Frontier Road - Short Stories (written by humans)

A Short Story about how we sometimes miss meanings by being too literal.

Hello Congregation. This short reading and podcast discussion is brought to you by Frontier Road Podcast, a non-denominational, non-affiliate, non-interesting podcast. This sunday school presentation of John 21 is a discussion between a pastor and a parishioner about the curious ending of the Gospel of John, including the statement of “We” and the mystery of its authorship. Though historically and...

This true story is brought to you by Frontier Road Podcast . Francis Darwin, the third son of Charles Darwin, followed in his father's footsteps as a botanist. He worked closely with Charles on experiments related to plant movements. In 1887, Francis edited The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin , a biography that provided an intimate look into his father’s life and included previously unpubli...

Fanny Stenhouse spent most of her adult life as a Mormon. At eighteen, she broke her engagement to marry the Scottish Mormon missionary responsible for her conversion. Together, they had six children. The Stenhouses performed missionary work in Switzerland before emigrating to New York in 1855, and eventually settling in Utah in 1859. In Salt Lake City, Fanny founded and edited the Daily Telegraph...

In "Losing My Spouse to Pickleball," Charlotte and Doug Dent, a couple married for 26 years, find themselves drifting apart as Doug becomes increasingly absorbed in his new hobby, pickleball. On the night of their anniversary celebration, Doug arrives home late after another round of pickleball, leaving Charlotte feeling neglected and hurt. Despite her attempts to voice her frustrations...

Prologue, Written by Me. When I was young, I thought my dad was the best man in the world. And maybe he is, but I don't think so anymore. I don't like him anymore. I can't even stand to be in the same room with him. Sure, I'll miss him when he's gone, and I'll remember the good memories. He never hurt me physically, and he provided well for me. I don't want to complain....

"My Ántonia" by Willa Cather is a novel about memory, the immigrant experience, and the American frontier. The story is narrated by Jim Burden, a successful New York lawyer who reflects on his childhood in the Nebraska prairie and his deep friendship with Ántonia Shimerda, an immigrant girl from Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic). The novel begins with Jim Burden as a young orphan, movi...

The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" written by Civilla D. Martin has recently been added to the LDS hymnals. This podcast uses the hymn as a reflection on life’s natural cycle, drawing inspiration from the experiences of the author of the text and the origins of the hymn. By examining the life cycle of a sparrow—from birth to death—as a metaphor for our own lives, it explores the hymn w...

"I Remember, I Remember" by Thomas Hood is a nostalgic poem reflecting on the poet's childhood memories and the contrast between the innocence and joy of youth and the disillusionment of adulthood.

The following is a fictional conversation between Herman Melville, the author of Moby-Dick , and Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS Church. In this imagined dialogue, Melville shares insights from his classic novel, Moby-Dick . One particular chapter, Chapter 86, titled "The Tail," offers an unexpectedly profound reflection on experiences within a Mormon temple. While ostensibly about...

This is a reading of Jane Austen's most prized work, Pride and Prejudice. It has been condensed and modernized by Frontier Road Podcast. We have tried to maintain its original charm, while keeping a pace and style that is more appealing to some modern audiences. As an interesting aside, Jane Austen sold all rights to her book for 110 pounds, which is the equivalent today of about 11 thousand d...

Ozempic Envy – A short story by Franz Bradford. Walks into Church. Sits down at their favorite pew. Which being said as favorite, makes it sound like it is envied by them or others. It’s not. It’s just a comfortable pew. The pew they’ve sat at for the past 20 years of marriage. The pews they’ve seen their kids grown into and out of. The pew that feels empty now that their kids are leaving home.   ...

The first two chapters of Moby Dick in 101 Pages, which is an abridged edition of Moby Dick. The book, and this reading, contains footnoted insights into the novel and the mind of the author Herman Melville. This reading includes Chapters 1 and 2.

And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Thomas's poem can be read not as a plea to persevere, but as a bitter backlash against the cruelty of life. It was written during a period when Thomas watched his alcoholic father succumb to apathy, illness, blindnes...

Excerpt from the short story about a husband/father in a mid life crisis trying to find some purpose: "Oh Jesus, my life is good, but it sucks so much." "Honey, can you empty the dishwasher?" Sure, why not. I've got nothing else to do , I mutter…to myself..  But out loud too. Why the hell not. I’ve got nothing else to do. Wish I did, but I don’t. But emptying the dishwasher...

Mother to Son Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ‘Cau...

There is a song, in the hit musical Hamilton, titled Hurricane. The lyrics of the first four verses are:   In the eye of a hurricane There is quiet For just a moment A yellow sky When I was seventeen a hurricane Destroyed my town I didn't drown I couldn't seem to die I wrote my way out Wrote everything down far as I could see I wrote my way out I looked up and the town had its eyes on me T...

Dear Son, In hallowed halls of carpeted walls, our tale unfolds, Loyalty’s flame, a father holds, A clash of spirits, unyielding, fierce, As love and duty combine, pierce. Behold! My son, with earnest eyes, Embracing gospel’s call, your soul takes life, In each obedient step, you sail my course, A blessing to me, an unwavering force. Your heart, a vessel of faith’s bright flame, In the chains of c...

1). Only a Dad by Edgar Guest; 2). On Children By Kahlil Gibran; 3). If by Rudyard Kipling; 4). So God Made a Farmer by Paul Harvey

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost The woods beckoned Frost as a refuge from the enormous personal tragedies he endured throughout his life. Of his six children with wife Elinor, four preceded him in death - son Elliott from cholera as a young boy, daughters Marjorie from puerperal fever after childbirth, and Elinor Bettina just one day after being born. His wife hers...

“A Very Short Story” by Ernest Hemingway. To the Reader. This is a very short story, only 683 words long, which fits our podcast really well. We like short stories that keep a reader’s attention. We also like longer stories that are interesting. But this one is fine. It captures the heart of a soldier during World War One and may be loosely based on Hemingway’s own experience. You see, during Worl...

This revised (shortened and commented) edition of "The Great Gatsby" may appeal to contemporary readers seeking a more streamlined and modernized version of the classic novel, making it more approachable and engaging. By condensing the text and focusing on the four central characters—Nick Carraway, Daisy, Tom, and Jordan—the story's essence is sharpened, providing a deeper exploratio...

Sunday Morning by Wallace Stevens (1915) The poem “Sunday Morning” explores the pursuit of finding meaning in life without relying on religious convictions. Instead of engaging in a debate over the existence of a divine entity, the poem suggests that traditional religious frameworks, especially within Christianity, no longer offer the profound significance they once did. So, even though a God may...

The Mystery of Bulkington, a lesser known character in Moby Dick. Why was he put in the book? Did Melville have a larger role in mind for him but kind of forgot about him? Bulkington's "godliness" stemmed not from any aspiration to being worshipped, but from his commitment to a life at sea. He was heroically indifferent to the temptations of security and comfort on land that entice m...

*The following short story "Soldier's Home," written by Ernest Hemingway and initially published in 1925, falls within the public domain in the United States. Ignoring our own usual standards, we have refrained from abridging or altering this work. It stands independently as a reflective narrative on the experiences of young men navigating life's transitions. The protagonist, Har...