I had these short stories as a curricula for my Pre-University English classes.
01. The Doctor's Word by - W. H. Auden
The Crisis
The story is centered on a young woman, often named Lydia or a similar name, who is severely ill with a serious, unnamed disease (often implied to be consumption or terminal illness).
A doctor attends to her, offering all the standard medical treatments, but she fails to respond. She has essentially lost the will to live. The doctor recognizes that medically, he has done everything, but psychologically, she has given up, which he knows will lead to her death.
The Word
The doctor is a kind and deeply empathetic man. Seeing her despair, he realizes that he needs to give her something concrete to cling to—a reason, no matter how small or strange, to want to see the next day.
He notices a beautiful rose bush outside her window. He tells the young woman, with absolute conviction, that her life is now magically linked to the life of that rose bush.
He solemnly declares: "You will not die as long as that last rose blooms."
The Recovery
The patient, desperate for any shred of hope, takes the doctor's word literally. She focuses all her dwindling energy on watching the rose bush.
As the season progresses, the roses begin to fade and drop.
She watches anxiously as the petals fall, and her own strength diminishes with each fallen bloom.
Finally, only one single, perfect rose remains.
She puts all her focus, her prayers, and her will into that one flower. The psychological lift, the renewed purpose to simply outlive the rose, begins to work where medicine failed. She slowly starts to eat, sleep, and show small signs of improvement.
The Revelation (The Doctor’s Sacrifice)
The doctor returns to see her fully recovered. She joyously thanks him, certain that the rose bush saved her life.
The doctor then reveals the truth: The rose bush had died shortly after he had made his promise. He had been quietly bringing a fresh, healthy rose every single morning and meticulously grafting it onto the dead bush. He maintained the illusion of that single, living bloom until her health was fully restored.
The Moral
The story’s impact comes from the doctor’s realization that sometimes the most powerful medicine is not found in a pill or procedure, but in a kind deception rooted in deep compassion. His "word" and his daily, secret act of empathy were the true cures.
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02. The Grain grain is as big as Hen's egg by Leo Tolstoy
The story usually begins with the discovery of an enormous grain of corn—often described as being as big as a hen's egg. It is found among some ancient ruins or in an archaeological site.
1. The King's Curiosity
A Tsar (King) or wealthy man gets hold of this huge grain and is deeply intrigued. He gathers his wise men, who confirm that such grain was historically common but is now unheard of. The king wants to know why the grain and the people have both shrunk.
2. Summoning the Oldest Peasant
To understand the past, the King orders his officials to find the oldest man in the kingdom.
An official finds an ancient peasant who is barely able to walk. The King shows him the giant grain and asks: "Did you ever sow or harvest grain like this? And did you ever buy or sell bread made from such grain?"
The old man is too weak to answer clearly. He can't hear well, and his eyes are dim. He simply says he has only ever sowed and harvested the small grain of the present day.
3. The Father and Grandfather
The King then asks the old man if his father might have seen such grain. The old man replies that his father is alive and might be knowing it.
The old man's father (who is also very old) is summoned. He is stronger and can see better than his son. The father holds the giant grain up for his son.
The father examines it and confirms: "No, I never sowed or reaped such grain, but my father used to speak of such grain. He did not eat bread made of it, but he saw his father eat it."
The King wasn't hoping that his father might be living. Still for curiosity he asks whether his father is still alive. The answer was in affirmative.
The King finally summons the grandfather (the second man's father, who is now the third man in the line).
This third man is healthy, strong, clear-eyed, and walks without a stick. He immediately recognizes the grain.
He states: "Yes, in my time, we sowed and reaped grain like this. I ate bread made from it myself."
4. The Moral Conclusion
The King then asks the vital question: "Tell me, grandfather, why did the grain shrink, and why do you look so healthy while your son and grandson are frail?"
The grandfather provides the answer:
"In my time, people lived by their own labor. We didn't covet what belonged to others. We lived in peace and obeyed God's law. We did not sin by wanting more than we needed."
The moral is that the physical decline and the shrinking of the grain are directly linked to the spiritual and moral decline of humanity, characterized by increased greed, dependence on others, and departure from simple, righteous living.
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03. The Last Leaf - by O Henry
This 1907 story is a classic example where a single, small artistic act is directly responsible for saving a life.
The Small Event
The protagonist is Johnsy, a poor young artist living in Greenwich Village in California. She contracts severe pneumonia and loses the will to live. She becomes convinced that she will die the moment the last ivy leaf falls from the vine outside her window during a fierce November storm.
The High Growth/Consequence
The Small Event (The Act of Art): The neighbor, Behrman, an aging artist who has always put off painting his "masterpiece," decides to act. He goes out into the cold, sleeting night and paints a single, perfect, incredibly realistic leaf onto the brick wall just before the real last leaf falls.
The Consequence (The Growth of Hope and Life): Johnsy looks out and sees the leaf enduring the storm, day after day. This sight reignites her will to live, convincing her that she was foolish to give up hope. She recovers and achieves her "high growth"—survival.
The Tragic Twist (Behrman's Sacrifice): The small event also leads to a tragic consequence for the person who performed it. Behrman catches pneumonia while painting the leaf in the freezing rain and dies. His tiny act of self-sacrifice is revealed to be his long-awaited masterpiece.
In "The Last Leaf," the creation of a single, painted ivy leaf is the one small event that generates the high growth (survival) for Johnsy and reveals the highest moral value (selfless love/sacrifice) in Behrman.
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