10 Short Stories in English with Big Lessons

10 short stories Short Stories in English that are fun to read and easy to understand. every story teaches something important, like being kind, honest, or brave. I hope you like these stories as much as I do. Let’s learn and have fun!

Why the Sea is Salty

Once upon a time, there were two brothers—one was rich, and the other was poor. The poor brother ran out of food and went to his rich brother, begging for something to eat.

The rich brother, not happy about helping, said, “I’ll give you this ham, but you must take it to Dead Man’s Hall.”

Grateful for the food, the poor brother agreed. He walked all day and finally reached a large building at dusk. Outside, an old man was chopping wood.

“Excuse me, sir,” said the poor brother. “Is this the way to Dead Man’s Hall?”

“Yes, you’ve arrived,” replied the old man. “Inside, they will want to buy your ham. But don’t sell it unless they give you the hand-mill that stands behind the door.”

The poor brother thanked the old man, went inside, and everything happened just as the old man had said. The poor brother left with the hand-mill and asked the old man how to use it. Then, he set off home.

The hand-mill was magical. When the poor brother got home, he asked it to grind a feast of food and drink. To stop the mill, he simply had to say, “Thank you, magic mill, you can stop now.”

When the rich brother saw that his brother was no longer poor, he became jealous. “Give me that mill!” he demanded. The poor brother, having everything he needed, agreed to sell it but didn’t tell his rich brother how to stop it.

The rich brother eagerly asked the mill to grind food when he got home, but because he didn’t know how to stop it, the mill kept grinding until food overflowed from the house and across the fields. In a panic, he ran to his poor brother’s house. “Please take it back!” he cried. “If it doesn’t stop, the whole town will be buried!”

The poor brother took the mill back and was never poor or hungry again.

Soon, the story of the magic mill spread far and wide. One day, a sailor knocked at the poor brother’s door. “Does the mill grind salt?” he asked.

“Of course,” replied the brother. “It will grind anything you ask.”

The sailor, eager to stop traveling far for salt, offered a thousand coins for the mill. Though the brother was hesitant, he eventually agreed.

In his hurry, the sailor forgot to ask how to stop the mill. Once at sea, he placed the mill on deck and commanded, “Grind salt, and grind quickly!”

The mill obeyed, but it didn’t stop. The pile of salt grew and grew until the ship sank under its weight.

The mill still lies at the bottom of the sea, grinding salt to this day, and that’s why the sea is salty.

Moral: Be careful with what you desire, and always learn to control the power you possess.

The Hidden Treasure of the Pyramid

So far, Aryan wasn’t enjoying Egypt very much. “You can write about the pyramids in your vacation report,” said his mom. But Aryan didn’t find the pyramids or the guide very interesting.

“This pyramid was built as a tomb for an ancient Egyptian king,” the guide explained. “A special magic keeps his tomb hidden, even though many people have searched for his treasure.”

“I don’t believe that,” said Aryan. Just then, he noticed a small door on the side of the pyramid. While his parents weren’t looking, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside. He found a long tunnel with strange writings on the walls. Aryan’s heart started beating faster with excitement. Finally, something fun was happening!

He crawled through the tunnel until it opened up into a large room lit by flaming torches. There, he saw a mummy wrapped in white cloth, surrounded by sparkling treasures. Golden goblets, necklaces, bowls, and statues shone with bright rubies and emeralds.

“I’ve found the mummy’s treasure!” Aryan exclaimed. But as soon as his finger touched a golden lamp, WHOOSH! Something pulled him out of the chamber and back to his parents and the tour guide.

Aryan looked around, confused. The small door had disappeared. “Are you all right?” asked his mom. Aryan tried to explain, but to his surprise, he only said, “I’m fine, thanks.” Something was stopping him from talking about the chamber! He glanced at the guide, who simply winked.

“As I said,” the guide continued, “the ancient magic won’t let anyone reveal the king’s tomb.”

Aryan smiled. Even though he couldn’t write about it in his vacation report, he knew he would never forget the thrill of discovering the secret chamber and the mummy’s treasure.

Moral: Sometimes, the most exciting adventures are the ones we keep in our hearts.

