Brad’s parents had always warned him, “Never talk to gypsies!” But Brad was curious, so, he wandered through their camp and entered a tent. Madam Cornelia with curls and hooped ear-rings stared at him. “Come boy, let’s see your future,” she said with a grin, showing her stained, crooked teeth. The gypsy had a huge […]
Waldie had a nasty wife. One day, Waldie forgot to buy watermelons, so she sent him back at once to buy one. It was late and Waldie was tired. So, he drove to the nearest farm. ‘I will pick one myself,’ he thought. The pathway to the farm was lined with dense trees. Limbs hung
A Brahmin’s wife gave birth to a son. But the child turned out to be a snake. They showered him with love and affection. When the snake grew up, the Brahmin and his wife married their son to a young lady amid grand celebrations. Soon, something new happened. The snake would turn into a young
Chris lived with his parents near the snowy mountains. One day, Chris and his father took some youngsters hiking. As they climbed the mountains, Chris saw a gaping hole in the icy rocks. Curious, he peered inside and soon entered a dark cave. Suddenly, he heard a menacing growl. His heart was pounding; he turned
Max and Jake were playing in the park. Soon, they jumped into a great hollow in an oak and landed in another land with huge houses, trees and fields. Just then, they were violently grabbed by two huge, smelly hands and flung into a dark tunnel. The boys rolled down in evil-smelling pitch darkness. Once
A dead mouse lay on the roadside. A poor young man stood there, looking at it. Just then, the royal advisor was passing by. He said, “That dead mouse can make you wealthy!” The young man took the mouse to a grocer. The grocer fed it to his cat and gave the man a copper
Jack was a naughty child. One day, Jack was playing in the woods near a cottage. He saw an old woman hobble down the steps and feed the chickens. Jack picked three chickens up and ran away. The next morning, Jack could not find his parents or sister. Instead, three chickens sat on the chairs
Soon, after his mother had died, Jim’s father married again. His new step-mother was beautiful with raven black hair, milky white skin and bright red lips. One night, Jim heard the door creaking. He looked out and saw his step-mother walking towards the fields. Jim was horrified to see that her feet did not touch
The raven let out a mournful cry. Pete heard him and wondered, ‘Oh! Why is he crying so?’ Just then, Pete’s mother called, “Pete, hurry! Your grandfather has fallen off the stairs!” As he ran down, Pete saw his father helping his grandfather onto the bed. At night, Pete crept into his grandfather’s room to
Mason lived with his parents along the coast. An empty log cabin stood deep in the marsh. One day, Mason walked towards the marsh, with his dog, Percy. He reached the cabin and pushed open the door. To his surprise, when he saw a neat fireplace with the embers still red, a bright red‑cushioned chair
Tony was fascinated by an old, red ladder that reclined in the corner of a children’s park. One day, Tony propped the ladder against a tree and started climbing it. Tony climbed and climbed, but the steps would not end. The more he climbed, the more steps there seemed to be. Soon, Tony was tired
Fred and his uncle David went hunting in the woods. There they saw huge bushes of wild berries across a stream. “I will pluck some wild berries,” said uncle David, and he went off. Fred sat by the stream. Suddenly, a hand tapped his shoulder. He turned around and saw his uncle. “Fred, come along,”
Everyone warned Joseph not to go to the Fieldings’ farm. However, he still went. That night, as Joseph sat eating his meal, a black cat jumped upon him and slashed at him with her paws. Joseph took out his silver knife and struck the cat swiftly. The cat howled in pain and ran away. A
There was once a sage who found a baby elephant in a forest. He took her home and cared for her like his own daughter. He named her Lakshmi. The sage had to leave for the village one day. He bought basketfuls of bananas before he left. When Lakshmi was hungry, she ate one basket
Some friends were night fishing in the river, one weekend. They were sitting along the shoreline when suddenly everyone just stopped talking like a switch was flipped off. They stared across the river and felt as if something or someone was staring at them. “I feel very uneasy,” said one of them but the others