Quick Read by Isaac Asimov. Scientists panic when a powerful computer critical to the global economy doesn’t respond to commands. After three days work, they identify the “key item” needed to fix the problem. And it turns out to be something that we are all taught to use as children!
Grade 3-4 Story by Vivien Alcock. Two children are horrified when their kindly Aunt Janet gets married and is replaced by wicked, cruel Aunt Gertrude. To their dismay, one evening she forces them to take a short cut home from town through the haunted Teppit's Wood.
Short Story by Yasunari Kawabata. A small bird is upset because it can’t find a lost chick that has fallen from its nest. A young woman about to enter into an arranged marriage also feels lost. Her father and stepmother are coming to visit with the mother of her fiancé.
Short Story by Lu Xun. This diarist’s madness is paranoia, stemming from strange looks he thinks he is getting from fellow villagers. On learning of an act of ritual cannibalism in a neighboring village, he concludes that the villagers including his own brother, intend to make a meal of him.
Short Story by Anton Chekhov. A young woman dreams about getting married and settling down happily with the perfect man. One night, she has a vision of the reality of living and raising a family in rural Russia and asks herself: “Why is it, what is it for?”