The web magazine OZY suggested some cool short stories you can read online with this prologue ...

For some reason, English teachers often have a habit of teaching middle schoolers short stories before novels. A slightly absurd choice, given that some may argue the short story is a grand literary challenge — to write, and sometimes to read. That difficulty, though, is a reason to celebrate wildly upon discovering any short story that combines complexity with enormous readability. Here are a few of our favorites, all available for free online, and all great ways to grab a high-intensity dose of the literary in under an hour.

Here are their four selections - you can read the summaries by reading the full feature at OZY.

“The Semplica-Girl Diaries” 
by George Saunders

“The Aleph”
by Jorge Luis Borges

“Something That Needs Nothing”
by Miranda July

“Chance Traveler”
by Haruki Murakami