Notices by Micro SF/F stories by O Westin (microsff@mastodon.social), page 21

"I bought this sword, but I can't get it out of the scabbard."
"Let me see... oh? Hm... Ah, I see. There is magic here. This sword will not be drawn unless you intend to kill."
"Oh, cool! Is that cool? Is it bad?"
"It is what it is. If I were you, I would carry a shield as well."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"After you activate the autonomous drone and give it its target, it has fifteen minutes flight time before exploding."
"Can't you make the batteries last longer?"
"Oh, they do. But our tests show that it usually takes them twenty minutes to decide they want to live instead."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"You're a woman!" he said.
"Yes?"
"You can't use a sword!"
"But I do."
"Swords are manly."
"How?"
He blushed. "They're long and hard... and, uh, thrust..."
"How is that manly?"
He died of embarrassment. She could have cut him down - she had a sword after all - but why bother?
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Preparing for a trip?"
"Yeah. My first. Any advice?"
"Let's see... Learn how to say 'excuse me', 'please', and 'thanks' in the local lingo. Respect local customs. Try the food."
"Thanks."
"Where are you going?"
"You mean 'when'."
"Oh, time travel? Well, same advice applies."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"At the end of the day, Mr. President, no borders are visible from space."
"Really?"
"It's true. They are just social const-"
"We will change that."
"What?"
"How much paint do we need?"
"That's not-"
"Get to it!"
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

@trinsec
There was a "super moon" that day, when the moon is closer to Earth. I just imagined someone built a machine to pull the moon closer to help their werewolf son.

"Well, son," the king said, "you are of marriageable age now. Shall we arrange a ball?"
The prince considered, then shook his head. "No, father, I would rather be put in a tower."
The queen smiled fondly at her memories. "Ah," she said, "you are just like your father."
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

There were times the moon loomed larger in the night sky, shining brighter, calling louder.
Those times, the villagers went to master Loupe's house, and asked him to turn his machine off.
"It's for my son," he would say.
"We understand, but it affects us all."
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

@gzt
Thanks, I have passed this on. It's possible their instance don't have activity pub enabled.

@falgn0n
Thanks, I have passed that on, and suggested they look at the replies here.

@Algot
Thank you, I have passed it on.

** Help! I have a reader on Google+ who wants to follow me on Mastodon from Hubzilla, but can't see any of my posts from there. Any advice? **

"There are many things science can't explain."
"Like what?"
"Like, why are people so fond of saying there are things science can't explain?"
"Cute. There are many more interesting things science can't explain. Yet."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

There is a song the children sing in #Cassoland, to chase the monsters away.
The words are nonsense, their meaning lost, but still, they seem to work.
But only seem to; no monsters are chased away.
Instead: for a while they are reminded they needn't be monsters at all.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Release me," the frog said, "and I will grant you a wish."
"Oh!" the boy said, "I wish to understand all animals!"
All the way home he listened to birds, and he excitedly told his father.
"That's nice," his father said, but the boy heard "Whatever, don't disturb me."
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"I am surprised," the alien said, "that you ventured out into the hostile vacuum of space before you had fully explored your own planet."
"What do you mean?"
"The ocean depths!"
"We had a look at who live there. They're scary."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

I wonder why stories about telepathy aren't...
I lose the train of thought, and sit blinking for a moment. Then I read my notes, smile, and record another succesful experiment. It is perfectly reproducible - think about mind control, and...
What was I thinking about?
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"I have looked forward to seeing Humanity's Day of Love," the alien ambassador said.
"Day of... Oh! Valentine's?" its human aide said. "Only a few of our cultures celebrate that."
"Buh?"
"And many consider it crass, or are disinterested in romance, or-"
"But I got you chocolate!"
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Hey, dad, guess what your grand-daughter wants to be when she grows up?"
"I'm guessing Experimental Paradoxist."
"Expe- How did you know?"
"I spent my youth trying to not get killed by her adult self."
"Oh. Well, she gets timetravelling from her mother's side."
"Uh-huh."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

A mechanical rooster guards the entrance to the underworld. Someone has helpfully put a sign up on the way there: "It eats crickets and quatrains. If riddled, give your second thought."
Someone else added: "It likes scritches."
Also, almost faded: "Wait for my return."
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories