microfiction
/microfiction29
A place to share microfiction. Short, shorts. One cast or less. Tell a story in less than 1024 characters.
The Measuring Box
Try a sip,” she said.
I didn’t take Rina for a sake connoisseur. Too young. I heard she liked getting smashed on cheap bubbly. But here we are, just the two of us. She picked the bottle and now I get to sample the wares. I pinched myself; this one is way out of my league.
The clear liquid filled the rectangular wooden measuring box to the brim. But how would I would sip it without making an ass of myself? Lean over and lap at it the way my cat does? Or ask for a straw? I figured my cheeks must be redder than beetroots. She’s bound to guess I’ve never done this before. I spied a ticket stub to a matinee performance of Macbeth on the table opposite.
“Here, let me help you.”
Rina lifted the measuring box to my mouth with one steady hand. She could inject me with one thousand needles of nanoepidoxine and I'd die a happy man. I took a sip of the best sake in the house. The master leaned across the counter and grinned. They sure don’t make models like Rina anymore.
Try a sip,” she said.
I didn’t take Rina for a sake connoisseur. Too young. I heard she liked getting smashed on cheap bubbly. But here we are, just the two of us. She picked the bottle and now I get to sample the wares. I pinched myself; this one is way out of my league.
The clear liquid filled the rectangular wooden measuring box to the brim. But how would I would sip it without making an ass of myself? Lean over and lap at it the way my cat does? Or ask for a straw? I figured my cheeks must be redder than beetroots. She’s bound to guess I’ve never done this before. I spied a ticket stub to a matinee performance of Macbeth on the table opposite.
“Here, let me help you.”
Rina lifted the measuring box to my mouth with one steady hand. She could inject me with one thousand needles of nanoepidoxine and I'd die a happy man. I took a sip of the best sake in the house. The master leaned across the counter and grinned. They sure don’t make models like Rina anymore.
5
She rounded the corner and sure enough, Tony's puke green lambo was sitting in the parking lot. She looked up at the diner and saw Sally walking from table to table pouring coffee while Tony counted money at the till and Jones was at the grill screaming at some kid Kate had never seen before.
A young couple walked in the diner and then immediately walked out - Jones's screaming had frequently scared off new customers.
She didn't know why Tony hadn't fired him.
She rounded the corner and sure enough, Tony's puke green lambo was sitting in the parking lot. She looked up at the diner and saw Sally walking from table to table pouring coffee while Tony counted money at the till and Jones was at the grill screaming at some kid Kate had never seen before.
A young couple walked in the diner and then immediately walked out - Jones's screaming had frequently scared off new customers.
She didn't know why Tony hadn't fired him.
4
The greasy smell of Tony's Diner hit Kate's nose, and she turned quickly in that direction.
She had a tab there. She could order whatever she wanted. A burger and fries. Some chicken tenders. And one of those dry ass chocolate cakes Tony was so proud of. She didn't care what it tasted like, she just wanted to eat.
As she walked, she thought about who might be working. Tony would probably be there, his flashy car parked right in front. On a Friday night, it was probably Jones in the kitchen with some new kid they'd hired to replace the last kid because Jones was such a prick.
He made good burgers though.
The greasy smell of Tony's Diner hit Kate's nose, and she turned quickly in that direction.
She had a tab there. She could order whatever she wanted. A burger and fries. Some chicken tenders. And one of those dry ass chocolate cakes Tony was so proud of. She didn't care what it tasted like, she just wanted to eat.
As she walked, she thought about who might be working. Tony would probably be there, his flashy car parked right in front. On a Friday night, it was probably Jones in the kitchen with some new kid they'd hired to replace the last kid because Jones was such a prick.
He made good burgers though.
3
The rain had begun to ease up a bit by the time Kate reached her building, a squat three-story brick apartment building with four studio apartments per floor.
All she could think about was the tearing hunger she felt in her stomach.
As she approached the front door of her building, she reached into her purse for her keys.
"Fuck," she shouted.
The hunger pangs were getting worse as she realized she'd left her keys in her car in the parking lot at work.
"FUUUUCCCCCKKKK," she screamed even louder than before, the hunger turning quickly into a sort of rage she didn't know existed in her.
