New from our writers
The Girl Under the Mask
Before you begin reading The Girl Under the Mask... This story explores the complicated relationship between faith, family expectations, personal identity and freedom.
Stories to listen to on a 15-minute commute
These stories are short companions for a 15-minute commute, with gentle fables, familiar classics, and more personal tales to choose from. Listen to The Little Lantern or The Gift of the Magi, or pick any story that suits your mood; every story on Pagehush is free to read or listen to.
New from our writers
The never ending maze
A solitary diarist once finds peace in an inner maze of birdsong, roses, and quiet refuge.
New from our writers
The Cloud That Lost Its Way
Puff, a little cloud blown far from his family, finds himself above a village where dry gardens and an emptying pond need rain.
The Little Star Who Was Afraid to Shine
Twinkle, a little star afraid to shine, believes his light is too small to make a difference.
The Selfish Giant
A giant walls the children out of his garden, and spring refuses to come.
The Best Lie in Vijayanagara
The king holds a contest for the best lie, with a prize of a thousand gold coins.
The Thief and the Magic Sticks
A rich merchant has been robbed, and every one of his servants swears they are innocent.
The Little Lantern
Milo is the smallest firefly in the garden, and his glow never seems to shine as brightly as the others’.
The Red Shoes
Little Karen loves her shiny red shoes more than anything, even in church.
How the Camel Got His Hump
In the beginning of years the Camel would not work. He just said "Humph!"
The Line That Got Shorter
Akbar draws a line on the floor and challenges his courtiers to make it shorter without touching it.
The Story of an Hour
Mrs. Mallard has a weak heart, so her sister breaks the news of her husband's death very gently.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Peter's mother tells him never to go into Mr. McGregor's garden.
The Gift of the Magi
With only $1.87 for a Christmas gift, Della sells her beautiful hair to buy a platinum chain for her husband’s heirloom watch.
Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky: Six Nigerian Tales
Six "why" stories told by the Efik and Ibibio people of southern Nigeria: why the sun and moon live in the sky, why the moon grows and shrinks, why the bat flies by…
The Tales of Sheikh Chilli
Sheikh Chilli means well, works hard and dreams big, and somehow everything still goes wrong.
Starting Over in Florida Was Harder Than I Expected
After relocating to Florida for a new job, Edward Corley struggles to manage his depression while adjusting to an unfamiliar city.
The Price of a Horse
A rich man’s will says the money from selling his horse must go to a poor family.
After Twenty Years
Late one night, a police officer on his beat finds a man waiting in a dark doorway.
How the Leopard Got His Spots
Once the Leopard was sandy-yellow all over, until the animals all moved into the stripy, speckly forest.
Tenali Chooses How to Die
Tenali Raman finally goes too far, and the furious king sentences him to death.
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Ask old Simon Wheeler a simple question and you'll get the whole tale of Jim Smiley, who would bet on anything, and his frog Dan'l Webster.
The Home-Coming
Phatik, a wild village boy of fourteen, is sent to live with his uncle's family in Calcutta.
The Rat's Wedding
A clever rat trades up, one bargain after another, from a thorn in his foot to a king's daughter for a bride.
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
One of twenty-five tin soldiers has only one leg, but stands as firmly as the rest.
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
Peter Rabbit's cousin Benjamin takes him back into Mr. McGregor's garden to fetch his lost clothes.
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
The squirrels sail to Owl Island to gather nuts and politely bring gifts to Old Brown the owl.
The Talkative Tortoise and Other Indian Fables
Two old Indian fables of clever animals and foolish ones: a tortoise who cannot keep his mouth shut, and a tiger, a Brahman and a very clever jackal.
The Tell-Tale Heart
"True! nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?"
The Three Little Pigs
Three little pigs set out to seek their fortune and build houses of straw, sticks and bricks.
Washing the Black Dog
The royal barber pleases the king so much that he asks to be made a minister.
A Horseman in the Sky
A young Union sentry from Virginia wakes to see an enemy horseman on the cliff above, the one man who could give his army away.
Emily Dickinson: Ten Poems
"Hope is the thing with feathers", "Because I could not stop for Death", "I'm nobody!
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack swaps the family cow for five magic beans. His mother throws them out of the window, and by morning a beanstalk reaches the sky, and the castle of a giant who…
Jogadhya Uma
A pedlar of shell bracelets meets a lovely girl by a temple tank, who buys a pair and tells him her father will pay.
Little Red Cap
A little girl in a red cap takes cake and wine to her grandmother in the wood and meets a wolf on the way.
Shakespeare's Love Sonnets
Ten of Shakespeare's most loved sonnets, from "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
Ten Famous Poems
Ten poems everyone has heard of, in one place: Kipling's "If—", Wordsworth's daffodils, Shelley's "Ozymandias", Henley's "Invictus", Blake's "The Tyger", Poe's…
The Best Weapon
Birbal tells the Emperor that the best weapon in the world is whatever happens to be at hand.
Can I listen to stories for free on my commute?
Yes. Pagehush is free to use with no ads, and any story can be read aloud in a natural voice.
Can I read these stories on my phone?
Yes, you can read stories on your phone or listen to them read aloud.