What are some good examples of frightening short stories?

One example is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's a classic and very engaging in audio form. Another is 'The Gift of the Magi' by O. Henry. It's a heartwarming short story. Also, 'A Sound of Thunder' by Ray Bradbury is quite interesting as an audible short story.

A man went to a psychiatrist and said, 'Doctor, I keep thinking I'm a deck of cards.' The psychiatrist replied, 'Sit over there. I'll deal with you later.' This story is funny because of the double meaning of 'deal with' and the absurd situation of the man thinking he is a deck of cards.

Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' can also be considered a mystical short story. A man wakes up one day transformed into a giant insect. This sudden and inexplicable transformation challenges our understanding of reality and has a strong sense of the mystical as it delves into the absurd and the unknown.

Some good theme short stories include 'The Yellow Wallpaper'. Its theme is related to mental illness and the oppression of women. The narrator's descent into madness is a result of her being trapped in a room and not being taken seriously. 'Young Goodman Brown' has a theme of the loss of innocence. Goodman Brown goes on a journey into the forest and discovers the dark side of his Puritan community, which shatters his innocence. And 'The Monkey's Paw' with the theme of fate and the consequences of interfering with it. The family's wishes on the paw bring them more sorrow than they could have imagined.

Kafka's short stories are often obscure. For instance, 'A Hunger Artist'. It's about a man who starves himself for public entertainment. Kafka's works are full of symbolism and complex themes that can be difficult to fully understand at first, which is why they are often seen as obscure.

One example is 'The Gift of the Magi' by O. Henry. It's a very thoughtful story about a young couple who are poor but deeply in love. They each sacrifice their most precious possession to buy a gift for the other, showing the selfless nature of love.

One example is 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' by Ambrose Bierce. The story seems to end where it begins, with the main character about to be hanged. Another is 'The Circular Ruins' by Jorge Luis Borges, which has a circular structure with the main character creating a man in his dreams, only to later discover he might be a creation himself. Also, 'The Gift of the Magi' by O. Henry can be seen as circular in a sense. The couple sacrifices their most precious possessions for each other, but in the end, they are right back to a place of mutual love and selflessness, as if the cycle of giving and sacrifice is complete.

One good example could be 'The Canterbury Tales'. In this collection, a group of pilgrims each tell a story during their journey, and these stories are connected by the overarching frame of the pilgrimage. Another example is 'Arabian Nights', where Scheherazade tells a series of stories night after night to the king, with some stories having connections or references to others within the collection.

One example is 'The Three Little Pigs'. It's a short and engaging story about three pigs building houses and outsmarting the big bad wolf. Another is 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', which is about a girl who enters the bears' house and tries their things. 'Little Red Riding Hood' is also a great short bedtime story.

One example could be 'The Little Red Hen'. In this story, the hard - working hen plants, harvests and bakes bread all by herself when the other animals refuse to help. In the end, she enjoys the fruits of her labor while the lazy animals watch. It's a simple yet joyful story about self - reliance.