The rain had begun to ease up a bit by the time Kate reached her building, a squat three-story brick apartment building with four studio apartments per floor.
All she could think about was the tearing hunger she felt in her stomach.
As she approached the front door of her building, she reached into her purse for her keys.
"Fuck," she shouted.
The hunger pangs were getting worse as she realized she'd left her keys in her car in the parking lot at work.
"FUUUUCCCCCKKKK," she screamed even louder than before, the hunger turning quickly into a sort of rage she didn't know existed in her.
I do like the channel's header image... a dab of word alchemy here and there.
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2
"That wasn't real," Kate whispered to herself.
She looked around and there was nothing there, just rain and sidewalk and pathetic little trees next to a decaying storefront that hadn't seen anything but graffiti and trash in years.
"No fucking way that was real," she said, louder this time, trying to convince herself of that and failing because she knew it was real.
She could still feel the electricity crackling and spreading from the spot on her cheek where the old man had touched her.
Before she could pay any more attention though, Kate found herself experiencing the most intense hunger pangs she'd ever felt before.
She needed to eat.
Now.
"That wasn't real," Kate whispered to herself.
She looked around and there was nothing there, just rain and sidewalk and pathetic little trees next to a decaying storefront that hadn't seen anything but graffiti and trash in years.
"No fucking way that was real," she said, louder this time, trying to convince herself of that and failing because she knew it was real.
She could still feel the electricity crackling and spreading from the spot on her cheek where the old man had touched her.
Before she could pay any more attention though, Kate found herself experiencing the most intense hunger pangs she'd ever felt before.
She needed to eat.
Now.
It hadn't been raining when she left work. That mess had only started when she was already halfway home. Not that her day had been going well. She was only walking home because her car wouldn't start, Kyle wasn't answering his phone, and she didn't have roadside assistance, so rather than sit and wait for her brother to pick up, she decided to walk home because tomorrow was payday so she didn't even have the money for a tow. The rain was just the cherry on top of an already fucked day.
Kate didn't see the old man until he was already in front of her, his hand reaching out in the rain for her face. She was so shocked, she froze, and then felt a jolt of electricity as his hand touched her face. She jerked away just as he collapsed in front of her.
"Don't tell them," he said, and then his body crumbled into dust.
(This one's a bit different, it's the first in a series.)
Kate didn't see the old man until he was already in front of her, his hand reaching out in the rain for her face. She was so shocked, she froze, and then felt a jolt of electricity as his hand touched her face. She jerked away just as he collapsed in front of her.
"Don't tell them," he said, and then his body crumbled into dust.
(This one's a bit different, it's the first in a series.)
(is it cheating if it's a long cast? 😆)
It took one month after the lights went out for the world to descend into chaos. Without the internet, the illusion of infinite knowledge disappeared. In this new dark age, books became the most valuable resource, igniting battles over the control of information. Amidst the turmoil, a hermit quietly built a hidden library, reading not for power, but to preserve her spirit. Yet, as she clings to the last threads of enlightenment, a heavy knock on the door reminds her that knowledge is dangerous.
It took one month after the lights went out for the world to descend into chaos. Without the internet, the illusion of infinite knowledge disappeared. In this new dark age, books became the most valuable resource, igniting battles over the control of information. Amidst the turmoil, a hermit quietly built a hidden library, reading not for power, but to preserve her spirit. Yet, as she clings to the last threads of enlightenment, a heavy knock on the door reminds her that knowledge is dangerous.
Streak maintenance
Sony was the Story Keeper of her village.
It was a role that had been created after the Great Corruption had shown people the danger of keeping all their information in forms that degrade over time or catastrophe.
Her job was to remember the most important stories of her people, the ones that must be passed from generation to generation. The stories that had been reconstructed after the floods destroyed libraries and the virus of the Great Corruption destroyed data centers.
Each week, the community gathered to hear another story of the times before.
Their history.
So they wouldn't forget.
This evening's story would be about the Giants of Tech and how their unending hunger had almost destroyed the Earth.
She remembered what her mentor had told her about the Giants - massive machines that had walked the Earth, sucking up resources and forcing the people to do their bidding.
She was grateful to be alive in the time of the Sun Queen.
She couldn't imagine being crushed by the Machinery of Capitalism.
