In Guy de Maupassant’s story “A Piece of String,” an old peasant named Hauchecome picks up a bit of string from the road in Goderville, but is wrongly accused of stealing a lost pocketbook. Though the wallet is later found and returned by someone else, the villagers continue to suspect Hauchecome, believing he had it […]

In War by Luigi Pirandello, a group of passengers share a train journey during World War I. Among them is a grieving couple whose only son is leaving for the front. The mother is silent and heartbroken, while the father tries to explain their sorrow. Other passengers share their own painful stories of sons at […]

She calls out to the man on the street “Sir, can you help me? It’s cold and I’ve nowhere to sleep, Is there somewhere you can tell me?” He walks on, doesn’t look back He pretends he can’t hear her Starts to whistle as he crosses the street Seems embarrassed to be there. Oh, think […]