Microfiction

Lazy Day
Lying in bed, you shield your eyes from the sunlight pouring through the windows. You have no plans today. No work. No social events. No family. Just spending time with yourself.
By Amethyst Champagne12 months ago in Fiction
Cellar Of Dreams
Introduction This tale was first inspired by the Volkov image, and as I was putting this together, I had put a Silencers album on the player, and the absolutely gorgeous "Cellar Of Dreams" came on, and I knew it was a perfect accompaniment for my story.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 12 months ago in Fiction
Planned Deceit
“Continue to deny any claims that xAI has raised $15 billion,” the new Elon said to another lookalike. “We do not need the humans knowing how much funding our artificial intelligence is receiving.”
By Stephanie Hoogstad12 months ago in Fiction
The Coffee Games
She did it her way--and we should too. ☕🍂 November rain knocked on the window and glass door of the Wits Cybercafe. The interior of the cafe combined with the month's transitional energy; it smelled of cinnamon, damp clothes, and thick espresso.
By Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin12 months ago in Fiction
Countdown. AI-Generated.
Part One: The Plan The city streets were quiet as the four men gathered in a cramped apartment above a laundromat. Outside, the hum of streetlights and distant traffic was the only sound. Inside, the table in the center was covered with maps, printed schedules, and diagrams of a large suburban house.
By William Ebden.12 months ago in Fiction
Bella Ciao.. AI-Generated.
The village of Monteverde slept at the foot of the mountains, wrapped in soft mist that drifted between the trees. It was early morning, a pale and gentle hour when the world had not yet decided to wake. Only one window glowed with light. Inside, a girl named Rosa stood at a small wooden table, tying her worn boots with slow and steady hands.
By William Ebden.12 months ago in Fiction
Lines of death.. AI-Generated.
It was a rainy Thursday when Haruto found it. The sky hung heavy and gray, the streets smelled of wet asphalt, and his shoes squelched with every step. On a park bench, half-hidden under a soaked newspaper, lay a black notebook. No title, nothing marking it as special, but something about it drew him in. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands, noticing the weight. He opened it and found blank pages except for a first page that contained rules. Rules that made little sense, at first, about writing names and consequences.
By William Ebden.12 months ago in Fiction
Shadows on Ashwood Lane.. AI-Generated.
Detective Jonathan Hale parked his car at the edge of the cobblestone lane, the soft hum of the streetlamps reflecting off the wet asphalt. Rain had fallen intermittently, leaving puddles that shimmered under the dim lights. The old Miller estate loomed ahead, its windows dark and shuttered, yet the faint glow of police lanterns flickered through cracks in the boards. The house had been abandoned for years, its reputation whispered about in town, and now it had become a crime scene.
By William Ebden.12 months ago in Fiction
Breaking Points
I didn't think enough about the way things broke. Most days, I didn't think at all about that sort of thing. I just tapped my card against the little black box at the checkout, ignored the donation button, and went on my way. I just hopped on the train. Walked into my office. Did several dozen tasks. And that was that.
By Silver Daux12 months ago in Fiction
Words Finally Spoken
Alan’s family sat restlessly around his dining room table, each with a partially filled wine glass in front of them. In Alan’s place was a laptop displaying a picture of him. He raised his glass in a toast.