It was a role that had been created after the Great Corruption had shown people the danger of keeping all their information in forms that degrade over time or catastrophe.
Her job was to remember the most important stories of her people, the ones that must be passed from generation to generation. The stories that had been reconstructed after the floods destroyed libraries and the virus of the Great Corruption destroyed data centers.
Each week, the community gathered to hear another story of the times before.
Their history.
So they wouldn't forget.
This evening's story would be about the Giants of Tech and how their unending hunger had almost destroyed the Earth.
She remembered what her mentor had told her about the Giants - massive machines that had walked the Earth, sucking up resources and forcing the people to do their bidding.
She was grateful to be alive in the time of the Sun Queen.
She couldn't imagine being crushed by the Machinery of Capitalism.
Sunset had always been Jen's favorite time of day.
All the chores and responsibilities were done, and the demands on her time faded. She could do what she wanted, and that was usually cozying up in bed with a book.
So it was disappointing when she sat down to read the book she'd been looking forward to all day and she couldn't make sense of the letters anymore.
"Sally," Jen called to her wife. "Get the shotgun."
They'd agreed that if either of them ever showed symptoms of the mindless virus, they'd take care of the problem between them, and that was a virus with only one solution.
"Aw damn," Sally cried out. "I was really hoping that bite was just superficial."
Jen heard the shotgun cocking. She wasn't looking forward to death, but it would be better than the mindless undeath of the other virus victims.
All the chores and responsibilities were done, and the demands on her time faded. She could do what she wanted, and that was usually cozying up in bed with a book.
So it was disappointing when she sat down to read the book she'd been looking forward to all day and she couldn't make sense of the letters anymore.
"Sally," Jen called to her wife. "Get the shotgun."
They'd agreed that if either of them ever showed symptoms of the mindless virus, they'd take care of the problem between them, and that was a virus with only one solution.
"Aw damn," Sally cried out. "I was really hoping that bite was just superficial."
Jen heard the shotgun cocking. She wasn't looking forward to death, but it would be better than the mindless undeath of the other virus victims.
It was Bread Day.
Hannah hoped she had enough for everyone who came, but she knew that she didn't. There was never enough.
It's why Bread Day still existed.
Whoever didn't get bread would be exiled from the community. If there'd been enough, they'd all get some, of course, but there was never enough. Strict population control had to be maintained, and this was how the Council had decided it should be done.
Hannah's predecessor had tried to argue they could adjust the recipes, ration differently, so that there was enough loaves for every family, but the Council had rejected that. With the rejection, came also an exile, and that was how Hannah had come to have the job of Bread Lord. Tasked with deciding who got bread and who didn't.
She'd decided on a lottery this year.
She's reasoned that was more fair than choosing herself or putting it up for vote as had been done in previous years.
She had to do her job.
Or she'd be exiled, too.
Hannah hoped she had enough for everyone who came, but she knew that she didn't. There was never enough.
It's why Bread Day still existed.
Whoever didn't get bread would be exiled from the community. If there'd been enough, they'd all get some, of course, but there was never enough. Strict population control had to be maintained, and this was how the Council had decided it should be done.
Hannah's predecessor had tried to argue they could adjust the recipes, ration differently, so that there was enough loaves for every family, but the Council had rejected that. With the rejection, came also an exile, and that was how Hannah had come to have the job of Bread Lord. Tasked with deciding who got bread and who didn't.
She'd decided on a lottery this year.
She's reasoned that was more fair than choosing herself or putting it up for vote as had been done in previous years.
She had to do her job.
Or she'd be exiled, too.
Ben had belonged to the team that had shot a probe into the Sun. He'd been proud of that work at the time. The goal was to finally figure out how to sustain fusion reactions. It was the promise of unlimited energy. The team had their sights on a Nobel prize and being remembered forever.
But now he had the perspective of a few more years on him and realized just how meaningless that prize was.
He looked at the monitor again.
The chain reaction had taken three decades.
The Earth had about 8 minutes before the skies went dark.
Ben no longer wanted to be remembered.
He only hoped humanity could stick around long enough to restart the Sun.
But now he had the perspective of a few more years on him and realized just how meaningless that prize was.
He looked at the monitor again.
The chain reaction had taken three decades.
