“The Fun They Had” is a short story by Isaac Asimov, published in December 1951 in Boys and Girls Page. Margie and Tommy, two children living in a future society, discover something they have never seen before: a real book printed on paper. The two friends—and Margie in particular—are fascinated by this unusual object, which describes a distant time when education was conducted in a way very different from the one they know.
“Jack the Ripper” is a short story by the American writer Shirley Jackson, published posthumously in 1996 in the book Just an Ordinary Day. On a New York night, a man walks down a deserted street when he comes upon a young woman who has fainted beside a bar, apparently drunk. Alarmed by her condition, he goes inside the establishment and tries to get help for her, but he encounters the indifference of the bartender and the other men present, who prefer to wash their hands of the matter, claiming they know her and that she usually sleeps on the street. Faced with this general apathy, the man decides to take matters into his own hands and help the young woman himself.
The best short stories by American writer Harlan Ellison. Complete stories ready to read online or print as PDF files.
“All the Sounds of Fear” is a short story by Harlan Ellison, published in 1962 in the collection Ellison Wonderland. It recounts the extraordinary career of the actor Richard Becker, who develops a revolutionary acting technique based on total immersion in his characters—living them in reality in order to achieve absolute authenticity on stage. Over the course of twenty-four years, Becker conquers Broadway with legendary characterizations, turning down offers from Hollywood because he believes his art requires the reality of the theater. However, his extreme dedication to assuming other identities drags him toward a breaking point where the line between actor and character fades away irretrievably.
“The Tomb,” a psychological horror story by H.P. Lovecraft, published in 1922, immerses us in the disturbing story of Jervas Dudley, a young man obsessed with an ancient family mausoleum. Narrated in the first person, the story offers a disturbing journey through the disturbed mind of Dudley, who claims to have established a supernatural connection with the ancient occupants of the tomb. As the story progresses, the line between the protagonist’s delusions and supernatural events becomes blurred, leaving the reader in a state of uncertainty about the veracity of the events narrated.
Edwin is a thirteen-year-old boy who has spent his entire life confined within a vast mansion. His mother has taught him that the outside world is inhabited by deadly “Beasts” that killed his father, and that leaving the house is tantamount to dying. The house functions as a complete universe divided into territories Edwin crosses daily to attend school, where he is taught by a mysterious teacher who wears a hooded robe and glasses, so that her face cannot be seen. One day, Edwin discovers an open door that leads to a tower from which he sees the outside world for the first time. Shortly afterward, after celebrating his birthday, he finds his mother unconscious in the Parlor. He looks for his teacher, but all he finds is her robe, her glasses, and her makeup. With no one to stop him, Edwin goes through the garden, crosses the iron gate, and steps into the real world, shouting with joy that he is dead—since that is the only word he knows to describe the outside.