Tag: microfiction (Page 1 of 7)

'So far have we come from our primitive pasts, from the crass caves where first we sought shelter from the storm and the stranger. We have worked wonders and wield wizardry unimaginable by our ancestors. Once we lay superstitions to rest, we sought the skies, and now we soar.' https://t.co/YBHqaF0yKt

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 10, 2021

'There are many challenges in life that seem insurmountable, that shatter the wills of the most determined. There are many perils that none expect us to overcome, that all submit to and accept. Yet, with allies, with trusted companions by our side, even these can be conquered.' https://t.co/M3Pbs7qneT

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 10, 2021

'Sir Hoppington R. Bit, C.P.E, Lord Protector of the Lillypad looked resplendent in his uniform, groomed and coifed for this life from the egg, he had swum with a different class of tadpole and trained with only the deepest croakers in his youth. Now, he was ready to rule.' https://t.co/je9pldU0v8

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 9, 2021

'Life goes on, no matter the state of nature, life finds a way to see another day. At first they struggled, as any would, against the tide of time, but time marched on and their efforts were in vain. Now, mankind lives with the contagion, no longer thriving, yet still alive.' https://t.co/VKchNl29fq

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 9, 2021

'The world of the dragons and their riders was one of ash and fire, a land few other creatures could endure, a land the lords of the sky had conquered long ago. Now they sought new lands. The portals were almost ready, then they would spread the ash and fire to whole new worlds.' https://t.co/IPsTToyuyV

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 9, 2021

'Some are fools but rarely, lacking wisdom for mere moments in otherwise sensible lives. Others careen through this world carelessly, somehow surviving their daily follies until they try something supremely senseless that none could survive, like mistaking a bugbear for a bear.' https://t.co/aBBYfTqAep

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 8, 2021

'They say the candle burns twice as bright when you have both ends alight. They say there is never enough time in the day for those who would learn all we would convey. They say many such things, but not all apply to all beings. Some can crack time, and learn all in their prime.' https://t.co/Wo8sT10nuo

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 8, 2021

'With a glance I recall, with a whisper heard by all, she confidently strides about, mistress of all within and without, purveyor of joy, dealer of dreams, broker of both good and bad, whichever can be had for the price you are willing to pay the devil in the dark blue dress…' https://t.co/6SFq6P9rS9

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 8, 2021

'Born of fire, born of pain, born of fury, born of strain! Borne by magma through the heart of the world, brooded by the heat of dying embers, the final ashes of a fallen shard from far above. But now, it has broken free, broken through, and sprung forth, this nascent worldtree.' https://t.co/uoBq3bJelx

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 3, 2021

'What was lost can still be found, provided it was lost beneath the ground, for what the dark and deep may claim, will never see the shores again. What was once covered may still arise but all seized by the seas sinks and dies. Beneath the boundless waves lie many bygone graves.' https://t.co/AKZKYUnh0d

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 2, 2021

'Stately stood upon the prow, contemplating the here and now, perched upon the stranded scow, cogitating the where and how. Mortal meanings meander so much, twisting and turning at the tiniest touch. But the specter was not here to reckon, only your mortal soul to beckon.' https://t.co/tgwERBRHEj

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 2, 2021

'The moment of life and death is not only a when, but a where. Each eternal junction between the here and now is juxtaposed with a position, a point at which every instant is initiated, instigated and anchored forever to a precise place, betwixt the heretofore and the hereafter.' https://t.co/HQSgKvJiqU

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 1, 2021

'Some seekers search for solitude not society. Some strive for sanctuary from the screams and squabbles of strangers and the strain of all such social snarls. Some simply search for shelter from the storm and the sanctity of self, a secluded space somewhere to survive.'#Survivor https://t.co/JZv0oYhmw2

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 1, 2021

'It was a wonder the city was still here, even shattered as it was. They had listened to the legends of the mighty mountains and the celestial city that sat amid their peaks and set out in search of the ruins, little hoping there would be any after the eruption. Yet here it was.' https://t.co/i28cpWLYF5

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 1, 2021

'They were the old ones, the guardians against dangers no longer remembered, called by many names, many titles, many epithets. They were known as spirits, nymphs, shamans, witches, and more, but they were none of these. They were watchers, the mother, the maiden, and the crone.' https://t.co/Sp02sxCC2l

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 1, 2021

'The moss warred with the lichen for purchase upon the soaring surfaces of the ancient site of sacrifice and worship. In another era this was a sacred shrine, a place of power and prestige erected by the faithful to their glorious gods. Now, there was but one lonesome caretaker.' https://t.co/453cy7iMzg

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) February 1, 2021

'Ages come and ages pass, and all the wonders of old fade to dust in the endless eras beyond their building. What once was worshiped, wastes away, what once was sacred slips into silence, reduced to rubble and ruin by the technology of tomorrow, remembered only by a remnant.' https://t.co/XG4OxCeNOW

