The Ordinary Son

Short Story by Ron Carlson. A young man who grew up in a family of 'geniuses' experiences a sudden sense of relief and freedom after discovering he is “ordinary”. He gets a low-level job, buys a car, drinks beer and starts to enjoy life for the first time.

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Mrs. Bathurst

Short Story by Rudyard Kipling. The narrator and three chance acquaintances discuss the mysterious events surrounding an affair between a New Zealand hotel keeper renowned for her kindness to needy sailors and a mentally unstable naval officer who thinks he sees her “ghost” at a travelling circus.

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An Upheaval

Short Story by Anton Chekhov. A young woman in her first job as a governess returns from a walk to find the woman of the house searching her room for a missing brooch. She is so offended and incensed that, despite entreaties by the woman’s husband, she decides to leave.

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