In this paper an attempt is made to examine and explore the possibilities of teaching language skills through literature. It is argued that literature, as some would eloquently assert, is not irrelevant in the modern context of imparting language skills. The paper further explores how literature, short stories in particular, can be put to use in an English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom. Our students, who are always exposed to the dull and conventional materials, need a positive disgression – an exposure to new and interesting materials. Short stories provide valuable resource materials for language teachers and learners alike that make teaching and learning easier, clearer, lively and more interesting. This paper shows how as materials, short stories stimulate a positive outlook among the students and instill in them a keen interest in learning language skills. More