75 Short Short Stories

Stories to enjoy when you have five minutes to spare, grouped by category to
suit your mood: Witty Stories, Introspective Stories, Morality Tales, Other-
Worldly Stories, Feel-Good/Love Stories, Dramatic Stories, and Political
Farce Stories

Had a rough day? Cheer up with 50 Great Feel-Good Stories and a

generous helping of comforting Foodie Stories

Witty Stories

 The Eyes Have It by Philip K. Dick

A poke at idioms, sci-fi style. If we read everything literally, we'd go mad. You'll be "in
stitches" by the time you're done reading Dick's "side-splitting" story!

 Wit Inspirations of the "Two-Year-Olds" by Mark Twain

"'Samuel is a very excellent name.' I saw that trouble was coming. Nothing could prevent
it."

 Maine to the Rescue by Laura E. Richards

A late winter blizzard is just the occasion for Maine (the girl) to step out and save the
day!

 The Disciple by Oscar Wilde

 The familiar story of Narcissus, but from the pool's point of view.

The Fable of the Preacher Who Flew His

Kite

 The Fable of the Preacher Who Flew His Kite, But Not Because He Wished
to Do So by George Ade

"Give the People what they Think they want" is the clear moral imperative in this story.

 A Strange Story by O. Henry

As the title implies, O. Henry delivers an unexpected story about a delayed errand in
search of cough medicine that requires patients-- two, in fact.

 A Lost Masterpiece by A.A. Milne

 Winnie the Pooh author offers a witty piece on how to handle "Teralbay" -- all 181,440
ways.

 Clovis on Parental Responsibilities by H.H. Munro (SAKI)

SAKI's precursor to what we now call "helicopter parenting."

 My Financial Career by Stephen Leacock

Here's an account of how a man really lost his balance.

 The New Food by Stephen Leacock

What? All the nutrients you need in one little pill? Leacock's story provides just one
scenario for why this invention failed miserably.

 Aristocracy Versus Hash by O. Henry

Who cares about your family tree. Nothing beats an irish stew, cornbread, and a beer!
 Borrowing a Match

 Borrowing a Match by Stephen Leacock

A simple request from a stranger is no "match" for what happens next.

 Lord Oakhurst's Curse by O. Henry

This story would make a steam piano go out behind a barn and kick itself in despair.

 A Telephonic Conversation by Mark Twain

Twain's humorous rant contrasting how women talk on the telephone compared to men.

 The Prisoner of Zembla by O. Henry

Isn't this a story about two knights fighting for the hand of a fair maiden?
 Reginald on Worries by H.H. Munro (SAKI)

"They remind one so of a duck that goes flapping about with forced cheerfulness long
after its head's been cut off."

 Reginald's Peace Poem by H.H. Munro (SAKI)

"In writing about Peace the thing is to say what everybody else is saying, only to say it
better."

About Barbers

 About Barbers by Mark Twain

Why don't men just go to a salon where they can make an appointment, instead of this
nonsense?

 The Dog by Banjo Paterson

"A dog always looks as if he ought to have a pipe in his mouth and a black bag for his
lunch, and then he would go quite happily to office every day."

 The Patient Cat by Laura E. Richards

“Well, of all the horrid, mean, ungrateful creatures I ever saw, those birds are the
horridest, and the meanest, and the most ungrateful!"
 The Patient Cat

 A Monument to Adam by Mark Twain

"We had monkeys, and 'missing links,' and plenty of other kinds of ancestors, but no
Adam."

 The Whistle by Benjamin Franklin

"When I see a beautiful sweet-tempered girl married to an ill-natured brute of a husband,

What a pity, say I, that she should pay so much for a whistle!"

 A Country Cottage by Anton Chekhov

Looking forward to a nice quiet evening together, when suddenly...unexpected visitors.

 The Night Came Slowly

Introspective Stories

 The Night Came Slowly by Kate Chopin

"The night came slowly, softly, as I lay out there under the maple tree."

 An Idle Fellow by Kate Chopin

"I think I shall walk a space through the world with my friend Paul."

 An Imperial Message by Franz Kafka

This metaphysical story feels almost like a Kafka-esque "Where's Waldo?"

 An Imperial Message

 The Haunted Mind by Nathaniel Hawthorne

"In the depths of every heart there is a tomb and a dungeon, though the lights, the music
and revelry, above may cause us to forget their existence and the buried ones or
prisoners whom they hide."

 Change by Theodore Dreiser

"If I were to preach any doctrine to the world it would be love of change, or at least lack
of fear of it."

 A Handful of Clay by Henry van Dyke

"It was only common clay, coarse and heavy; but it had high thoughts of its own value,
and wonderful dreams..."

 Amy's Question by T.S. Arthur

"Isn't it beautiful, mother? And it makes me feel so quiet and happy. I wonder why it is?"
 The Blind Men and the Elephant

 The Blind Men and the Elephant by James Baldwin

This parable originally from India has been adapted by many religions and cultures with
the underlying message that collective wisdom leads to the truth.

 A Reflection by Kate Chopin

"It is greater than the stars--that moving procession of human energy."