The Earth had about 8 minutes before the skies went dark.
Ben no longer wanted to be remembered.
He only hoped humanity could stick around long enough to restart the Sun.
Minted The Stacks
It was forbidden, but Jonah had climbed up to the top of Highstack Tower anyway. It was the only way he could get a full view of the Stacks - rows of towers built from old shipping containers, some converted to homes, others to business, schools, and other purposes a city can come up with for space.
He'd been born in the Stacks. So had both his parents. But his Gran had been a migrant from the Storms when she was a little girl, and as he sat there in the chill of night, bracing against the wind that whipped around that high up in the air, he thought about what it might be like to leave the walls of the Stacks.
Not that he ever could. Travel outside the walls in daytime was a death sentence. The desert heat was oppressive and it was only the extensive cooling systems in the Stacks that kept the city from becoming an oven.
Jonah turned away from the view and climbed back down to his little garden - another forbidden thing. Water was precious, agriculture was regulated, but the tomatoes were oh so good.
He'd been born in the Stacks. So had both his parents. But his Gran had been a migrant from the Storms when she was a little girl, and as he sat there in the chill of night, bracing against the wind that whipped around that high up in the air, he thought about what it might be like to leave the walls of the Stacks.
Not that he ever could. Travel outside the walls in daytime was a death sentence. The desert heat was oppressive and it was only the extensive cooling systems in the Stacks that kept the city from becoming an oven.
Jonah turned away from the view and climbed back down to his little garden - another forbidden thing. Water was precious, agriculture was regulated, but the tomatoes were oh so good.
hihi I just boosted my FarScore by 0.012817 by locking 1.15 @thecurioushermit's Fan Tokens with MoxiePower!
cc @betashop.eth
cc @betashop.eth
Yanca scowled at the glass pitcher, the liquid within yellow and swirling with floating sediment. She picked up the vial from the sideboard, dropping two violet pearls from within into the sickening-She finished stirring the water as it slowly whirled into clearness. She picked up the pitcher, then turned before the light radiating from the walls caused her to drop the pitcher altogether.
The cafe at the edge of the dome normally had that dark, candelit glow about it that held the rest of the small domed city in its grasp. It was better than the swirling, stormy darkness that surrounded the small domed city that was their safety. Now though..
An eerie hush settled over them all as that light spread, warm and almost comforting. And yet, the unnatural quiet that was normally the hum of the small city was far from comforting. One of the young men threw open the door as though he would escape, only to find that everything outside of the cafe was now the complete and utter darkness of a void.
The cafe at the edge of the dome normally had that dark, candelit glow about it that held the rest of the small domed city in its grasp. It was better than the swirling, stormy darkness that surrounded the small domed city that was their safety. Now though..
An eerie hush settled over them all as that light spread, warm and almost comforting. And yet, the unnatural quiet that was normally the hum of the small city was far from comforting. One of the young men threw open the door as though he would escape, only to find that everything outside of the cafe was now the complete and utter darkness of a void.
Minted The Knitting Circle
Most people didn't really understand why it had gone from being called "global warming" to being called "climate change" until the first Long Winter covered the Northern Hemisphere with snow for 18 months straight. It turned out that one movie was sort of right, though it didn't last forever, and the summer that followed was just as harsh in the other direction as that winter had been.
Kate was a survivor, scrounging the city for supplies day after day. The population had been decimated that first Long Winter. There'd been three in the two decades since the first, and each had taken it's toll on humanity and the other species of the planet.
But somehow, civilization had kept going on. It turned out to be much more resilient than the doomers had thought, and Kate smiled as she opened a closet in a long abandoned home and discovered a stash of yarn.
The knitting circle would be so pleased. They'd been working overtime preparing for winter - this one was predicted to be another long one.
Kate was a survivor, scrounging the city for supplies day after day. The population had been decimated that first Long Winter. There'd been three in the two decades since the first, and each had taken it's toll on humanity and the other species of the planet.
But somehow, civilization had kept going on. It turned out to be much more resilient than the doomers had thought, and Kate smiled as she opened a closet in a long abandoned home and discovered a stash of yarn.
The knitting circle would be so pleased. They'd been working overtime preparing for winter - this one was predicted to be another long one.
