SipsOfChai

short stories

amusing short stories. not original. have fun reading


A rich and mighty Persian once walked in his garden with one of his servants. The servant cried that he had just encountered Death, who had threatened him. He begged his master to give him his fastest horse so that he could make haste and flee to Teheran, which he could reach that same evening. The master consented and the servant galloped off on the horse. On returning to his house the master himself met Death, and questioned him, “Why did you terrify and threaten my servant?” “I did not threaten him; I only showed surprise in still finding him here when I planned to meet him tonight in Teheran,” said Death.


My neighbour was humming to himself in the lift,
I asked what the good news was,
I don't know, he said. I just have a feeling things are going to be okay,
That was the week I broke my foot, had my car towed, and contracted Covid-19,
I mentioned this several weeks later when I saw him again hoping at worst he'd laugh and at best abandon his stupid optimism,
He only smiled and said, But it was a good week. You must have learned a lot about yourself,
I considered mashing his face into the lift door and took the stairs from then on,
Much later I went to store some junk in the apartment block's basement,
Hiding among the dust and deckchairs was a public notice announcing a woman's death several years previously, my neighbour's wife,
I take the lift again now,
His cheery disposition still irritates
but is rather modified for me knowing he marches into silent battle every day
and seems to be winning.


Once upon a time, there was an old gardener who worked for a large estate. His job was simple but important—he cleaned the leaves from a beautiful pond every day. The pond sparkled, and its water was always clear. People from all around the estate would visit, enjoying the peaceful view and fresh air.
One day, the gardener was suddenly fired by the new manager of the estate. The new manager didn’t see the need for such a small job and believed it wasn’t important to keep the pond clean. "The pond is big, and the leaves don’t cause any harm," he said. "It’s a waste of time to have someone clean it every day."
With no one to care for the pond, the leaves began to accumulate. At first, it wasn’t noticeable, but over time, the water became murky, the air around the pond grew heavy, and the once-beautiful garden began to look neglected.
Soon, no one visited the garden anymore. People stopped coming to admire the pond, and the estate became gloomy. The pond remained, the leaves remained, but the life that once drew the people there was gone.