Short Story

When the White family comes into the possession of a monkey’s paw that magically grant wishes, they do what many people would do—they succumb to vanity and wish for the unneeded. But every wish has a consequence, and the White family finds they are completely unprepared for what comes next. The Monkey’s Paw is a classic horror tale that gives new meaning to the phrase “be careful what you wish for.” One of W.W. Jacob's most memorable works, The Monkey’s Paw has become a classic horror story and has been adapted numerous times, including into episodes of such popular television series as The X-Files, The Twilight Zone, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Tales from the Crypt.

The Most Dangerous Game features a big-game hunter from New York who becomes shipwrecked on an isolated island in the Caribbean and is hunted by a Russian aristocrat.

The Lottery, one of the most terrifying stories written in this century, created a sensation when it was first published in The New Yorker. "Power and haunting," and "nights of unrest" were typical reader responses. This collection, the only one to appear during Shirley Jackson's lifetime, unites "The Lottery:" with twenty\-four equally unusual stories. Together they demonstrate Jackson's remarkable range\-\-from the hilarious to the truly horrible\-\-and power as a storyteller.

The advanced technology of a house first pleases then increasingly terrifies its occupants.

Part of the High Impact series this classic text is retold in an accessible style for those with a reading age of six to seven years. Can Sherlock Holmes solve the mystery of the death of Helen's sister in time to save Helen's own life?

Diagnosed by her physician husband with a “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency” after the birth of her child, a woman is urged to rest for the summer in an old colonial mansion. Forbidden from doing work of any kind, she spends her days in the house’s former nursery, with its barred windows, scratched floor, and peeling yellow wallpaper. In a private journal, the woman records her growing obsession with the “horrid” wallpaper. Its strange pattern mutates in the moonlight, revealing what appears to be a human figure in the design. With nothing else to occupy her mind, the woman resolves to unlock the mystery of the wallpaper. Her quest, however, leads not to the truth, but into the darkest depths of madness. A condemnation of the patriarchy, The Yellow Wallpaper explores with terrifying economy the oppression, grave misunderstanding, and willful dismissal of women in late nineteenth\-century society. First published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine. Excerpt: Out of another I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf belonging to the estate. There is a beautiful shaded lane that runs down there from the house. I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths and arbors, but John has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the least. He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story\-making a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency. So I try.

Young Nick Adams is exposed for the first time to life and death as he assists his father, a country doctor, with an emergency caesarian section on a young woman at a secluded Indian camp. “Indian Camp” was the first story feature the semi-autobiographical character Nick Adams, and is considered one of the most important stories in Hemingway’s canon. One of America’s foremost journalists and authors, Ernest Hemingway as also a master of the short story genre, penning more than fifty short stories during his career, many of which featured one of his most popular prose characters, Nick Adams. The most popular of Hemingway’s short stories include “Hills Like White Elephants,” “Indian Camp,” “The Big Two-Hearted River,” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.

Science fiction and fantasy stories about Japan by the multiple-award winning author and New York Times best seller Catherynne M. Valente. A collection of some of Catherynne Valente's most admired stories, including the Hugo Award-nominated novella "Silently and Very Fast" and the Locus Award finalist "13 Ways of Looking at Space/Time," with a brand-new long story to anchor the collection. Contents: The Melancholy of Mechagirl (2011) poem Ink, Water, Milk (2013) Fifteen Panels Depicting the Sadness of the Baku and the Jotai (2010) Ghosts of Gunkanjima (2005) Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time (2010) One Breath, One Stroke (2012) Story No. 6 (2013) Fade to White (2012) The Emperor of Tsukayama Park (2005) poem Killswitch (2007) Memoirs of a Girl Who Failed to Be Born from a Peach (2005) poem The Girl with Two Skins (2008) poem Silently and Very Fast (2011)

A short story, based on characters from Solitaire – praised as ‘The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age’ — The Times I used to think that difficult was better than boring, but I know better now … I’m not going to think about the past few months, about Charlie and me, and all of the sad. I’m going to block it all out. Just for today. "Happy Christmas," I say. The festive season isn't always happy for Tori and her brother Charlie. And this year's going to be harder than most.

Heart of Darkness, a novel by Joseph Conrad, was originally a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine in 1899. It is a story within a story, following a character named Charlie Marlow, who recounts his adventure to a group of men onboard an anchored ship. The story told is of his early life as a ferry boat captain. Although his job was to transport ivory downriver, Charlie develops an interest in investing an ivory procurement agent, Kurtz, who is employed by the government. Preceded by his reputation as a brilliant emissary of progress, Kurtz has now established himself as a god among the natives in “one of the darkest places on earth.” Marlow suspects something else of Kurtz: he has gone mad. A reflection on corruptive European colonialism and a journey into the nightmare psyche of one of the corrupted, Heart of Darkness is considered one of the most influential works ever written.

