Life LessonsClassic retold
The Bet
At a party, a rich banker bets a young lawyer two million roubles that he cannot survive fifteen years alone in a room. Chekhov's story of what the lawyer learns.
Stories to think about
Short classics and parables that stay with you, and are lovely to talk about afterwards.
18 stories
Life LessonsClassic retold
How Much Land Does a Man Need?
A peasant is offered all the land he can walk around in a single day, for one small price. Tolstoy's famous parable about wanting more.
ReflectionClassic retold
The Three Questions
A king believes he would never fail if he knew three things - the right time, the right people and the right thing to do. Tolstoy's quiet parable about the answers.
ReflectionFable & folk tale
The Blind Men and the Elephant
Six men who have never seen an elephant each touch a different part of one, and each is certain he knows exactly what it is. An ancient parable from India.
ReflectionFable & folk tale
A Cup of Tea
A proud professor visits a Zen master to learn about Zen, and talks the whole time. The master quietly pours him some tea, and keeps on pouring.
ReflectionHistorical narrative
The Philosopher Who Asked a King to Move
The most powerful man in the world offered a poor philosopher anything he wanted. His answer has been remembered for more than two thousand years.
Life LessonsClassic retold
The Necklace
Mathilde borrows a diamond necklace for one glittering night at a ball. When it disappears, she and her husband pay for it with ten years of their lives.
For KidsClassic retold
The Emperor's New Clothes
Two tricksters sell a vain emperor cloth that only clever people can see. Everyone pretends, until one child says what they all can see.
ReflectionFable & folk tale
Two Monks and the River
Two monks bound by strict vows come to a flooded river, where a young woman is waiting, unable to cross. One of them does something the other cannot forget.
ReflectionFable & folk tale
The Golden Touch
A god offers King Midas any wish he likes, and the king already loves gold more than anything. By the next morning, everything he touches shines.
ReflectionFable & folk tale
The Sage and the Scorpion
An old sage sees a scorpion struggling in the river and reaches in to save it. It stings him. He reaches in again.
Life LessonsClassic retold
The Lottery Ticket
After supper one evening, a comfortable husband and wife discover that their lottery ticket might have won a fortune. Before they even check the number, things begin to change. Chekhov's sharp, funny story.
Life LessonsClassic retold
After Twenty Years
Two young friends in New York promise to meet in the same doorway exactly twenty years later. One of them keeps the appointment. O. Henry's story of loyalty and duty.
For KidsFable & folk tale
The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs
A poor farmer and his wife find a golden egg in their goose's nest. Then another. Then another. One golden egg a day should be plenty, shouldn't it?
For KidsFable & folk tale
The Blue Jackal
A hungry jackal falls into a tub of blue dye and comes out a colour no animal has ever seen. The whole forest bows to him. But can he keep his secret?
EpicsClassic retold
The Yaksha's Questions
Four thirsty brothers drink from a beautiful lake and fall to the ground. When the fifth, Yudhishthira, arrives, a voice tells him he may drink only after answering its questions. His life, and theirs, depends on his answers.
EpicsClassic retold
Arjuna's Doubt
On the morning of a great battle, the warrior Arjuna looks across the field, sees his own family and teachers on the other side, and puts down his bow. What his friend and charioteer Krishna tells him next became the Bhagavad Gita.
EpicsClassic retold
Ekalavya's Gift
A boy from a forest tribe is turned away by the great teacher Drona. So he makes a clay statue of Drona and teaches himself, until he is a better archer than the princes. Then his teacher asks for a terrible fee.