The Grateful Shoemaker and the Helpful Elves

Once upon a time, there was a poor shoemaker named Ramesh who lived with his wife, Sita. One day, Ramesh said, “We only have enough leather left to make one more pair of shoes.”

Ramesh cut the leather, preparing to sew the shoes, and then went to bed. Late at night, two little elves, Chintu and Mintu, sneaked into the shop. They found the leather and started working.

The next morning, Ramesh was surprised to find the best pair of shoes he had ever seen. A rich man came by, saw the shoes, and loved them so much that he paid Ramesh double the price.

Ramesh was happy and told Sita, “Now we can buy more leather.”

That evening, Ramesh cut out leather for two more pairs of shoes and went to bed. Once again, Chintu and Mintu came and worked all night. In the morning, Ramesh found two beautiful pairs of shoes, which he sold for a lot of money.

With this money, Ramesh bought enough leather to make four more pairs of shoes. Sita then asked, “Who is helping us?”

That night, Ramesh cut the new leather, and he and Sita hid to see what would happen. Soon, they saw Chintu and Mintu working hard to make the shoes.

“We should thank them for their help,” Ramesh told Sita. “Let’s make them some nice clothes.”

So, they made two small pairs of trousers, two cozy coats, and two warm scarves for the elves. That night, Ramesh and Sita hid again and watched as Chintu and Mintu found the new clothes. The elves quickly dressed up and danced happily into the night.

Ramesh and Sita never saw the elves again, but they continued to make fine shoes and were never poor again.

Moral: Helping others without expecting anything in return can bring unexpected rewards.

Little Golu’s Big Adventure

Golu loved being the youngest in his family. It was fun to play with his big brothers. But there was one thing he didn’t like—being left behind when his brothers went exploring.

“You’re too small to come,” they would say. “Wait until you’re bigger.” So while they were away, Golu would make up songs to cheer himself up.

One day, as his brothers were about to go exploring, Golu’s tummy started to rumble. “I’m hungry,” he said, looking around.

There were lots of leaves on the trees, but the branches were too high. Golu stretched his trunk as far as he could, but he couldn’t even reach the lowest leaf. A tear rolled down his cheek.

“Oh, don’t cry, Golu!” said one of his big brothers, feeling sorry for him. Another elephant said, “Just hold on to my tail, Golu. We’ll take you to the tastiest food in the jungle.”

Excited, Golu held on to his brother’s tail and stomped into the jungle with them. They walked through thick bushes and past sparkling waterholes. Golu started singing, and soon his brothers joined in.

Finally, they reached a low tree with bright-green leaves, just the right height for little Golu. He used his trunk to pick a bunch of leaves and gobbled them up. Yum yum! When he was full, Golu shared his funniest jokes with his brothers, and they laughed until they cried.

“Can I always come with you on your adventures?” Golu asked.

His brothers wrapped their trunks around him and laughed. “Of course you can,” they said. “It’s much more fun with you here!”

Moral: Everyone, no matter how small, has something special to bring to the table.

How Chiku the Leopard Got His Spots

A long time ago, in Africa, there was a sandy-yellow plain where many animals lived, like giraffes, zebras, and deer. All the animals were sandy-yellow, just like the plain itself. Chiku the Leopard was also sandy-yellow, which made it easy for him to hide in the grass and catch the other animals for food.

After a while, the other animals got tired of being hunted. They decided to move away from the sandy plain and into the forest. The forest was different, with sunlight creating stripy, spotty, and patchy shadows on the ground.

The animals hid in the forest, and over time, their skin began to change color, becoming stripy, spotty, and patchy like the shadows. But Chiku didn’t know this. When he got hungry, he wondered where all the animals had gone.

Chiku decided to follow them into the forest to find his dinner. But when he arrived, all he could see were tree trunks with stripes, spots, and patches of shadow. He could smell the other animals, but he couldn’t see them anywhere.

Meanwhile, the other animals could easily see the sandy-yellow Chiku in the forest, so they stayed hidden. Hungry and tired, Chiku lay down in a spotty shadow to rest.

After a while, Chiku noticed something strange. His sandy-yellow skin was no longer the same. He now had small, dark spots on his skin, just like the spotty shadow he was lying in.

“A-ha!” Chiku thought. “Giraffe, Zebra, and the other animals must have changed their skin color too. But now that I have spots, I can hide as well. When they come close, I can leap out and catch them.”

