“The Kiss“ by Anton Chekhov tells how a local landowner invites officers to visit him. The house is cheerful and noisy, there are a lot of people, there is not a single free room. Time passes, dancing begins. But one funny event happens to the main character which greatly excites him and leaves an indelible mark on his soul, mind and heart.
Chekhov describes in detail and very vividly the thoughts of the main character, his feelings, assumptions, memories ... in a word, everything that is usually characteristic of a woman's nature, but clearly not a military man.
Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://learnenglish-new.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Kiss-by-Anton-Chekhov-PDF-Book.pdf
«The Storm» is a story written by Kate Chopin. It was written in 1898 but remained unpublished for many years probably because for the late 19th century, this story must have seemed provocative and challenging social conventions.
The writer created a main character - a woman whose behavior could puzzle the reader of that time. The plot, at first glance, is simple. A married woman is alone at home. She is busy sewing and all about household chores. A storm begins to break out outside the window. At this time, a lone horseman approaches her porch. He needs somewhere to wait out the crazy storm. The hostess invites him in…
The author wrote about human nature and it was connected with unpredictable nature outside, storm in this case.
Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://americanliterature.com/author/kate-chopin/short-story/the-storm/
“The Umbrella Man” is a humorous story written by Roald Dahl.
The narrator of this story is a 12-year-old girl who went to London with her mother to see a dentist.
When it was time to go home, they discovered that it was pouring rain and they had no umbrella. An older gentleman with an umbrella offered them a deal - he had forgotten his wallet at home and would like to sell them the umbrella in exchange for a taxi ride home.
The deal was made and both parties were happy. But the old man was not as simple as he seemed and then unixpected things began to happen.
Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://staff.univ-batna2.dz/sites/default/files/ghodbane_nacira/files/the_umbrella_man_story_2022.pdf
“The Hanging Stranger” is a horror story written by Philip K. Dicisk.
In a small provincial American town, strange, inexplicable events begin to occur. The main character of the story, the owner of a home appliance store, sees a man hanged on a lamppost, but discovers with horror and surprise that no one else notices it. Trying to figure out what is happening, he comes to an unexpected conclusion: this is an invasion of Earth, and it is impossible to predict what awaits earthlings!
Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41562/41562-h/41562-h.ht
"Tobermory” is a humorous story written by British writer Saki (H.H. Munro). The plot is about a cat who is taught to talk by one of the guests at a country house party.
He speaks to the hosts and guests with a tone of arrogance. He knows all the secrets of the inhabitants of this place.
Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://fountainheadpress.com/expandingthearc/assets/sakitobermory.pdf
The story "Student" by Anton Chekhov contains a philosophical and deep reflection on the meaning of life and the connection of times.
Student Ivan Velikopolsky looks in on his acquaintances, a mother and daughter, and talks about what happened before, and we look into the eyes of these women, and try to understand whether his words about the past touched them. As it turns out, yes, no matter how much the past is the past, it intersects with our present.
Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://americanliterature.com/author/anton-chekhov/short-story/the-student/
The short story “Robbie” by Isaac Asimov is about a girl who loved her robot very much. It was irreplaceable for her, doing everything possible for the child.
She became so attached to the robot that she even stopped playing with her friends., Her mother was very worried about this and decided to help her daughter.
Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/machine/files/2014/09/1940-Isaac-Asimov-Robbie.pdf
