Tonight's shelf

Story library page 5

Marking the Boat to Find the Sword

A man from Chu drops his sword into a river while crossing by boat, but only carves a mark on the boat's side to remember the spot — and discovers, too late, that the boat has drifted far while the sword never moved at all.

3 min
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The Dog and the Wolf

A thin, hungry wolf envies a well-fed dog's easy life — until he spots a worn mark on the dog's neck and chooses to go hungry rather than give up his freedom.

3 min
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Sleeping Beauty

A curse sends a princess into a hundred-year sleep, until a prince crosses a wall of thorns to find and wake her.

5 min
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The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid gives up everything beneath the sea, and endures endless pain, for a chance at love and an eternal soul.

5 min
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The Fox and the Crow

A crow cannot resist a fox's flattery and tries to prove her voice is as fine as her feathers — and loses her meal in the process.

4 min
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Drawing a Snake and Adding Feet

A group of retainers race to draw a snake for a jug of wine — whoever finishes first gets to drink it alone. But the fastest one, thinking his snake looks too plain, adds a few extra feet, and loses the wine to the retainer who finishes second.

3 min
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The Golden Goose

A kind, generous youngest son shares his last bit of food with a stranger, wins a goose of pure gold, and ends up making a princess who never laughs burst out laughing.

4 min
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