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Robert Louis Stevenson: The Bottle Imp

“The Bottle Imp” is a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson published in 1891. It tells the story of Keawe, a Hawaiian man who acquires a magic bottle with an extraordinary power: it can grant its owner any wish. However, the bottle is cursed; whoever dies while in its possession is doomed to hell. The only way to avoid this fate is to sell it for less than what was paid for it. Keawe, seduced by the promises of wealth and happiness, must face the consequences of this dark bargain. As his wishes begin to come true, so does his despair, as the bottle’s curse puts both his future and that of his loved ones at stake.

Arthur C. Clarke: Transit of Earth

“Transit of Earth” is a science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke, published in January 1971 in Playboy magazine. Evans is an astronaut stranded on Mars who knows he has less than twenty-four hours of oxygen left. As he waits to record an astronomical phenomenon that occurs only once every hundred years—the passage of Earth across the face of the Sun as seen from Mars—he reflects on his life, his fears, and the memories that haunt him. With the calm of someone who has already accepted his fate, Evans prepares to carry out the mission for which his companions sacrificed their own lives.

Arthur Conan Doyle: The Ring of Thoth

“The Ring of Thoth” is a mystery and adventure short story written by Arthur Conan Doyle and published in 1890. The story follows John Vansittart Smith, a renowned English Egyptologist who, during a visit to the Louvre Museum to study ancient papyri, falls asleep and awakens after midnight, finding himself alone in the vast museum. Trapped in this mysterious atmosphere, he witnesses a strange and supernatural event that connects him with an ancient story from Pharaonic Egypt.

Brian Aldiss: Super-Toys Last All Summer Long

“Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” is a short story by the British writer Brian Aldiss, published in December 1969 in Harper’s Bazaar. In an overpopulated and highly technologized world, Monica Swinton lives in a luxurious home that keeps her family insulated from the miseries of the outside world. Despite the comforts she enjoys, Monica is a lonely and dissatisfied woman. While her husband runs a large corporation, she spends her days at home with the only company she has: her son David and Teddy, a mechanized teddy bear. Although David tries to grow closer to his mother, Monica’s loneliness seems to require something more than the child to be filled.

J. D. Beresford: The Misanthrope

“The Misanthrope” is a short story by the English writer J. D. Beresford, published in 1918 in the book Nineteen Impressions. Intrigued by the stories about a mysterious hermit living on the remote islet of Gulland, a man decides to travel there. Once there, he meets William Copley, who has chosen to live apart from society. Invited to spend the night with him, the visitor gradually becomes Copley’s confidant, who reveals the disturbing condition that afflicts him: a peculiar faculty of perception that has driven him into a profound rejection of humanity.

Roald Dahl: The Sound Machine

“The Sound Machine” is a science fiction short story by Roald Dahl, published on September 17, 1949, in The New Yorker. It tells the story of Klausner, a solitary and obsessive man who builds a device capable of detecting sounds inaudible to the human ear. Convinced that the world is filled with hidden voices, he tests his invention in the garden and makes a disturbing discovery as he observes how the plants react. His fascination turns into mounting unease as he ventures deeper into an invisible sonic realm that could radically transform our understanding of plant sensitivity.