Novelette by Raymond Carver. Parents mount a vigil by their unconscious son’s hospital bed. Whenever one of them goes home to freshen up and feed the family dog, they receive prank phone calls mentioning the boy’s name. The boy dies after three days, but the calls continue.
Novella by Banana Yoshimoto. A young woman and man suffer similar feelings of grief and loneliness after being left alone in the world following the death of a loved-one. Fortunately, each finds the strength to rebuild their life thanks to the friendship and support of the other.
Grade 7-8 Story by Langston Hughes. A woman catches a teenage thief as he tries to steal her handbag. She knows what it is like to grow up poor and, instead of handing the lad over to the police, takes him home for a meal and friendly chat.
Short Story by Shiga Naoya. The naïve wife of a rural businessman is either seduced by or coerced into having sex with a predatory novelist. Surprisingly, in addition to appearing remarkably understanding, the woman’s husband is sexually aroused by her experience. The woman’s reaction is equally surprising.
Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe. A man visits a childhood friend in his crumbling family mansion to help him cope with an “illness”. An interdependent relationship exists between the friend, his twin sister and the house (some say a shared soul), which ends in the downfall of all three.