Featured Stories

The Refugee

The Refugee: Short story by K. A. AbbasThis story by K. A. Abbas deals with the social upheaval caused by the 1947 Partition of India. Told from the perspective of an elderly Sikh woman, it compares the community spirit and religious tolerance that existed before Partition with the hatred, bloodshed and displacement of Sikh and Hindu families that occurred afterwards. The compassionate, once wealthy protagonist, who lost everything when forced to flee Rawalpindi, demonstrates neither bitterness nor self-pity. However, she still sheds a tear for the “soft” memories like ripe apricots and fragrant baggoogoshas… Themes include brotherhood and inclusiveness vs. religious hostility, alienation, suffering, identity, resilience.

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Broken Chain

Broken Chain: Short story by Gary SotoThe major lesson of this story from Gary Soto is that what someone is like on the inside is more important than his or her looks. An insecure seventh-grader is obsessed with his appearance (teeth, V-cut abs, hairstyle and clothes). His outlook on relationships changes when an act of kindness results in a bike-riding “date” with a girl. When his bicycle chain breaks, it looks like the date will be a disaster. Fortunately, his older brother comes to the rescue and the boy experiences his first touch of “love”. Themes: identity vs. appearance, sibling rivalry (jealousy) / brotherly love, courage.

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Flowers and Freckle Cream

Flowers and Freckle Cream: Short story by Elizabeth EllisThe protagonist in this story by Elizabeth Ellis is a twelve-year-old girl. Although set in the American backwoods around seventy years ago, hundreds of millions of men, women and children today share her desire to change their complexion or body shape to one considered more attractive by their peers. Major themes of the story are being comfortable with how you look and, as symbolized by the flowers, beauty comes in many shapes and forms. Minor themes are thoughtlessness (the mother’s comment ”You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”) and the wisdom that comes with advancing age.

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Mowgli’s Brothers

Mowgli's Brothers: Short story by Rudyard KiplingThe major themes of this children’s story from Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book are nature vs. nurture, identity, and respect for the law. When an abandoned “man cub” is adopted by a family of wolves, the wolf parents face two challenges: having the child accepted as a member of the Pack, and protecting him from a crazed tiger who does not follow the “Law of the Jungle”. Things go well until the awakening of the boy’s human reasoning capacity leads to an existential crisis and his eventual expulsion from the Pack. Other themes: abandonment and adoption, family, community, envy, survival.

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The False Prince and True

The False Prince and True: Portuguese folktale from Andrew LangThis Portuguese folktale begins with a king learning about an argument between his son and a young nobleman on a tennis court. The prince spoke rudely to the noble, who lost his temper and hit him. Although the king is angrier with his son for not fighting back than the noble, hitting the prince is punishable by death. The only way the noble can save himself is to marry a very ugly, very old woman. As is often the case in folktales, there is a lot of magic around and some surprises are on the way for all involved.

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Beware of the Dog

Beware of the Dog: Short story by Roald DahlThis story by Roald Dahl opens with a World War 2 fighter pilot trying to get his badly damaged plane back to England. As he muses about how stoically he will tell his ground crew that he has lost a leg, he is forced to bail out. He wakes up, his injuries already treated, in hospital. He is initially relieved to learn that he had landed in Brighton. However, over the next twenty-four hours, he gradually realizes that something is wrong. Themes: war casualties, courage, determination, deception (looks can be deceiving), duty..

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The Tall Woman

The Tall Woman: Short story by Pedro Antonio de AlarcónIn this story by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, a young engineer’s life-long phobia about meeting a woman on a deserted street in the early hours of the morning appears well-founded. On two nights, three years apart, he encounters the same tall, fearsome-looking woman. On each occasion, he receives news of the of death of a loved one the following morning. To add to the mystery, when the engineer dies several months later, the tall woman appears at the cemetery and laughs as his coffin is unloaded from the hearse. Themes include irrational fear, coincidence vs. fate, the supernatural.

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The Monkey’s Paw

The Monkey's Paw: Short story by W. W. JacobsToday we are bringing you The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs, one of the most famous horror stories of all time. First published in 1902, it has since appeared in many forms including live plays, movies, TV shows, radio plays, books, comics and cartoons (even a Simpsons episode!). In the story, a man makes a wish upon an enchanted monkey’s paw with disastrous results for his family. First, some advice before you start to read. Don’t do it sitting at home alone on a dark and stormy night! Themes: family, greed, tempting fate, industrialization (work safety), death, the supernatural.

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