This Chinese folktale tells of two friends who would do anything for each other. One day they decide to go for a walk in a forest. During the walk, the friends see a gold nugget on the path. Unable to decide who should have it, they leave it where it is so as not to cause trouble between them. They later tell a greedy farmer about the nugget. He goes to get it, and becomes angry when he finds something unpleasant in its place. The two friends go back to look, and are well rewarded for their trouble. More…
Signs and Symbols
Vladimir Nabokov once indicated that Signs and Symbols contains a second story hidden behind various textual clues. The frame story, which involves an elderly couple’s dilemma about how to deal with their institutionalized mentally ill son, is a moving piece of dramatic prose in its own right. The supposed inner story has been the subject of much speculation. So far, nobody has convincingly decoded it. Perhaps there is none, Nabokov’s intention being to encourage readers to pay more attention to the signs and symbols in their own lives. Themes include mental illness, alienation, misfortune, suffering, poverty, death, parental love, hope. More…
Amnesty
In this story by Jose Dalisay Jr., a chance encounter on a bus contrasts the directions taken by two student revolutionaries during the Philippine’s Marcos dictatorship. One stayed true to the cause and has just been released from prison under a general amnesty declared by the incoming government. After six years in jail, she appears physically broken but emotionally strong. The other chose “survival”, privately supporting the cause but publically embracing and prospering under the corrupt system. He fears for his comfortable lifestyle. Themes include oppression, courage and remaining true to a cause, sacrifice, hypocrisy, guilt and regret, hope. More…
The Rememberer
In this story from Aimee Bender, a man who is so sad about the world that he laments thinking about it has a wish come true. For no apparent reason he begins to experience reverse evolution, shedding millions of years a day. He regresses into an ape, then a sea turtle, and finally a small salamander, which his lover frees into the ocean. All she has left is her memories of him, which she clings to because if he’s not here, it’s her job to remember. Themes include overthinking and emotional detachment, love and caregiving, loss and remembrance. More…
The Shadow in the Rose Garden
This story by D. H. Lawrence is about a couple in a loveless marriage. Upon learning that her ex-lover had died, the woman married “below her station”. She convinces her husband to holiday in the village where she met the lover. While visiting a rose garden, she finds him still alive. However, he has suffered brain damage and doesn’t remember her. During an argument, the woman tells her husband about the relationship. His responses range from disbelief to jealousy, anger, rage and finally, grudging acceptance. The big question: What drove the ex-lover to “chuck” the woman and go away? More…