Notices by Micro SF/F stories by O Westin (microsff@mastodon.social), page 22

A young man came to the God of Exchanges, carrying broken dreams and a broken heart.
"What do you want for these?" asked the god.
"Nothing," said the young man.
"Very well," said the god.
The young man left, with no memory of having dreams or heart, broken or unbroken.
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

One wolf in the pack would not howl. The other wolves urged him to try, saying he would soon learn.
"I'm sure," he said, "but it's not that I can't. I just don't want to."
"But the pack howls," they said.
"I don't," he said.
"Then, can you do the silence in between?"
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"I hunger," the vampire said.
"Again? I haven't recovered from your last meal."
"It is my nature."
"It's your nature to be dramatic. Besides, why blood?"
"It is alive. It is life force that nurtures me."
"That's it? Let me introduce you to yoghurt, and sourdough bread, and beer."
#MicroFiction 'TootFic 'SmallStories

The apples are left on the trees in the orchard. When wintry rain covers them in ice, the apples are persuaded to dissolve, to leave only a ghost behind in the icy shell.
Cider made from ghost apples warms the dead, and chills the living.
You look like you need some.
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

The princess heard the tell-tale sound of someone climbing the outside of the tower. She looked out of the window and saw a princess, silken dress tied up, scaling the wall.
"This tower is taken," she called out.
"I know it is," came the reply, "but are you?"
"Oh... No! I'm not!"
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

It was a beautifully made sword, perfectly balanced, both nimble and strong. And it was cursed. It would always cut its wielder, taste their blood, before it could be sheathed or put away.
Unless you knew the secret.
Unless you knew to say "Thank you" to it.
Few warriors did.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

The car I ordered pulls up, IDs me, and opens the door. I get in.
"Lock. Full privacy. Quiet. Lights out."
The windows blacken, and noise cancelling is activated. I sit back and breathe. After a couple of minutes, the car asks "Destination?"
"I am where I need to be," I say.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Whoops!"
I look up at the TV. "You missed the jump?"
"Yeah," God said, "I got the timing wrong. I'll try again."
"I don't get it, you can play the game perfectly."
"Yeah."
"So?"
"It doesn't matter if I fail in a game."
"But-"
"It's nice, OK? To not have to be perfect."
"I know."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

"Relax. Let your mind float. You exist."
"I exist."
"Decouple from your body. You see a previous life. What do you see?"
"I see... a floor."
"Is it far away?"
"The floor is close. It is dirty."
"How does that make you feel?"
"I must clean-" The robot woke. "I was a Roomba once!"
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

The ancient casket was found behind a wall in the deepest tomb. We translated the inscription:
"Herein sealed what our diviners claim will undo our eternal rule. Open it not."
We opened it.
The room seemed brighter, the air sweeter, as we read the note inside:
"Hope for change."
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

@ersatzmaus Yeah, let's go with that.

*prepare. And it should have been pentagram, not pentragram the other day.
*sigh*
Can I go to bed yet?

A fleet of spaceships entered Earth's orbit.
"Greetings," they radioed, "we are just here to debrief our agents, to perpare for talks with you."
In a shimmer of light, every cat on Earth was beamed up.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

There was a crowd of knights by the tower.
"Oi!" a goblin called out from a window, "check the board!"
The knights milled around until they found the timeshare schedule. Most noted times and left, but one remained.
"I'll rescue you," he called.
The goblin smiled.
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

The traveler came across a pancake maker by the roadside, and was invited for a meal. The pancakes were tossed high in the evening air, and the traveler noticed that every seventh disappeared.
"Where do they go?"
"To the bats."
"They eat pancakes?"
"No! For adoption."
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

The pentragram on the floor was smudged, the candles unlit. A demon appeared. "Hello, are you free?" it said.
The man looked up from his book and smiled. "Hi! How are you?"
"Still bound to find you a friend."
"And you come alone, again. Hard, isn't it? No matter. Tea?"
"Thanks!"

** You can also find me at...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MicroSFF
Tumblr: http://microsff.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MicroSFF/
Blog/shorts/poems: http://microsff.com/
**

They call us monsters. It hurts, but we stay quiet. Their parents let light in under their beds; we cower in what shadows remain.
We lurk, wait, until a demon inevitably possesses a teddy bear to find the way into the child's heart. We'll eat it, save bear and child.
We monsters.
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories

** If you're curious about #Cassoland, it is a world which Cassandra Khaw (not in fediverse) and I are exploring together. It is an intriguing place. **

"Once a person enters Ardor Forest," the bard said, "they never leave. Few want to, but those who try wander for ever."
"If nobody leaves," a child asked, "who told you?"
"I am a story," said the bard and turned into a flock of starlings. "Stories can travel anywhere."
#Cassoland #MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories