MIR Podcast

The Open Window is a story about the life of Framton, who moves into a new town. He wishes to cure his nerves and his sister helps him as she lived there. She arranges a meeting with one of her acquaintances, Mrs Sappleton.

“Cat in the Rain” is a short story about an American couple on vacation in Italy set in or around the couple's hotel. Throughout the story it rains, leaving the couple trapped in their hotel room. According to the book Hemingway's Cats, Hemingway wrote the story as a tribute to his wife Hadley. 

It is about a group of blind men who attempt to learn what an elephant is, each touching a different part, and disagreeing on their findings. Their collective wisdom leads to the truth.

The Cat and the Old Rat is a popular children's story written by Aesop, about a moral lesson to not make the same mistake twice. 

"The Star Lovers” is a tale, entered in the collection of Japanese Fairy Tales, published in 1910. The Stars Lovers is a sad story about the Weaving Maiden, who lives on the shore of the Milky Way and weaves the colourful garments of the gods.

The Awful Fate of Melpomenus Jones is a story written by Stephen Leacock. It tells the story of a young curate, Melpomenus Jones who could not bear to say goodbye. He visits some friends and becomes trapped. After a couple of weeks he falls into "raging delirium of fever". After a month, the angels decided his stay was over, and he died.

By Word of Mouth is a story written by the famous Rudyard Kipling about Dumoise, a Civil Surgeon in a small station, marries and lives in happy delight for a year. Then his wife dies of typhoid, the idyll is destroyed, and Dumoise is a broken man.

The Story of Robin Hood, written by James Baldwin, is a story written about a certain heroic outlaw called Robin Hood, who has made it his life's mission to end tyranny. In this story, he helps a poor man be back together with his bride-to-be. 

A story written by Henry Van Dyke, about an important lesson in keeping Christmas. Henry questions whether you believe love is the strongest thing in the world. If you believe it, you can keep Christmas. And if you can keep it for a day, why not always? 

The Sprig of Holly is a story about a dwarf who demands that Dora and Colin give him a year of their lives in exchange for the last piece of holly, which then starts their back and forth negotiation. A fine lesson in refusing to settle a bargain so rashly.