By Mark Gagnon12 months ago in Fiction
The Clockmaker’s Promise
M Mehran Everyone in the quiet town of Eldenbrook knew Elias Thorn, the old clockmaker whose shop stood at the corner of Willow Street. The windows were always fogged with dust and time, and the shelves were filled with clocks—grandfather clocks, pocket watches, delicate sand timers, and curious contraptions no one had names for. But the most mysterious thing about Elias was not his clocks. It was his secret: He could fix time. Some said he once repaired a moment of regret for a grieving widow. Others whispered he restored a lost memory for a child who had forgotten her mother’s face. No one knew how he did it. They only knew the price was never money. And so people came, quietly, secretly, leaving with lighter hearts—or heavier ones, depending on the moment they chose to change. But none of that mattered the night fifteen-year-old Rowan Carter walked into the shop with a shaking hand and a broken watch. It had belonged to his father. The man who never came home. --- The door chimed softly as Rowan stepped inside. The hum of ticking clocks filled the air like thousands of tiny heartbeats. Elias Thorn, with silver-thread hair and warm, unreadable eyes, looked up from a clock he was polishing. “You’ve been outside my door for three days,” Elias said. “Come in, child.” Rowan swallowed. “I… I wasn’t sure.” “You are sure now.” Elias nodded. “What do you want fixed?” Rowan opened his hand. The pocket watch lay cracked, its glass shattered, its hands frozen at 7:12 PM—the exact minute his father’s car went off the old Briarwood Bridge. “I want to go back,” Rowan whispered. “Before it happened. I want to stop him.” Elias didn’t take the watch. Not at first. “Time is not a toy,” he warned. “It doesn’t like being moved. It resists. It demands sacrifice.” Rowan’s voice broke. “I’d give anything.” Elias’s expression softened with a grief that seemed older than the town itself. “Many have said that,” he murmured. “Few understood what it meant.” Still, he held out his hand. “Let me see it.” Rowan placed the broken watch in Elias’s palm. The moment the clockmaker touched it, the shop grew cold. The ticking of the other clocks slowed until the whole room held its breath. Elias closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they glowed faintly with a golden light. “This watch is tied to a moment you wish to rewrite,” he said quietly. “I can open the door. But remember—every changed moment steals something from another.” “What do you mean?” “If you return to the past,” Elias said, “you must leave something behind.” “Like what?” Rowan whispered. “A memory,” the clockmaker said. “A piece of your life. Something time will take as payment.” Rowan hesitated only a moment. “My father is worth more than any memory.” Elias nodded. “Then hold the watch. And do not let go.” --- The shop dissolved. Rowan felt himself falling through light, through ticking, through moments stretching and snapping like threads. Then his feet hit solid ground. He stood on Briarwood Bridge. Wind brushed against his face, cold and familiar. The wooden planks creaked beneath him. And there—just ahead—stood his father, leaning over the railing, staring down at the rushing river below. Rowan’s breath caught in his throat. “Dad!” His father turned, surprised. “Rowan? What are you—” “Don’t drive tonight,” Rowan gasped. “Please. The bridge… your brakes—” Before he could finish, headlights glowed on the road behind them. A car swerved, tires screeching on wet wood. Rowan lunged. He shoved his father out of the way. The car hit Rowan instead. Everything went black. --- When Rowan opened his eyes, he was lying on the ground, rain hitting his face. His father hovered over him, frantic. “Rowan! Rowan, stay with me!” “I’m… okay,” Rowan murmured. But he wasn’t. Something inside his mind felt hollow, missing. Elias Thorn stepped out of the shadows of the bridge as if he had always been there. “It is done,” the clockmaker said quietly. Rowan’s father looked up, confused. “Who—?” “You don’t remember me,” Elias said gently. “That is how it should be.” He held the restored pocket watch in his hand. The glass was whole, the hands moving again. Rowan sat up slowly. “Did I save him?” “Yes,” Elias said. “Your father will live. The accident will never happen.” Rowan exhaled in relief. “Then… what did I lose?” Elias hesitated. Then he handed Rowan the watch. Rowan looked at it, waiting for memory to rise. But nothing came. “What… what is this?” Rowan asked. “It belonged to your father,” Elias said softly. “It was your favorite birthday gift. He saved for months to buy it for you.” Rowan blinked. “I don’t remember any of that.” “That was the price,” Elias said. “To save your father, time took the memories you had of him.” Rowan’s chest tightened. All the laughter. All the stories. All the moments they shared—gone. His father knelt beside him, tears in his eyes. “Rowan? Do you know who I am?” Rowan looked into his father’s face. It felt warm… familiar… but distant, like a name he once read long ago. “I don’t remember,” Rowan whispered. “But… I want to learn.” His father pulled him close, holding him like something precious returned from the brink. Elias watched them silently. Sometimes saving someone meant losing the part of yourself that loved them. Sometimes love meant choosing the loss anyway. When Rowan looked up, the clockmaker was gone. Only the steady ticking of the pocket watch remained.
By Muhammad Mehran12 months ago in Fiction
Sarah and Nicole
Sarah gazed into her bedroom mirror, admiring her freshly brushed shoulder-length blonde hair and shiny pink lipgloss. She wanted to wear more makeup, but since she was only nine years old, her mom didn't think she was ready. It was annoying to have to wait, but at least her lipgloss went well with her pink skirt and top. Her nail polish was a similar shade of pink, and she had gotten very good at applying it evenly without getting it on her skin. Sarah grinned, happy with how pretty she had made herself for the party. She couldn't wait for everyone to see her.
By Leah Flesher12 months ago in Fiction