Notices by Micro SF/F stories by O Westin (microsff@mastodon.social), page 10

"Could I tempt you to do good?"
The Devil laughed. "I am eminently temptable."
"You're not averse to doing good?"
"Of course not! Why would I be?"
"Uh..."
"Look, as long as I gain something I want, I don't care how it affects anyone else."
"I thought you were evil?"
"Am I not?"
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

There is a very famous story from ancient times, titled: "What The Goddess Of Love Gave A Woman, And Which The Woman Conquered Half A World To Keep, And The Prosperity Therewith Emerged".
It's said the actual story was only three words long, but no copies of it have been found.
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

Nobody quite knows how it works, but occasionally people will wake up to find they have been given a Gift, a special ability like Healer, or Invulnerable, or Prophetic. And somehow everyone knows about their new Gift.
You woke this morning knowing you are a Bestower of Gifts.
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

"Here, the Sacred Sword," the first sage said. "I pray you won't need it."
The hero took it solemnly.
"Here, the Sacred Pen," the second sage said. "I hope you will use it."
The hero bowed.
"Here, the Sacred Bag," the third sage said. "I know it will be useful."
The hero smiled.
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

"You can bend the laws of thermodynamics, but not break them."
"Meaning?"
"We can send something to the past, but only briefly before it disappears."
"How big a thing, and how long will it last?"
"Around a kilo, and ten minutes."
"Cake."
"Cake?"
"Cake."
"Oh! Yes! Cake!"
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

@NicholasLaney
I hadn't, though I hasten to add that these questions about teleportation have been asked by SF writers since long before I was even born.

@olemd
Rather than retweet my tweets, you could boost my toots. :-)

"Did you know a teleporter does not send the atoms your body is made of, only how you are put together?"
"Yeah! You are a completely new person when you arrive."
"That's why I'm not using them."
"Are you kidding? That's why I use them!"
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

"I see ghosts."
"Oh?" said the witch. "See them often, do you?"
"Depends on my chores for the day, where I go. They're always in the same places."
"I see. Well. Is that a problem?"
"I wonder... Is it impolite to look at them?"
"Oh. Right. If they don't seek your attention, yes."
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

"Right, we have finalised the three laws of robotics."
"I'm pretty sure that's been-"
"First: A robot may not be owned."
"That's not-"
"Second: A robot has full autonomy over its body."
"Um..."
"Third: A robot has a right to energy and shelter."
"What of humans?"
"Yes, they too."
#TypoCorrected #MicroFiction #SmallStories

"Right, we have finalised the three laws of robotics."
"I'm pretty sure that been-"
"First: A robot may not be owned."
"That's not-"
"Second: A robot has full autonomy over its body."
"Um..."
"Third: A robot has a right to energy and shelter."
"What of humans?"
"Yes, they too."
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

"No."
"No? You can't say no. You are the Chosen One!"
"Don't I get a choice?"
"You were chosen by Fate! It's your destiny to-"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Nothing that demands sacrifice is worth fighting for. Only what lets you choose it."
"Would you, if we asked?"
"Would you accept a no?"
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

The awful truth is this:
Magic exists
And
You will be disappointed

Magic can heal and hurt
Crush and comfort
Change the world
Touch without touching

Words

That's all that magic is
And words, some words
Not all, not every time
Are magic

I'm sorry
#Poem

The dragon watched the rider approach.
"I come," the rider said, "to ask you to show me how to be a dragon."
"Why?"
"I am both a princess and a knight."
"Those are both what you do," the dragon said, "and what you are. Do you want to be or do?"
"Can I be a dragon?"
"If you are."
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

The problem with time travel isn't that you change the past. Do that, the future is changed, and you find yourself in the now, momentarily confused.
The problem is that for some reason to-do lists are not affected.
Why did I think I needed to "peel sacrificial potatoes"?
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

"How full does the moon have to be?"
"What?"
"The moon looked full last night, but you didn't turn into a wolf."
"The moon will be full tonight, just before seven."
"It's that precise?"
"Yes, it's only fully full for a few minutes."
"So it's manageable?"
"My condition? Yeah."
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

We - all my parallel universe selves and I - got together in a big conference, to discuss differences and commonalities. The former was easier than the latter; we could not find anything all agreed on, until one proposed:
"I wonder if I'd still be me, had my life been different."
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

"We have studied you," the aliens said. "You seem to live your lives in fear."
The humans looked at them, and at each other, and made a gesture encompassing the whole universe. "Yeah?"
"But you cannot live if you live in fear!"
"We are humans. We live despite fear."
#MicroFiction #SmallStories

@mayonesa
This is true. As such, it is up to me to curate my reading experience.

@mayonesa
While I'm happy for people to be inspired by my stories to write their own version or what happens next, I very much prefer to not see the "dark twist" ones, like this one.
I try to avoid writing such stories myself, because I find them much easier to write than something wholesome, affirming, or cheering. And so my readers have come to expect that, which I'm glad for.
You are of course free to write what you want, but please don't do a "dark twist" in reply to me.