1 hour, 47 minutes From the New York Times best-selling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility comes a stylish and alluring new story about art, money, and a precious family heirloom - brought magically to life by the beloved voice of six-time Emmy-winner John Lithgow. Like many well-to-do Upper East Siders over the age of 65, esteemed art appraiser Percival Skinner had planned to spend his retirement living off his savings. But a market correction has left him living below his prior means. One day he’s visited by a dapper fixer in search of a famous work by the Renaissance master Giuseppe Didomenico. Skinner knows the work well: The original was owned by his ancestor, and was passed down through his family over the generations. If, as an intermediary, he can coordinate a sale, a small fortune awaits. Problem is, he might not be the only one on the make. Told with the quixotic energy of a classic Henry James tale and the gleeful absurdity of drawing-room comedy, this playful and effortlessly heartwarming story from one of America’s most gifted writers is a welcome reminder that sometimes what we find is more valuable than what we are looking for.

Immerse yourself in an Audible Original production of The Little Mermaid. A magical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, narrated by singer-songwriter Leigh-Anne Pinnock. Produced in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, and featuring vocals from anaiis, Kersha Bailey, Sariah Rowe and Nadine Samuels, this is The Little Mermaid like you’ve never heard it before. Deep beneath the ocean, there is a shimmering palace. Built of coral walls and windows of clearest amber, it is the kingdom of the merpeople. And one of these mermaids you might know well: she is the youngest, and is gifted with the most beautiful voice. Unhappy with her life as a mermaid, she dreams of living on dry land. One day, on her birthday, she ascends to the surface to find a magnificent three-masted ship drifting in calm waters. There, amongst the passengers, she meets the brown-eyed prince. To win his affection, the little mermaid sells a piece of herself—and is faced with a monumental choice. Run time 43 Minutes

Nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it. Like the Skin Horse, Margery Williams understood how toys—and people—become real through the wisdom and experience of love. This reissue of a favorite classic, with the original story and illustrations as they first appeared in 1922, will work its magic for all who read it.

With an Introduction and Notes by Professor Stephen Arkin, San Francisco State University. Katherine Mansfield is widely regarded as a writer who helped create the modern short story. Born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1888, she came to London in 1903 to attend Queen's College and returned permanently in 1908. her first book of stories, 'In a German Pension', appeared in 1911, and she went on to write and publish an extraordinary body of work. This edition of The Collected Stories brings together all of the stories that Mansfield had written up until her death in January of 1923. With an introduction and head-notes, this volume allows the reader to become familiar with the complete range of Mansfield's work from the early, satirical stories set in Bavaria, through the luminous recollections of her childhood in New Zealand, and through the mature, deeply felt stories of her last years. Admired by Virginia Woolf in her lifetime and by many writers since her death, Katherine Mansfield is one of the great literary artists of the twentieth century.

CHARLIE: “I have been going out with Nick Nelson for two years. He likes rugby, Formula 1, dogs, the Marvel universe, the sound felt-tips make on paper, rain and drawing on shoes. He also likes me.” NICK: “Things me and Charlie Spring do together include: Watch films. Sit in the same room on different laptops. Text each other from different rooms. Make out. Make food. Make drinks. Get drunk. Talk. Argue. Laugh. Maybe we're kind of boring. But that’s fine with us.” Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie are the perfect couple – that they’re inseparable. But now Nick is leaving for university, and Charlie will be left behind at Sixth Form. Everyone’s asking if they’re staying together, which is a stupid question – they’re ‘Nick and Charlie’, for God’s sake! But as the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Or are they delaying the inevitable? Because everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever…

Aus der Buchbeschreibung: Andersens Märchen, die in mehr als 125 Sprachen übersetzt wurden, sind fest im kollektiven Bewusstsein des Westens verankert. Sie sind für Kinder leicht zugänglich, vermitteln aber auch erwachsenen Lesern Lehren über Tugend und Widerstandskraft angesichts von Widrigkeiten. Dieser Titel ist Teil von Andersens Märchen, Band 2. Über den Autor Hans Christian Andersen, eine der bekanntesten Persönlichkeiten der Literatur, ist vor allem dafür bekannt, traditionelle Volksmärchen mit seiner eigenen großen Fantasie zu Märchen zu verbinden, die heute den meisten Kindern bekannt sind. Der dänische Schriftsteller wurde in den Elendsvierteln von Odense geboren. Obwohl er in Armut aufwuchs, besuchte er schließlich die Universität Kopenhagen. Obwohl Andersen Gedichte, Theaterstücke und Bücher schrieb, ist er vor allem für seine Märchen und anderen Geschichten bekannt, die zwischen 1835 und 1872 entstanden. Dieses Werk umfasst so berühmte Erzählungen wie Des Kaisers neue Kleider, Das hässliche Entlein, Das Feuerzeug, Der kleine Klaus und der große Klaus, Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse, Die Schneekönigin, Die kleine Meerjungfrau, Die Nachtigall, Die Geschichte einer Mutter und Der Schweinehirt. Andersens größtes Werk ist auch heute noch einflussreich; es trug dazu bei, Werke von Schriftstellern von Charles Dickens bis Oscar Wilde zu prägen, und inspirierte viele Disney-Filme und andere Kinofilme. Andersen, der während seines Lebens viel reiste, starb am 4. August 1875 in seinem Haus Rolighed. (Bowker-Autorenbiografie)