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 27, 2021

'We are often so obsessed with demons, with the evils all about us, with the nightmares that torment us, that we cannot rest nor rejoice in the many marvels of our lives and those around us. If only we could silence the sinister, shuddering slumber of suspicion and stress.' https://t.co/9n0mGNJbE0

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 27, 2021

'Fear gripped her. She had come this far, fought so hard to survive all this time only to be confronted by these… monstrosities. They were simply impossible. There was no way could challenge, much less conquer these nightmares. Yes, she trembled, but she did not turn nor flee.' https://t.co/sGZTsoLXKp

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 27, 2021

'They called it the door to eternity, and now he could see why. He had come from far away and long were the days and months of his journey from the land of his youth. Long were the trails and travails of travel, all borne with patience just for this moment, to see his future.' https://t.co/qEAioaFFvb

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 27, 2021

'So many paths to plod, so many miles a day, so many steps to reach our goals that we can never stay. Always in a hurry, always in bind, always in a fluster, something on our mind. So many journeys taken, so many trails to tread, no time to awaken, before we are done and dead.' https://t.co/6XBTfdb1im

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 27, 2021

'When the world adapted and the mechanical men became the modern and mundane, few noticed and fewer complained. After all, automation brought autonomy, apathy, and absolute acedia. There are no wants or needs that can not be fulfilled for a fee and the machines fulfill for free.' https://t.co/Xctg0uEJMW

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 27, 2021

'No one noticed it at first, so small, so insignificant next to all the other worries and troubles of life. Alas when it grew too large to ignore, no one did anything to stop it, each assuming that someone else was minding it and would cut out the cancer before it got too large.' https://t.co/hvFGELEmeF

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 25, 2021

'Oh for the silent spaces, the sanctuaries of solitude where we can reflect on our lives, the world and the very question of why anything is at all. Oh for the spots no one else wants or cares about, the sites for soul searching and serenity, where we can find or lose ourselves.' https://t.co/Yt5UPiQa8j

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 22, 2021

'They came from somewhere, of course, there was a homeworld somewhere in their distant, forgotten past. But they had been plying the warp for ages, for far longer than their people had ever lived planet-side. Now they were the spacefarers, the wanderers, the nomads of the stars.' https://t.co/84INDJe64M

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 22, 2021

'Millennia had passed before anyone other than shepherds settled upon the hill and another millennia passed with no heed payed to the small tribe that came to call the place their home. And yet once declared sacred, the hill was forevermore a capital to empires and a holy place.' https://t.co/bu6MJtHE1x

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 22, 2021

'Upon the outskirts of the settled cities, upon the borders of the accepted and the ignored, out beyond the perception of the masses, where the well-mannered and wild collide and clash, there upon the periphery is where you will find us, the artists, the rebels, and the workers.' https://t.co/0sm50sMetO

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 22, 2021

'Built to stand against the sands, and to repel all who dwell upon the dunes who would strike at civilization's cities, the walls and towers of the pass had been erected long ago, but had needed repair and restoration more than once, each time growing taller, growing stronger.' https://t.co/EuCzDAAnBe

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 22, 2021

'Everyone knew of the subterranean serpents that hunt the larger creatures of the tunnels far below the surface. Everyone knew them and feared them for their size and ferocity. But just as sharks hunt not the tiny fish all about them, so too the snakes held no danger to us.' https://t.co/8jWBQm7Ksv

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 22, 2021

'Oh, maiden of the darker depths, why do you delve so deep, where not even dangers dwell? What long forgot fable or fossil will you find, what secret hidden away from every adventurer that ever braved these caverns do you seek as you sojourn in solitude deep within the world?' https://t.co/yg6yyUYdcd

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'It is true what they say, a rising tide lifts all ships, and grand were the days when they plied the waves, seeking and capturing all they came upon. But when the tide went out so few survived and many were stranded upon the shores, mourning their fortunes and wishing for more.' https://t.co/bRJReo4j87

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'The Libation Bearer was a long forgotten goddess, supplanted and suppressed by so many successors over the centuries. Still, some supplicants still recalled the nourisher, the bringer of sustenance and fortunes, the generous goddess, selflessly offering all the waters of life.' https://t.co/96RvNyrM2q

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'Yes it bled, small streams of blood splintered the lands for leagues beyond the horizon, but so too it bled the land of all life. Nought but barren rock and soil bore witness to the ever growing orb, nought but the curious, brave, and the strange flower that still stood strong.' https://t.co/pH4DThdyie

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'In ancient times we marked our achievements on trees and rocks, signing our surroundings with symbols of our glories. But with the passage of time and the ever advancing tides of progress such monuments become mundane. So we seek ever larger surfaces to scratch our cenotaphs.' https://t.co/BYcKYjE5A4

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'Those that built these towers would shudder to know their grand achievements would be abandoned by their children's children. Their decendants were driven forth by calamities not of their own making but built into the very structures the builders had erected before their birth.' https://t.co/DiAFjrLM61

