Around the World Through Stories
Stories take you places.
We’re traveling the world through short stories, one destination at a time. Join us at our newest stop, or revisit a story from earlier in the journey.
Free reading • No registration required • A new destination revealed each week
Bulgaria
Blood of a Mole
Our journey continues in Bulgaria with a brief, unsettling story by Zdravka Evtimova. A visitor arrives at a small shop, looking for something the shopkeeper does not have. What follows invites a closer look at hope, compassion, and what people choose to believe. Read it with a friend and see what you each notice.
Open the People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos PDF with a cover page and numbered lines. The story opens in a new tab; return here for the discussion questions.
After you read: explore the story together
- What do you notice about the shop and the narrator’s life before the woman arrives?
- How do you understand the narrator’s response to the woman? Which details shape your reading?
- Where do your feelings toward the narrator or the woman shift? What in the story brings about that change?
- How does the final scene change the way you read what came before?
Write a brief scene in which someone asks for something another person does not have. Let gestures, objects, and what remains unsaid reveal how each person responds.
Places we’ve visited
Every stop stays here with its story and discussion questions. Come back whenever you’d like to read, reflect, or share.
Paris, France
The Necklace
Our Paris stop features a short story by Guy de Maupassant. An invitation to an elegant evening and a borrowed necklace raise questions about what we value—and how we want others to see us. Read it with a friend and see what you each notice.
Story in English. Opens the formatted People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos PDF, with a cover page and numbered lines. Return here afterward for the discussion questions.
After you read: explore the story together
- Which details show what Mathilde hopes for, and what do they make you feel?
- How do you read Mathilde’s and her husband’s responses to the invitation? Which lines guide you?
- Where does your sympathy move as you read? Which details make you reconsider your first impressions?
- After reaching the ending, which earlier details seem different to you?
Write a brief scene in which a character wants others to see them in a particular way. Let the objects they choose and the details they notice reveal what matters to them.
United Kingdom
The Mouse
All aboard! Our journey continues with a short story by British writer Saki. An ordinary train ride becomes an extraordinary predicament when a very proper traveler discovers an unexpected passenger. Read it with a friend and see what you each notice.
Story in English. The reading link opens directly at “The Mouse” in a Project Gutenberg collection. Both reading options open in a new tab; return here for the discussion.
After you read: explore the story together
- What do you notice about Theodoric’s upbringing, and how does it shape his reactions?
- Which descriptions made you smile, or made you feel for him?
- How do his assumptions about his fellow traveler shape what happens?
- After reaching the ending, which earlier details do you see differently?
Write about a small mishap that felt enormous at the time, real or imagined. What changes when you look back at it?
New York City, United States
Early Autumn
Two people who once loved each other meet again after many years. In this brief encounter, Hughes leaves us with memory, distance, timing, and much that remains unsaid.
Story in English. PDF provided by People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos; opens in a new tab.
After you read: explore the story together
- What do the details of setting, season, and light add to Mary and Bill’s encounter?
- What do the characters say, and what important things remain unsaid?
- Where does your sympathy move as you read, and which lines shaped that response?
Write a brief scene in which someone wants to say something but cannot find the words.
Try the People & Stories approach
A story opens a discussion.
You don’t need special literary training. Bring your curiosity, your attention, and your own experience.
Read it aloud.
Notice the rhythm, pauses, and changes in feeling that become clearer when a story is heard.
Return to the text.
Look again at a detail, an image, or a line that stayed with you. What else do you notice?
Listen generously.
Share your reading and invite someone else’s. Different experiences can open new ways of hearing the story.
In our free eight-week programs, participants read literary short stories together and join guided discussions in English or Spanish. Each person brings experiences and ideas that help us hear the story in a new way.
In the news · October 7, 2026
Our journey is making news!
People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos and our Around the World Through Stories campaign are featured in the October 7 edition of Town Topics, with a mention on the front page and the full article on page 12.
Around the World Through Stories · $80,000 in 80 Days
Soaring to New Heights!
If we raise $25,361, our supporter will give another $25,361. Together, that’s $50,722—enough to fund approximately 20 eight-week programs and help keep literature and guided discussion free for participants and partner sites.
Your gift helps us meet the $25,361 matching challenge and move toward our $80,000 in 80 Days goal, bringing literature and guided discussion to more people.
Help Us Meet the $25,361 MatchLearn more about our journey and the annual appeal.
Friends across the world can join us, too
Giving from outside the United States?
We now offer PayPal for our international donors. Our secure PayPal donation page offers PayPal and the debit or credit card option shown at checkout. Gifts are processed in U.S. dollars.
For the annual appeal, a quick note to Debra will help us send your digital boarding pass and December finale invitation.
Connecting Lives Through Literature
