Check out The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and six more by Ronald Dahl. Honestly it's such a mixed bag of stories, from whimsical to personal war tragedy to fantastical to soul seeking. It's everything in a handful of short stories, but it won't leave you bored. The hitchhiker one and the pilot one are my personal favourites by a mile, and amongst the best stories I've ever read. All 30 pages each of them.