Stories

Circus performers, one a dwarf and the other an average sized woman, get married. What happens next is not a match made in heaven, but a sordid tale of revenge and torture. This story was made into a movie called "Freaks" and became a cult classic.

This short story by Australian writer Barbara Baynton was made into a movie in 2019. It won two awards at the Canberra Film Festival. A young woman is alone with her infant in the Australian bush or outback while her husband is away working. One night she is stalked by a swagman or itinerant laborer and does everything in her power to save herself and her baby.

A mongoose protects his human family from the predations of two king cobras.

A cat and a stranger struggle to survive the winter in the mountains. They rely on one another for sustenance and companionship. Each needing what the other can give. Until one day spring arrives.

Psychological warfare. A young lady accompanies her father on an annual trip across the plains in the 1800s. She disobeys the order given by the plainsmen hired to protect them, and rides out of sight of the caravan. What follows is a terrifying game of chicken. This story is part of "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" nominated for 3 Academy Awards, and voted best movie of 2018.

If every writer wrote an essay on "Why I Write", we would be gifted with compelling insights into the motivations and mysteries that lie at the heart of creativity. George Orwell wrote one such essay. And even the fact that he felt the need to explain why he writes is interesting in and of itself. Listen to this fascinating account by one of the 20th century's most quoted authors and whose name be...

A woman's life is spent serving people and ensuring that the animals in her care are fed. She is on her way home, one cold winter's night, when fate steps in. The narrator of the story wants to get this story right because the memory of it left such an impression on him as a boy.

Pretty girls are judged more harshly than average looking ones. Everything they say and everything they do is always in the spotlight. It's not always easy to know the correct thing to say or do especially when you are 16 years old. This is a story about a beautiful girl who was attacked and what she did to get on with her life and how she finally made a fatal error.

They even had cougars back in the 1800s. And I don't mean the big cats, I mean older women who are attracted to young men. In this story she is called "La Lupa" or she-wolf. It all takes place in rural Sicily among the fermenting olives. Yes, they would be enough to drive anyone mad with desire. Have fun.

If you are nice to children, they will be nice to you, otherwise...A little boy, a garden shed and a vicious god. Enjoy this horror story by Scottish writer Saki.

Always listen to the old timers. Find out what happened to a man, in the far north and in extreme cold, when he didn't listen to good advice. A classic by Jack London.

The Outcasts of Poker Flat is a story by Bret Harte an American writer. It was made into a movie in 1919, 1937 and 1952. It is a story about the cruelty that society can inflict on its fellow human beings. This tale is all the more remarkable because of the resigned attitude of the victims. There is some defiance shown by Mother Shipton, but it pales in comparison with the "sentence" met...

Two criminals decide to capture a boy and hold him for ransom. They get way more than they bargained for. Enjoy this classic, humorous story by American writer O. Henry.

Welcome to Stories. A weekly podcast of short stories by good writers. This episode is called 'A Jury of her Peers'. It is based on the true story of a woman who was charged with her husband's murder. The author, Susan Glaspell, was a court reporter at this trial. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1980 in the Best Short Story category. It was also an episode on Alfred Hitchcock...