With that, Chiku the Leopard set off into the shadowy forest, now able to hide and hunt once again. And the other animals learned to be even more careful, doing their best to hide from him too!

Moral: Adjusting to new situations can help you survive and thrive, just like the animals in the forest.

Hank’s Crazy Tractor

It was a sunny day on Friendship Farm, but Hank Hayseed couldn’t relax yet. He had work to do. His wife, Molly, said, “When you’re done, we can have a picnic by the duck pond.” Then she headed to town for groceries in her old jeep.

Hank and his sheepdog, Gus, watched Molly drive off. “We’ll finish quickly if we use my tractor,” said Hank.

Gus wasn’t so sure because the tractor was old. Sure enough, when Hank started it, black smoke puffed out. “Oh no!” Hank said. “What do I do now?”

Then Hank had an idea. He pushed the tractor into his workshop and got to work. The farm animals gathered around, curious about what he was up to.

“Every time he fixes something, it gets worse,” clucked Mrs. Beak.

“Here he comes,” said Gus. “Let’s get out of here!”

Hank rode out on the tractor, waving his hat like a cowboy. The old tractor looked brand new! Hank had fixed it, painted it, and added rocket boosters!

“With this, we’ll be the best farm in the county!” Hank said proudly. “Hop on, Gus—we’ve got work to do!”

Hank pulled the lever, and flames shot out of the boosters. The tractor zoomed off! Bailey the horse saw the tractor coming with hay for breakfast. “Finally,” he neighed, “I’m starving.”

Hank tried to stop the tractor, but instead, it went faster! As they zoomed by, a hay bale flew off and landed—THUNK!—on Bailey’s head. “Sorry, Bailey!” Hank called back.

Hank struggled with the lever, but it wouldn’t budge. Now, they were heading for Maggie the cow. “The lever’s stuck!” Hank cried as Gus held on tight.

“I do believe it’s rude to go that fast,” mooed Maggie. But she moved quickly when she saw the tractor coming straight at her!

Up ahead, Mrs. Beak and her ducklings were swimming in the pond. As the tractor splashed through, a wave sent them flying!

“We’ve got to stop this thing!” Hank said, tugging at the lever. He pulled so hard that the lever broke off in his hands. “Jumping jelly beans!” Hank cried. “We’re out of control!”

Just then, Molly arrived home. “Are you okay?” she yelled.

“Yes, dear!” Hank called back. “Just taking Wallow some pig food!” But as the tractor zoomed past, the bucket flew out of his hands and landed on Molly’s head!

The tractor then zoomed up the roof of Wallow the pig’s sty like a ramp, flew through the air, and landed—SPLASH!—in the duck pond.

Hank and Gus were soaked, and Friendship Farm was a mess. “This will take all day to fix!” Hank groaned.

“Nonsense!” said Molly, pulling food scraps from her hair. “We can fix it and still have time for a picnic, as long as we all work together!”

And everyone agreed that it was a great idea.

Moral: Working together as a team can solve even the biggest problems.

Duck’s Job Swap

It was bedtime, but Duck couldn’t sleep. She was bored with being a duck and nibbling waterweeds all day. As she looked around, she saw her friend, Cockerel, strolling by the pond and got a bright idea.

“Hey, Cockerel,” Duck called out. “Do you want to swap jobs?”

“Okay,” Cockerel agreed. “Nibbling waterweeds sounds better than getting up early every day.”

The next morning, Duck waddled to the farmhouse, ready to give her first cock-a-doodle-do to wake the farmer. But when she opened her beak, all that came out was, “Quack! Quack! QUACK!”

Poor Duck! No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t crow, and the farmer overslept.

“I want my old job back,” Duck said sadly.

Luckily for Duck, Cockerel wasn’t enjoying his new job either. “Waterweeds are yucky, and I kind of missed waking the farmer up,” he said.

The next day, Duck saw Sheepdog herding sheep and had another thought. She waddled up to the field and said, “That looks like fun, Sheepdog. Do you want to swap?”

Moral: Sometimes, what we have is better than what we think we want.

How Sheep Lost His Bad Mood

Sheep was in a bad mood. His friends on the farm tried to cheer him up with jokes, but nothing seemed to help. Sheep felt like there was a growly bear inside him trying to get out.

