Three Meaningful and Exceptional Stories “Short fiction seems more targeted- hand grenades of idea, if you will. When they work, they hit, they explode, and you never forget them.” This is a powerful statement said by Paolo Bacigalupi. One reason I truly enjoy reading short stories is because they quickly convey important messages. Many I have read not only are interesting and unique but also teach moral lessons. In this short story unit, I have read countless short stories that I thoroughly had a pleasure reading, but I had a few favorites. Three exceptional and extremely meaningful short stories I read this unit are the “Bishop’s Silver,” the “Scarlet Ibis,” and “Two Kinds.” First, the “Bishop’s Silver” is clearly a superb short story. It is written by Victor Hugo. In this short story, a bishop allows Jean Valijean to stay in his house. Jean Valijean is known as a thief around town and everyone treats him cruel. The bishop welcomes Jean in with a warm heart when Jean arrives at his doorstep one night. While eating dinner with the bishop that night, Jean notices expensive and valuable silver plates in the kitchen. Jean became intrigued by these silver plates while in bed, and woke up in hopes of stealing them. He succeeds and escapes, but the police end up bringing Jean back the next day. The police question the bishop about Jean and to Jean’s surprise the bishop says that he gave the silver plates to Jean as a gift. The police leave and the bishop explains to Jean that he can keep the silver plates in return for being an honest man. This story has taught me to give others a second chance, two wrongs don’t make a right, and to help others. The bishop does this to Jean in this story by recognizing that Jean has indeed made mistakes in his life, but that doesn’t make him a horrible person. I will use these important lessons displayed by the bishop towards Jean for my own experiences and battles. Next, the Scarlet Ibis is a short story that will stick with me forever. It is about a mentally and physically disabled boy named Doodle and his brother. The brother watches out for Doodle and is Doodle’s role model. He is ashamed and embarrassed of Doodle’s shortcomings and one is that he can’t walk. Brother successfully teaches Doodle to walk, but only for his own satisfaction. He only taught Doodle to walk for his own wellbeing. Brother also attempts to teach Doodle how to run, but Doodle ends up dying of a heart attack! During this time, a scarlet ibis falls from a tree. The ibis is weak and resembles Doodle. The brother laments and realizes his own selfishness. Consequences of pride is one lesson I took away from this story. It