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'There's was an ancient way of life, older than the their homes, their city, and even the kingdom in which they lived. They had been plying their trade upon the waters before there was any semblance of civilization, and they would live in this manner for as long as they could.' https://t.co/O5rmYEcNg8

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'It was not much, this flimsy fortress, a simple structure to shield against the sun and sands, the sear and storms that battered against the barely adequate barrier they had erected when they had landed here so long ago. It was not much but it was enough to keep them alive.' https://t.co/gH9bRMT9tp

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'Most men were wary of the wilds this far west. The world they knew fell away before beasts and trees unknown and altogether frightening. The flowers were too large, the trees grew too tall, and the creatures that crept upon their boughs held no fear of man nor his weapons…' https://t.co/Wa7nghVp9f

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'Once there was a great empire, once there was a realm that stretched around the world, master of all men who once stood opposed. Once, they were lords of creation and forgers of all mankind's fates. But that was long ago and many other empires rose and fell since those days…' https://t.co/41MvXDJC5u

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'Sleet and snow and the silent stillness of the spent storm serenaded the midday maiden, mistress of the winter winds, as she surveyed the serenity and the safety such sheltering snows provided for her prey. The small spirits were captive in their caves but hidden from her eyes.' https://t.co/1epXtCLpGz

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'The interstellar mass had passed so close to their world that they feared the end was upon them. But it did not strike their sphere, smashing instead into their moon. Many celebrated their survival, but their joy was naive. The end was nigh and their moon would be its herald.' https://t.co/5OTE4DNiJY

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'This world was not ideal despite the thriving vegetation. It was far too cold for comfortable life even at the equator. Yes the air was breathable, but barely and would be adverse to their health. But they were out of fuel and parsecs away from aide so this would have to do.' https://t.co/vkZgEQi1MS

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'What bones were these that did not rot, what horrid monsters lie upon this spot, what evil walked and then did not, what wicked worlds had come before, and would they rise and walk once more? There may be things we should not know, but we must learn how their eyes still glow.' https://t.co/CDR93mAXKW

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 15, 2021

'The illusion was unnerving, not because it felt real but because it felt unreal, unnatural, impossible, and every fiber of her being knew it could not be. It put her on edge, and she never felt more self-conscious, aware of every movement, every breath. 'https://t.co/4c157H62Bf

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 14, 2021

'I could not see the danger in the dark, I could not hear its breath nor the beating of its heart, but I knew it was there, waiting, watching, stalking, seeking to devour this fool who had wandered into its lair. I could not see it, but I could see the warning word on the wall.' https://t.co/Y3hATQMFXd

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 12, 2021

'Her grandmother had told of the times before the sun grew dim and the world died. The older folk were all gone now, but their stories haunted humanity still as the nights grew longer and the chill grew sharper. Paradise fell and now there was only cold.'https://t.co/DQ4DXtUpXE

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 12, 2021

'Tourists marveled at their cities, deep in this distant moon, far flung from home in the cold depths of the system far from the sun. They were astounded at the ingenuity, the seeming absurdity of a thriving society within a world. It was the plant life that surprised them most.' https://t.co/38nO0K6SrT

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 12, 2021

'None of them wanted to be there, in the heat and the sand, sapping their sweat and their will to live, day in day out. This was not their native land, not their native world, but there was wealth to be drawn from the ground, and such demanded force to fend off other interests.' https://t.co/lDCBXKEnvu

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 12, 2021

'They were guarding the ancient temple against… what they knew not. Surely the crumbling chambers carved within the rocks stood secure all these aeons without their vigilance. Yet there they stood, as ordered, against an undefined and unclear danger to this rediscovered ruin.' https://t.co/VXTimKXiCi

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

'In the distance, the storm is building, but we are safe within this valley. Our mountains protect us from the ominous onslaught witohut, as long as we remain where we are, safe, secure, sheltered, scared…. Lo, child, do not fear the gathering gloom, stay and cower with us.' https://t.co/QrtaSjJyCm

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

"And you say they build these cities on purpose?"
"Of course."
"To live all together, when so much of their world open and unsettled?"
"Yes."
"Doesn't it get uncomfortable, all cooped up like vermin?"
"At times…."
"But…."
"Look, are you going to help me conquer them or not?" https://t.co/epcDME3na3

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

'The extractors were autonomous, and exuded menace. Simple creatures fled before them, ceding whole swaths of the wild to their encroachment. They were autonomous, and altogether remorseless in their exploitation, leaving the society they served to ignore the issue entirely.' https://t.co/EMPBmlYnu5

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

'Another day dawned upon the placid planet, far from federation, their fleets and their feuds. The old outpost, once a point of power, a point of control over the common people, rusted and decayed upon the high ground, watching over a populace no longer fearful of its authority.' https://t.co/GSMPgymasP

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

'She did not know what lay beyond, or if she should trust this strange being from another realm. Instincts were firing warnings, panic threatening to hold her back, to keep her safe from the unknown. She did not know what lay beyond her room but she was determined to find out.' https://t.co/JORZII3mmK

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021