function ess_api_random($request) { $instance = $request->get_param('instance') ?: 'default'; $category = $request->get_param('category'); $exclude_post_id = $request->get_param('exclude_post_id'); $args = array( 'post_type' => 'post', 'post_status' => 'publish', 'posts_per_page' => 1, 'orderby' => 'rand', 'no_found_rows' => true, ); if (!empty($category)) { $args['category_name'] = $category; } if (!empty($exclude_post_id)) { $args['post__not_in'] = array((int) $exclude_post_id); } $posts = get_posts($args); if (empty($posts)) { return array('error' => 'No stories found'); } $post = $posts[0]; $categories = wp_get_post_categories($post->ID, array('fields' => 'names')); $category_list = implode(', ', $categories); if (!empty($post->post_excerpt)) { $excerpt = wp_trim_words($post->post_excerpt, 55, '...'); } else { $words = explode(' ', strip_tags($post->post_content)); $first_40_words = implode(' ', array_slice($words, 0, 40)); $excerpt = $first_40_words . '...'; } return array( 'id' => $post->ID, 'title' => $post->post_title, 'excerpt' => $excerpt, 'link' => get_permalink($post->ID), 'image' => get_the_post_thumbnail_url($post->ID, 'large'), 'impression_id' => 0, 'categories' => $category_list ); } Bedtime Stories Archives - Page 4 of 4 - English Short Stories Skip to main content

English Short Stories

Bedtime Stories

Stories written for the last quiet hour of the day. Short enough to finish before sleep. Warm enough to carry into dreams. These stories work for children being read to by a parent, for teenagers winding down alone, and for adults who remember what it felt like to be seven years old and safe under a blanket while someone they loved told them a story. Every bedtime story on this platform has been chosen for one quality above all others — it leaves you feeling that the world is, on balance, a good place to be.

Elderly Indian grandmother with two grandchildren in a Mumbai park holding a small glass jar — short family story about gratitude
Bedtime Stories
ESS Editorial

The Grandmother’s Gratitude Jar

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe park bench near the peepal tree was Dadi’s favourite spot in all of Dadar. Every afternoon, she would wait there with two steel tiffin boxes — one for Priya, one for Rohan — because she believed hungry children had no patience for wisdom. That Tuesday, the children arrived louder

young man sitting with old man on park bench at sunset showing kindness and companionship
Bedtime Stories
ESS Editorial

The Old Man’s Bench: A Story of Quiet Kindness

Reading Time: 2 minutesEvery evening, just before sunset, an old man sat alone on a wooden bench in the corner of the park. People passed by him every day—children playing, joggers running, families chatting—but no one really noticed him. His clothes were simple, his movements slow, and his eyes always fixed on the

Cute Indian palm squirrel with fluffy tail and friendly sparrow in banyan tree, children's storybook illustration style
Bedtime Stories
ESS Editorial

The Clever Squirrel and the Sneaky Crow: Be Careful Who You Trust

Reading Time: 5 minutesThe Clever Squirrel and the Sneaky Crow Have you ever trusted someone who spoke sweetly, only to feel hurt later? Little Chintu the squirrel once learned that lesson in a way he would never forget. In a sunny garden in Kerala stood a grand old banyan tree. Its wide branches

Elephant tied with a small rope at an Indian mela, symbolizing limiting beliefs.
Bedtime Stories
ESS Editorial

The Belief That Held Him Down

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe late afternoon sun hung low above the dusty grounds of a small village mela. Stalls lined the open field—colorful bangles, sweets dripping with syrup, toys that spun in the wind. Children ran past, laughing, while elders bargained over spices and cloth. At one corner of the fair, a group

A cute cartoon pencil writing on paper with a smiling eraser beside it, children’s story illustration.
Bedtime Stories
ESS Editorial

The Pencil Who Forgot to Write

Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn a small wooden pencil box, there lived a shiny new pencil named Piku.He had a sharp point, a smooth body, and a bright pink eraser on his head. Every morning, he loved watching the little boy, Rohan, write beautiful letters and draw funny pictures.Piku dreamed of writing like that

A sleepy moon smiling at a small twinkling star in the night sky, bedtime illustration for kids.
Bedtime Stories
ESS Editorial

The Sleepy Moon and the Little Star

Reading Time: < 1 minuteHigh above the clouds, the Moon yawned.He looked at his sky full of stars and said softly, “It’s almost bedtime, little ones. Let’s shine gently so the world can sleep.” But one small star named Tiku twinkled brightly and said, “I’m not sleepy yet! I still want to sparkle!” The

Lord Krishna wearing a peacock feather on His crown, blessing a peacock in Gokul under soft golden light.
Bedtime Stories
ESS Editorial

Why the Peacock Dances for Krishna — Radha Krishna Story

Reading Time: 2 minutesIn the divine days of Lord Krishna’s time in Gokul, there lived a wise and beautiful peacock. He was clever, sincere, and a devoted follower of Krishna.Day after day, he longed to receive the Lord’s grace. One morning, he had an idea. “If I sing every time Krishna passes by,

confident School Girl
Bedtime Stories
ESS Editorial

The Last Bench

Reading Time: 2 minutesRavi had always been the quiet one in class. He sat on the last bench, not out of choice, but because he didn’t want to be seen. His uniform was often a size too small, his shoes worn out, and he rarely brought a lunchbox. While other students shared jokes