Featured Stories

The Severed Hand

The Severed Hand: Short story by Wilhelm HauffAlthough Wilhelm Hauff claimed his stories were written for adult-child audiences, this dark tale is clearly oriented towards mature readers. A mysterious stranger pays a doctor to remove the head of a dead woman so that it can be interred in her family tomb in a distant land. He complies, but doesn’t check to make sure she is dead before he cuts. You can guess the rest. The doctor loses a hand as punishment, but is richly rewarded by the stranger for the rest of his life. Themes include deception, greed, misjudgement/negligence, choices and consequences, “justice”, guilt, atonement.

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Ahoy, Sailor Boy!

Ahoy, Sailor Boy!: Short story by A. E. CoppardThis story by A. E. Coppard takes a light-hearted look at death and what comes after. Following a discussion in an English pub about death and divine retribution, an off-duty sailor unsuccessfully tries to solicit an attractive ghost in a park. The woman’s sin was vanity, as represented by a huge collection of expensive clothing. In order to obtain redemption, she must re-wear and discard every item in the collection. She is wearing the last outfit, and the sailor eagerly watches as she undresses for the last time. Themes include death and the afterlife, vanity, sexuality, kindness, redemption, the supernatural.

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The Blues I’m Playing

The Blues I'm Playing: Short story by Langston HughesThis story from Langston Hughes contrasts two women with very different outlooks on life. A wealthy, white, middle-aged widow finds purpose and intimacy through the patronization of young artists. Tensions emerge when the woman, who expects her protégés to behave in a manner consistent with her high social standing, takes on a black pianist for the first time. The talented, independent, working class young woman has her own ideas on life, love, and the music she wants to play. Themes: art, paternalism vs. independence, race and racism, sexuality, the significance and transforming power of music.

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The Country Husband

The Country Husband: Short story by John CheeverRather than wide-open spaces far from a city, John Cheever’s “country husband” lives on a large block in an upper-class New England suburb. A near-death experience results in a growing awareness of the shortcomings of his way of life. He becomes more demanding and impulsive, leading to a dangerous infatuation with an underage teen, out-of-character behavior that causes his family to become social outcasts, and an argument that almost destroys his marriage. A psychiatrist has an innovative solution. Themes: appearances vs. reality, conformity, isolation, loneliness, lack of fulfillment, materialism, marriage (gender roles/domesticity, lack of communication/intimacy,), sexual fantasy.

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The Purloined Letter

The Purloined Letter: Short story by Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe is famous for his horror stories. However, only about fifteen of his sixty or so stories are of this kind.He is also widely recognized as the “father” of modern detective fiction thanks to his three tales featuring the Chevalier [Sir] Auguste Dupin. In a manner later emulated by the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, Dupin succeeds where eminent policemen fail… in this case, simply by recognizing that the best place to hide something important is in plain sight. Themes: blackmail, political manipulation, deception, linear (scientific) vs. lateral thinking.

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The Challenge

The Challenge: Short story by Gary SotoIn Gary Soto’s The Challenge, a young boy looking for romance learns how NOT to impress girls. Rather than being himself, he tries to prove how good he is: first academically by acing a history quiz, and later through a boastful lie and ill-fated racquet ball game. His sexist opinion that winning against a girl should be easy sets him up for an embarrassing fall. Ironically, if he had been confident enough to talk a little more with the girl, he might have learned the origin of her nickname and spared himself some pain. Themes: shyness, being yourself, dishonesty, sexism.

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The Adventure

The Adventure: Short story by Jayant NarlikarIn this story by Jayant Narlikar, an Indian historian “disappears” for three days after a car accident. As he explains to a friend, he spent the time in a different, more advanced reality. Research at a library shows that a change in the outcome of a famous eighteenth century battle had set India on a different course, avoiding British rule. The story uses the scientific concepts of catastrophe theory and quantum physics to explain themes of alternative history and parallel worlds. Other themes include pride, obsession, confusion, colonialisation, scientific enquiry.

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The Stonecutter

The Stone Cutter: Japanese folktale from Andrew LangThis folktale from Japan is about a hardworking man who leads a poor but happy life until the day a mountain spirit decides to grant him several wishes. Predictably, his initial wish is for riches. When this does not satisfy, he craves power. He starts with power over man (as a prince), and moves on to power over nature (as the sun, a cloud, and a great rock on a mountainside). He is never satisfied until finally realizing that a humble stonecutter has as much power as anyone or anything on Earth.

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