For next week, instead of me picking themes, I want YOUR suggestions.
Obviously... I can write a good piece of dystopian microfiction 🤣
But let's get me out of my comfort zone - and you, too!
This week's theme is "cozy dystopian".
I like to just mash the words together until something comes to me, and then it pours out.
So what are some words you'd like to see me mash together in my brain and spawn a story from?
Recast to spread the word :D
Take a look in the channel for the stories I've already written, and maybe take a crack at writing your own!
Obviously... I can write a good piece of dystopian microfiction 🤣
But let's get me out of my comfort zone - and you, too!
This week's theme is "cozy dystopian".
I like to just mash the words together until something comes to me, and then it pours out.
So what are some words you'd like to see me mash together in my brain and spawn a story from?
Recast to spread the word :D
Take a look in the channel for the stories I've already written, and maybe take a crack at writing your own!
Minted The Secret Shop
Elle had been looking for the shop for years.
She'd heard whispers of it here and there, but she'd never been able to find it.
So when she turned into an unfamiliar alley one day, she was shocked to see the quaint little door with windows carefully decorated in calligraphic writing that had been rumored to contain treasures of the past in it.
She opened the door and a bell rang.
The shopkeeper was a small man, bent over a counter examining something that Elle couldn't quite make out.
She looked around. Maps on one shelf, some old paperback books. Was that an old iphone? She took a step to look closer. Yes.
She waited for the shopkeep to say something.
"Can I help..." he stopped mid-sentence.
"Yes, you can," Elle said. "Enforcement. You've violated the law selling banned goods."
The team she'd signaled rushed in the door.
Consumption of unauthorized information was forbidden, and her job was to make sure no one broke the bans.
She sighed as she walked out.
She sure did miss her old iphone.
She'd heard whispers of it here and there, but she'd never been able to find it.
So when she turned into an unfamiliar alley one day, she was shocked to see the quaint little door with windows carefully decorated in calligraphic writing that had been rumored to contain treasures of the past in it.
She opened the door and a bell rang.
The shopkeeper was a small man, bent over a counter examining something that Elle couldn't quite make out.
She looked around. Maps on one shelf, some old paperback books. Was that an old iphone? She took a step to look closer. Yes.
She waited for the shopkeep to say something.
"Can I help..." he stopped mid-sentence.
"Yes, you can," Elle said. "Enforcement. You've violated the law selling banned goods."
The team she'd signaled rushed in the door.
Consumption of unauthorized information was forbidden, and her job was to make sure no one broke the bans.
She sighed as she walked out.
She sure did miss her old iphone.
SeaTrek
The world is marred by all of the death wrought by the previous era. Life has left the land but the tides have risen to reclaim them.
The sea acts as a kind of embryonic fluid for life to make its return. The planet is taking its children back into its womb and we are grateful to her for it.
But there still remain those who continue to dump their toxicity into the sea from their cities.
This is why I joined SeaTrek. Not only as a cartographer to map the world’s rapidly changing coastlines but to eradicate these lethal sins.
I spend most of my days exploring coastlines in solitude. Floating, treading and diving into endless blue and black depths occupies most of my time. The ocean is all I see on my horizon and its channels are the trails I blaze.
It’s nice to float and ponder. You aren’t cut out for this job if you can’t do long solemn silences by yourself.
On some nights I get so comfortable on top of the water, I slip into a deep mediation I meet the goddess of the sea herself🌊
The world is marred by all of the death wrought by the previous era. Life has left the land but the tides have risen to reclaim them.
The sea acts as a kind of embryonic fluid for life to make its return. The planet is taking its children back into its womb and we are grateful to her for it.
But there still remain those who continue to dump their toxicity into the sea from their cities.
This is why I joined SeaTrek. Not only as a cartographer to map the world’s rapidly changing coastlines but to eradicate these lethal sins.
I spend most of my days exploring coastlines in solitude. Floating, treading and diving into endless blue and black depths occupies most of my time. The ocean is all I see on my horizon and its channels are the trails I blaze.
It’s nice to float and ponder. You aren’t cut out for this job if you can’t do long solemn silences by yourself.
On some nights I get so comfortable on top of the water, I slip into a deep mediation I meet the goddess of the sea herself🌊