“I have an idea,” said Horse, who was very clever about these things. “Try doing some hard work.”

“How can hard work help?” Sheep grumbled. But since no one had any better ideas, Sheep decided to give it a try.

He carried baskets of eggs for the chickens. He lifted bales of hay for the horses. He even rode in the tractor with the farmer. Sheep worked so hard that he began to forget about his bad mood.

At bedtime, when all the tired farm animals snuggled down in the barn, Horse noticed that Sheep was smiling.

“Has it gone?” asked Horse.

“Has what gone?” Sheep yawned.

“Your bad mood,” said Horse, chuckling loudly.

But there was no reply. Sheep was already fast asleep!

Moral: Hard work can help us forget our worries and bring a peaceful rest.

The Ant and the Dove

One morning, a thirsty ant went down to the river for a drink. Suddenly, SWOOSH! A ripple swept the tiny ant off the riverbank and into the water.

“Help!” cried the ant, struggling to stay afloat.

A kind dove, perched nearby, heard the ant’s cries. She swooped down and dropped a leaf into the water near him.

“Climb onto this,” she cooed gently.

“Oh, thank you,” gasped the ant as he scrambled onto the leaf. “You saved my life!” The leaf carried him safely back to the shore.

Later, as the ant dried off in the warm sun, he noticed a hunter nearby. The hunter was trying to catch the dove with a net.

Remembering the dove’s kindness, the ant wanted to help his new friend. He quickly scurried over to the hunter and bit his foot hard.

“Ouch!” yelled the hunter, startled by the sharp pain.

The noise scared the dove, and she flew away, escaping the hunter’s net.

“Thank you,” the dove called out to the ant as she soared into the sky. “Now you’ve saved my life, too!”

Moral: One good turn deserves another.

Aryan, the Little Bear with Big Dreams

Once upon a time, many brown bears lived by a river. Every spring, they held a fishing competition. Each bear would stand on a rock in the river and wait for the fish to start splashing. Then, the bears would use their paws to flip the fish out of the water. The bear who caught the most fish would win, and the winner would be crowned Chief Bear for the whole year.

Aryan was the smallest bear of all. He was too short to climb big trees and too little to wade in the deepest part of the river. But Aryan had big, BIG dreams.

“I want to win the fishing competition,” he said. “I want to show the big bears that little bears like me are important too.”

When Aryan joined the competition, everyone laughed. “You’re too little to be a good fisher,” said one of the bigger bears. “You’re too little to be good at anything!”

Even the Chief Bear laughed at him. “Leave the fishing to the big bears,” he said. “Go and play with the other little ones.”

But Aryan held his head high and stepped onto a rock in the middle of the river. The other bears laughed again.

“He’ll never win,” they said, shaking their heads. “He should just give up.”

Aryan didn’t say anything. He just focused on the water, looking for fish. A silvery flash caught his eye, and he splashed his paw into the water.

“Missed,” said one of the biggest bears, chuckling. “You had better give up.”

But Aryan didn’t give up. Instead, he stood still and watched the fish. After a few minutes, he noticed something. The fish were clever! They could see the big bears splashing around, so they tried to swim away. But they didn’t notice Aryan because he was standing so still, and they swam straight toward him.

Flick! One fish landed on the rock beside Aryan. Flick! Flick! His paw moved so quickly that the fish didn’t see him coming. Soon, Aryan’s pile of fish grew larger and larger.

When the Chief Bear finally called out, “Stop! The competition is over. Now it’s time to count the fish,” everyone was surprised.

After counting the fish, the Chief Bear’s mouth fell open in shock. He climbed onto a log and looked around at all the bears.

“We have all been very silly,” he said. “We thought that because Aryan was small, he wasn’t as good as us. But Aryan is better than us. He has won the competition! Aryan is our new Chief Bear!”

The Chief Bear stepped down from the log, and Aryan stepped up to take his place. He couldn’t see very well, so he stood up on his hind legs.

“I will try to be a good Chief,” he said. “And my first command is that all bears, big and small, must be treated equally because we are all just as important as each other!”

Moral: Size doesn’t matter when you have determination and believe in yourself. Everyone is important, no matter how big or small.

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