Featured Stories

Borrowing a Match

Borrowing-a-Match: Short story by Stephen LeacockHave you ever asked someone if you could borrow something, and then watched them go to so much trouble looking for it that you wish you hadn’t asked? If so, you will understand the building frustration of the man in this Stephen Leacock story. All he asked of a “decent, ordinary-looking” stranger was the loan of a match. In the process of looking for one, the stranger destroys his overcoat and the parcels and letters he is carrying, and then threatens to beat his young son when he gets home. Finally, . . . (you’ll have to read the story to find out!)

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Solipsist

Solipsist: Flash story by Fredric BrownWikipedia defines solipsism as the idea that only one’s (your own) mind is sure to exist. This story by Fredric Brown takes an irreverent view of the universe and the place of one solipsist in it. Walter B. Jehovah has had a bad week. He decides to end it all… not just his life, but everything. After some initial success, he finds that the only way for him to cease to exist is to create a new universe and float around alone for millions of years until another suicidal solipsist emerges to replace him. Themes include perspective, existence, creation.

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The Hit Man

The Hit Man: Short story by T. C. BoyleT. C. Boyle’s The Hit Man is a clever satire of the short story genre. Written in short paragraphs under sub-headings, the story contains all the necessary elements of a short story. What makes it unusual is that Boyle is able to provide a meaningful account of his protagonist’s entire life (boyhood, adolescence, courtship, death of parents, ‘career’, marriage, family, retirement, death… and even dislike of peas!) in less than 1,200 words. He also manages to deal with some serious issues (bullying, schoolyard violence, judicial system failure, gratuitous murder, glamorized crime and death) along the way.

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Railroad Standard Time

Railroad Standard Time: Short story by Frank ChinMajor themes of this semi-autobiographical story by Frank Chin are time (symbolized by an inherited pocket watch that keeps Railroad Standard Time), the clash between traditional Chinese and ‘modern’ American culture, and the need to move away from long-held stereotypes of Chinese-American men and women. Ironically for a story that focuses on time, the plot does not proceed linearly. As the narrator drives to and from his mother’s funeral, the story moves from memories of the past to the present and then back again, with the watch providing a connection between them. Other themes: nostalgia, family, cultural heritage, identity, masculinity.

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Cat and Mouse in Partnership

Cat and Mouse in Partnership: German folktale from the Brothers GrimmThis folktale is about a greedy cat that cheats a trusting friend. A cat and mouse decide to live together. They discover a pot of ‘fat’ (probably dripping) and hide it in a safe place so they will have something to eat over winter. Unfortunately, the cat cannot stop thinking about the pot and empties it well before time. In most folktales, something bad would happen to the cat to teach it a lesson. Not so here! When the mouse complains, the cat does what cats normally do. The moral: You can’t change the natural ways of the world.

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The Ant and The Grasshopper

The Ant and The Grasshopper: Short story by W. Somerset MaughamThis story by W. Somerset Maugham takes its name from a famous Aesop fable. The fable carries the message that hard work is rewarded, while laziness leads to disaster. The story presents a more balanced view of the world. Sometimes good things happen to lazy or even quite bad people, causing them to be better off than those who work hard every day. After years of hard work, Gordon Ramsay (the Ant) is rewarded with a comfortable retirement. He thinks it unfair when his brother Tom (the Grasshopper) ends up many times richer after a life of laziness and cheating others.

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The Soft Touch of Grass

The Soft Touch of Grass: Short story by Luigi PirandelloIn this story by Luigi Pirandello, a “not old and yet no longer young” man is full of emptiness and despair following the death of his wife. In accordance with Italian tradition, his married son becomes “man of the house” and consigns him to a remodeled servant’s room in the courtyard. Alienated, he spends his days watching children play in a nearby park. A misunderstanding by a young girl when he bends to take off his shoes so he can feel the grass under his feet sends him home in misery. Themes include loss, grief, despair, aging, alienation/isolation, loneliness, relativism.

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The Centaur

The Centaur: Short story by José SaramagoA major theme of this story by José Saramago is fear of those who are fundamentally “different”. Other themes include duality, modernity, wilderness encroachment, loneliness, isolation and identity. A mythical Centaur survives into the 20th century. The only one of its kind still living, it has wandered the wilderness for thousands of years. Unfortunately, humanity is expanding and it has become increasingly difficult to avoid contact. A fascinating feature of the story is the interdependence between the centaur’s horse and human sides. Both have different needs, which often require compromise. There are some human needs, however, that can’t be met.

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