Last year we featured Leiningen Versus the Ants, a story in which 400 men try to fight off an army of killer ants. In today’s tale by George Toudouze, three men are trapped inside an isolated lighthouse, surrounded by a horde of starving rats. One of the men is prone to panic and loses his mind when the rats break in to the lower part of the tower. The other two remain calm and, although a serious breach of duty, agree on a desperate course of action that saves the day. Themes: man vs. nature, fear, calmness under pressure. More…
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Clean Sweep Ignatius
Jeffrey Archer has come up with an almost unimaginable scenario. Nigeria has a new Finance Minister, Ignatius Agarbi, who decides to clear up his country’s reputation for corruption! He does such a good job, without so much as a breath of scandal, that the country’s President commissions him to find out the names of all ministers and government officials with money hidden away in secret Swiss bank accounts. Diligent as always, Ignatius devises a seemingly foolproof plan to find out just how serious Swiss banks are in maintaining their code of privacy. Themes: corruption, creativity, honor. More…
Anxiety
In this story from Grace Paley’s activist period, an elderly woman worries about everything from the imminent destruction of the world to the well-being of two children being walked home from school. A father’s shortness with one of the children prompts the woman to call him out. She begins with the alarmist suggestion that people should enjoy life less and think more about the coming doom. She then elicits the cause of the man’s anger (wounded pride), which seems petty compared to the issues she has just raised. Themes: anxiety, global threats, fatherhood, child innocence, adult indifference. More…
The Kugelmass Episode
This Woody Allen story includes elements of fantasy, science fiction and farce. Kugelmass, bored with his “oafish” wife, wants a lustful extra-marital affair with no commitments either way. His wish seemingly comes true when a failed magician offers him a chance to seduce any woman from world literature. His first choice begins well, but ends badly; his second proves disastrous. The story is a cutting satire of America’s 1970s ‘Me’ culture. Themes include psychological well-being, marital relationships and casual sex. Ironically, instead of “having” the affair he wanted, Kugelmass spends the rest of eternity running from hairy, long-legged Spanish “haves”. More…
The People Could Fly
Reinterpreted folktales that include events from recorded history play an important part in cultural renewal by helping later generations relate to their heritage. This African-American example from Virginia Hamilton packs a lot into just 1200 words. Its major themes are slavery, cruelty, suffering, Free-dom, and hope. Freedom comes when Toby’s magic words rekindle the forgotten ability of some slaves to fly. For readers not into the supernatural, flying could also be a metaphor for running away or even death. Hope comes in Toby’s call to those left behind to wait for their chance to run. More…