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The Bottle Imp by Robert Louis Stevenson is a short story in which the main character buys a bottle with an imp inside that grants wishes. However, the bottle is cursed; if the holder dies bearing it, his or her soul is forfeit to hell.

Note: This story may be more appropriate for 10-12th grades. A story that may be more suited to middle or early high school is The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs.

Play the audio while students follow along to help them comprehend the text.

You can access the video directly on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/2aAKz8ZhfIY

Paired Texts


Build Student Writing Confidence & Stamina All Year Long!


Not only will you have the first five to 20 minutes of class taken care of, you can also extend each mode of writing into a longer text by guiding students through the writing process. Students will build writing stamina and confidence throughout the year.

Curated Short Stories Library

Curated Short Stories Library for Busy English Teachers

Looking for easy-to-access, classroom-tested short stories, video/audio adaptations, paired texts, and ideas for implementing them in your classroom? Engage students in reading and analyzing short stories to help them build their confidence and stamina for reading the passages in your state test -- and so they'll see themselves as capable readers!