Featured Stories

In the Family

In the Family: Short story by María Elena LlanaThis story from Cuban writer María Elena Llana uses a combination of humour and magical realty to highlight the potentially fatal consequences of pride. The victim (Clara), having excelled at university but never bothered to look for work, seems to think her formal education puts her above other family members. One evening, while “holding court” over dinner with her extended family (both living and dead) she learns the error of her ways. The next day she finds herself sitting on the other (dead family’s) side of the table. Themes: pride, acceptance of the unusual, the supernatural.

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The Bunyip

The Bunyip: Australian Aboriginal Myth from Andrew LangFolklore is full of stories of fierce mythical creatures. North America has Bigfoot or the Sasquatch, Nepal and Tibet have the Yeti, and Australia has the Yowie/Yahoo and water-dwelling Bunyip. Bunyip sightings have been reported since the early days of settlement, and today’s story is one of the first literary accounts of the creature. A foolish aboriginal hunter tries to kidnap a Bunyip cub, secure in the knowledge that he can out-run its clumsy mother on land. He learns too late that the mother has magic powers that will change his people forever.

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The Spider Thread

The Spider Thread: Short story by Ryunosuke AkutagawaAlthough initially published in a children’s magazine, this story from Ryūnosuke Akutagawa is equally relevant to adults. Lord Buddha takes pity on a notorious criminal and sends a “life-line” in the form of a spider’s thread to help him escape from hell. For young readers, this is a parable about selfishness and sharing. For older readers, it is also a lesson on compassion. Kandata’s fate was sealed well before he screamed at those following to get off “his” thread. True compassion would have involved finding a way to share the thread with fellow sufferers before he started climbing.

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The Frog

The Frog: Italian folktale from Andrew LangMost ‘frog’ folktales involve a frog prince or at the very least a male frog. However, in this story from Italy, a female frog makes friends with a young man and helps him keep his mother happy as he searches for a wife. Little does the young man know that his perfect woman is sitting on a rock beside him. Three possible morals: 1) Sometimes we don’t appreciate those around us enough; 2) Often the thing we are looking for is right under our noses; 3) Or how about the English idiom beauty is only (frog) skin deep.

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Anandi

Anandi: Short story by Ghulam AbbasThis story by Ghulam Abbas illustrates how the “world’s oldest profession” can assist in regional growth. Concerned about the appearance of prostitutes plying their trade around the town bazzar, the authorities of a Pakistani city banish them to a bare patch of land twelve miles out of town. A small marketplace develops around them, and over the years the outpost grows into a thriving new city of 250,000 people. Concerned about the appearance of prostitutes, the new city’s authorities banish them to a bare patch of land twenty-four miles out of town… Themes include politics, prostitution, persecution, enterprise, urban development.

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Mateo Falcone

Mateo Falcone: Short story by Prosper MériméeThis disturbing tale by Prosper Mérimée has been called “the cruellest story in the world”. Although it deals with some complex issues, the plot is rather simple. Set in the wilds of Corsica, a bratty ten-year-old boy left home alone is confronted by a wounded criminal fleeing the police. He pays the boy to hide him but, when the police arrive and offer a bigger reward, the boy betrays the man. This brings shame upon his family, and forces his father to enforce the Corsican Code of Honor. Themes include greed, honor and betrayal, custom (vendetta), violence and brutality.

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Ripe Figs

Ripe Figs: Flash story by Kate ChopinThis flash story by Kate Chopin packs several themes into less than 300 words. The most obvious are the different perspectives on the marking and passage of time. Maman-Nainaine is close to the land and marks events by natural cycles as opposed to the calendar. For her, like many older people, the weeks and months pass quickly. For Babette, thanks to the impatience of youth, time seems to move slowly when looking forward to something. The symbolism of ripening figs (representing the maturing of Babette into womanhood) and chrysanthemums (the “death flower” in Creole culture) indicate other possible themes.

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My Jockey

My Jockey: Short story by Lucia BerlinToday we have what is probably the best-known (and shortest!) story of Lucia Berlin. Although not much more than a snippet, it is a wonderful example of the descriptive and emotive power of her writing. Set in a hospital, the protagonist is an emergency room nurse who finds “connection” in the broken bodies and needs of the real men who come into her care. Her favorites (the most broken) are the jockeys, and her favorite among these is Muñoz whose pain results in her comforting and cradling him like a baby. Themes: loneliness, human connection, empathy, motherhood.

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