word “lumber” here is a British term for miscellaneous stored articles.] In disgrace for putting a frog in his breakfast bowl, the boy devises an elaborate plan to distract his strict aunt while in the forbidden room. His day gets even better when the suspicious woman falls into a rain-water tank and he tricks her into giving him cause to leave her there. Themes: mischief, curiosity, imagination, oppression, defiance

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