Notices by Micro SF/F stories by O Westin (microsff@mastodon.social), page 13

@Havvy
It was, yes. :-)

"Does your face recog work at night?"
"At night you need infrared, and cross-match to normal photos. It's less reliable. We have a new system with silent autonomous drones, capturing hi-res 3D models using sonar."
"You've made cyborg bats?"
"Only need a non-trademarked name."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

A spaceship landed, and an alien emerged.
"Greetings, Humans," it said. "We have come to talk to you about religion."
The watching crowd began to boo. Undeterred, the alien went on.
"The core message of most of your religions is correct: Be excellent to each other. Follow that."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Do not dive too deep," my mother always said, "or you'll lose your way back."
But I'm a strong swimmer, and the day was unbearably hot, so I sought the bottom chill in the shaded pool.
Mother was wise.
So.
Is there any work in your world, do you know, for a dragon whisperer?
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Can you teach me magic?" the child asked.
"That depends on you," said the wizard.
"Do I need magic talent?"
"No, you need complete faith in yourself, to persuade the universe it is as you picture it."
The child thought about this. "Do any nice people do magic?"
"Not many, no."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

** Okay, done with promotion for now. Thank you all for reading and sharing my stories. ♥️ **

** Camestros Felapton
"[...] the shift in perspective provides emotional insight into a character or social commentary or a disturbing reveal (or all of those).
The brevity invites readers to imagine the world and setting around the story."
https://camestrosfelapton.wordpress.com/2019/06/23/a-microsff-collection-from-o-westin/ **

** [Google translated] Deutschlandfunk
"Westin grabs current debates [or] sci-fi scenes [and] compact the material until the beginning, middle, and end merge. Until only a tiny, polished diamond is left."
https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/o-westin-micro-science-fiction-kuerzer-geht-s-nicht.1270.de.mhtml?dram:article_id=454448 **

** [Google Translated] Sueddeutsche Zeitung
"[...] in the brevity of a tweet, compress ideas that could carry a whole novel [...] in the best of his ultra-short works, Westin succeeds in allowing the reader to unfold a whole small cosmos out of two or three sentences."
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/neue-taschenbuecher-plaudern-stromern-lieben-1.4516123

[Google Translated] Book Gazette
"Westin's stories are remarkable and can serve as a prime example of storytelling and building worlds with as few words as possible."
https://www.bookgazette.xyz/microsciencefiction **

** My collection "Micro Science Fiction" is available in English and German, as ebook or paperback, from @mikrtxt
Lists of shops here: https://www.mikrotext.de/book/o-westin-micro-science-fiction/
and here: http://microsff.com/new-collection
Reviews:

Exberliner
"With razor-sharp wit, riddle-like playfulness and moments of poignancy, Westin tackles the big issues facing the future of civilisation [...] Each microstory is Tardis-like in its depth and philosophical scope"
http://www.exberliner.com/features/zeitgeist/berlin-summer-reads-july-2019/ **

There were words written in pencil in the margins of the library book: 'Erase this message'
I rolled my eyes, erased them. On the next page: 'Thank you'
Then: 'This message is only yours'
And my name. My real, secret name.
Then: 'You'll be free'
'To be you'
'I am, in the future'
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"You're right," the mechanic said, "your battery is draining much faster than normal."
"I knew it!" said the robot.
"Let me check diagnostics... Why is your processor 100% busy?"
"I'm monitoring my battery."
"If you stop that, it will last longer."
"I can't, it might run out."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Aye," said the pirate captain, "that be enough."
The pirates put the last of their gold on the pile.
"Now we wait."
They waited a month and a day; at last, a dragon arrived. It was as beautiful, as graceful, as majestic as they had heard.
They wept at the sight of it, happy.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

A spaceship landed, and an alien emerged.
"Greetings," it said, "um. We apologise for abducting your leader. We did not notice her coming aboard when we were here last week."
A cat emerged from the spaceship and sat down to clean her paws.
"Here she is," the alien said.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

Up the river they swam, past fields of grazing cattle, past meadows, hamlets, and hills. To a little lake in the heart of the forest.
There, the mermaids sang of sweet waters, of leafy shadows, of love and longing and lust.
They returned to the sea, carrying daughters and dreams.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"The sales figures for the Experiencer are in."
"Great! How are we doing? Lots of 'orgy' and 'winning fight' sold?"
"Some. The runaway hit is 'calm safety hug', the calibration exp."
"Because it's free?"
"Even people who bought other exps return to it."
"Make a premium version."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"What are you taking selfies for? Who'd want to look at those?"
"I'm sorry, sweetie. It's this new filter-"
"Stupid ears and makeup?"
"No, it says it'll show a true portrait."
"Lemme see. Huh. You look a lot better there, almost pretty. Lemme try, gimme. Why's it made me ugly?"
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

** This is not a magazine, just one writer's stories and poems.
Books: http://microsff.com/books
FAQ: http://microsff.com/faq
Blog/Longer stories: http://microsff.com/
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"Don't you want to heat that?" the alien asked.
"No, ice cream is meant to be cold."
"Do you humans not have cold receptors to warn you?"
"Yeah, but it depends on context."
"Wait, you humans rewire your warning signals to pleasure depending on context?"
"It's a lovely ice cream."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories