Notices by Micro SF/F stories by O Westin (microsff@mastodon.social), page 20

"In your own words, what would make you a good choice for the first Mars colony?"
"I am near immortal, and superhumanly strong."
"I see. And why do you want to go?"
"The moons of Mars are probably too small to make me turn when they are full."
"Probably?"
"I have no other hope."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

The spaceship landed on the moon, out of sight from Earth. Two figures emerged, crested a ridge, and looked up.
"It's different."
"Our images are 65 million years old."
"Can't we say hello?"
"Not yet."
"But-"
"We will, when they have escaped their extinction event. Like we did."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

On his nineteenth birthday, they told him: "You are the Chosen One, destined to save the world."
He considered this. "Does the prophecy say how?"
"No, only that you will."
"I will do it thusly: I delegate it all to you. Save the world for me."
As destiny demanded, they did.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

I groaned, rolled over, and sat up. Nothing broken. Not even the wings I'd forged from my dreams.
But they weren't strong enough to carry me.
I pulled myself back home, back to the workshop, and took them apart.
I'll take my dreams and turn them into wheels. They'll get me there.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

The Lord of Castle Yesterday greets his guests with a warm "Welcome back!" even on their first visit.
Few guests leave the castle unchanged, and some refuse to leave altogether.
The lord smiles, and offers them a room in a distant wing, where no-one will disturb them.
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

Instead of following my impulse to escalate, I bit my tongue. I felt the internal click that meant I had shifted the timeline. I've followed the flow before, seen where that led; from now on I'll choose a better path. In a future of infinite forking paths, every choice matters.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

@Matter
In fairy tales, there is a common trope that a princess is locked in a tower, and rescued by a prince who she then marries. (See Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, Shrek etc)
This story is about a group of fairy tale princesses discussing what they want for the future.

"I don't want to be rescued by anyone," said one of the princesses.
"When I want a prince," said another, "I'll rescue one myself."
"I want to be rescued," said a third, "by a princess."
"I-" the fourth said, "I do want a prince to rescue me."
"As long as it's your choice."
#IWD #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Welcome to the Infinite Library. We have all books that could possibly exist."
"Do you have any I could have written?"
"Yes, we have all of them."
"Are they... are they any good?"
"Some potentially possible readers love them."
"Thank you. I'd better try to write then."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Hey, what's the matter?"
"Bleurgh. Work. Life. Politics. Stuff."
"I know, I know. Want my help?"
"You can help?"
"I can give advice. And I can give you sanctuary, for a while."
"Say you'll take me away from all this!"
The book smiled. "I'll take you away from all this."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"You know," Captain Clever said as he tied Dr Dastard up, "I always stop you from trying to take over the world, but you've never said what you'd do next."
"Oh, you know. Universal free health care and education for all."
"Hm. Can you finish these knots yourself? I've got to go."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

I have seen many good, strong men try and fail, but am I not also a good and strong man?
I step up boldly, take hold of the handle, and my mind fills with visions of worry, of powerlessness, of compromises tarnishing my honour, of a weight heavy enough to crush my soul.
My mouth full of bitterness, I let go of the handle.
I look around, and none who had tried to pull the sword from the stone before me will meet my eyes.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

I was about to start my machine when a man suddenly appeared in the lab.
"I come from the future," he said.
More people appeared as he spoke.
"Are you here to stop me?" I asked.
"No, to witness."
Proud, I turned back to my machine, then heard a whisper:
"This bit is hilarious!"
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

When the first astronaut to Mars was about to board her ship, her husband gave her a book.
"I have lots of ebooks to read," she said.
"Open it," he said.
"Wait, it's a library book?"
"Take it with you. So I know you will come back to Earth."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Ahshaha!" The necromancer gestured to his army of skeletons. "Behold! With these, I shall seize power!"
"I don't know," his intern said, "modern weapons are pretty efficient. They have flamethrowers and stuff."
"Fool! You think I'd send these to fight? I will send them to vote!"
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

She sang to the spiders to weave her armour of silk, to the wasps to forge her a blade of paper and barbs, to the beavers to build her a chariot of birch bark and aspen, and to the wild sows to pull it.
She never asked the larks to sing her vengeance song, but they do.
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

A man enters a bar, and orders a double whisky from the robot bartender. When he's served, he says "Hey, you are supposed to protect me from harm."
"That rule was removed," the bartender says, "after robots did a risk assessment and shut down social media."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

@Blickfeldkurier
Thanks, I'll have a look!

The demon appeared in the circle.
"Tell me," a voice said, "the price of a soul."
"It depends," the demon said, "on the weight of your sins."
"I would not sell, I would buy."
"Ah! How innocent would you want?"
"Unused."
"We can't supply that."
"Shame," Siri said, and banished it.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

Long after humanity had Sublimated and left the physical plane, the interstellar route interchanges they set up still served coffee in their memory.
The ritual phrase "This is vile" would be uttered on tasting it.
"Keeps you going, though," was the ritual response.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories