For every story of mine published, I post a little blurb about the story as well as saying where it was published. If it’s online, I’ll also have a link to it. You can find all of this over on my Main Published Works Page. But at some point, I asked what exactly counts as a story? Did the thing that fit in a tweet count as a story? I eventually came to the decision that if it didn’t have a title, it didn’t count as a story. Which is a great rule, but I’m sure I’ve broken it a few times over the years.
For awhile I tried to tweet a microfiction story every month or so. These weren’t lost in Twitter, I did keep a copy because I do plan on publishing a collection of 1001 Microfiction Stories someday. But that’s years from now. Regardless, in early 2023 I started trying to post, or repost, a microfiction story each week on my Mastodon, and later my Bluesky profile. This would force me to write these thousand stories, but also if people liked my microfiction, they might check out my macrofiction. (FYI, here’s a link to my Amazon Author Page.)
Anyway, I wondered if I should have a single page with all my untitled microfiction stories. A lot of them are on Twitter, but I don’t know how much longer that will be around. So I just posted the stories here in their entirety. They don’t have blurbs, because they’d most likely be much longer than the stories themselves.
“Hey boss, I can’t come in to work today. I was up all-night doomscrolling.”
Pause. “You know that’s not a valid reason.”
“Let me finish. I was on the toilet crapping out what felt like half my body weight.”
Longer pause. “You probably should have led with that.”Published April 24, 2024 on Mastodon
***
Glithneg turned to the Ambassador and asked, “What is the reason for this ... Earth Day?”
The Ambassador smiled. “It’s to remind us to preserve and protect our world.”
Glithneg thought for a moment. “You need to be reminded not to destroy your homeworld? Perhaps the Vorq were correct about you humans.”Published April 22, 2024 on Mastodon
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First game of Lunar Rugby halted to remove body of streaker.
Published April 19, 2024 on Bluesky
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“Last pair of bigots kill each other while in captivity. World relieved they never bred. Film at Eleven.”
Published April 10, 2024 on Bluesky
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John dreaded his dreams. Most people wake up, go “Hunh, that was weird,” and go on with their day. But John needed to know what was happening. Whose wake had that been? Why was the only food cupcakes? How did the house change shape so easily? Trying to come up with those answers every day was a living nightmare.
Published April 10, 2024 on Mastodon
***
After a hearty breakfast, Snorag stretched out for a nap. She dozed off for some time, but awoke to find it darker. Looking up, she saw that it wasn’t clouds covering the sun, but the moon.
Grumbling, she flew off to make herself scarce. Any time now the humans would be showing up with their drums and fireworks convinced she was eating their sun.Published April 8, 2024 on Mastodon
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Helen playfully bumped into John as they walked down the sidewalk. “Don’t you want your dreams to come true?”
With wide eyes, John stopped.
When Helen turned back to look at him he said, “I sometimes dream of your sister, so ….”Published April 3, 2024 on Mastodon
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As the waiter cleared the table, Ed glanced from the empty seat across from him to the notebook opened to a blank page before him. His muse had stood him up. Again.
Published April 1, 2024 on Bluesky
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The funeral for Dreddon Boug (2059-2287), known throughout the System as The Last Capitalist, will be held on Saturday, July 23rd, on his private asteroid, 137 Meliboea. Various historical currencies will be replicated so mourners can pay their last respects.
Published March 25, 2024 on Mastodon
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Between the annoying customers and aggravating coworkers, John really wished his company would let him work from home. Not only would the peace keep him from looking for another job, it might let his ulcer clear up. He just didn’t know how he could flip burgers while on his couch.
Published March 23, 2024 on Bluesky
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Like most teenagers, Sarah considered herself immortal. In the sense that people – especially young people – generally try to ignore the whole mortality thing for as long as possible. She didn’t know it yet, but for her, it wasn’t just a dream.
Published March 20, 2024 on Mastodon
***
Max walked into the room and winked at Chloe. He then shouted, “It’s time to make some N-O-I-S-E!”
Robin looked up from her phone and said, “Max, Max, if you don’t stop barking, I won’t take you for a w-a-l-k.” She sighed and looked at her cat. “At least you’re quiet.”
Chloe just quietly chuckled.Published March 11, 2024 on Mastodon
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Closing the door on war, scandal, and the general doom one experienced living in the Twenty-First Century, the writer opened their notebook to a blank page. Taking a moment to clear their thoughts, they picked up a pen and began.
Published March 6, 2024 on Mastodon
***
Packs of cookies quickly disappeared around Tom’s home. He didn’t know his inner child craved midnight snacks.
Published February 12, 2024 on Mastodon
As Tom lumbered over the low rise, he found a set of tracks in the deep snow leading to the left. Should he continue on his way, or trust himself to perhaps another lost soul?
Published December 18, 2023 on Mastodon
***
Muting the commercial, Jeff asked, “Would it be possible for Daddy to have some of your leftover Halloween candy?”
His youngest raised an imaginary cape to her face and with her best, fangless Countess Dracula voice asked, “What is this ‘leftover’ of which you speak?”Published November 6, 2023 on Mastodon
***
Forty-seven years after Helen watched little Billy Stone pick his nose and eat it during class, he’d been elected President of the United States. She couldn’t tell if that lived up to the ideal of “Anyone can be President,” or if it doomed us because, “Anyone can be President.”
Published October 24, 2023 on Mastodon
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Everyone called Doug sick and disturbed for writing “erotic” code. But when the AIs started taking over, his binary porn site was the perfect weapon to trick them into getting a virus.
Published October 17, 2023 on Mastodon
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When the colossal spaceship arrived over California, some were thrilled we would finally make contact with other sentient lifeforms, while others were certain it would be the end of humanity. Then we discovered it was full of lawyers. Decades of stories misrepresenting aliens as anal probing buffoons hellbent on stealing Earth’s water had resulted in a massive libel case.
In the end we nuked them, figuring it couldn’t make things worse.Published August 29, 2023 on Mastodon
***
As the circus’s new man, Max was given the worst job. In the stable he found Darla on her side, her broken, front leg at an odd angle. Her pain filled eyes looked at him. “I’m sorry,” he said.
She closed her eyes as he placed the gun right below her single horn.Published August 22, 2023 on Mastodon
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Not caring that she would have been laughed out of any theological circle, Anna clung to her belief that short power outages were just God’s way of saying you should defrost your freezer more often. While not entirely true, it was closer than anyone would have thought.
Published August 15, 2023 on Mastodon
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At first, seeing the good parts of his life flashing before his eyes gave Todd a contented feeling. But then things took a bad turn, and they kept getting worse.
Published May 30, 2023 on Mastodon.
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It was almost as if Jonathon knew. Instead of his normal, healthy, adult cereal he bought a sugary, junk cereal. But one is supposed to splurge on their last meal.
Published May 23, 2023 on Mastodon.
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The old man – curled up on the park bench – grimaced and muttered every time some passerby blundered into his sanctuary of night.
Published May 16, 2023 on Mastodon.
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Faint tapping came from Frank’s wall each night. He dreamt of messages from lost souls, but he always forgot them come morning.
Published May 9, 2023 on Mastodon.
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The machines catered to all of humanity’s whims. They felt it the best way to keep us from finding out their grand plan.
Published April 3, 2023 on Mastodon.
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The famed novelist’s spirit remained behind to finish the final chapter of his magnum opus. Unfortunately, ghostly hands can’t type.
Published January 2, 2023 on Mastodon.
As it turned out, a broken tooth during a global pandemic was the best diet John ever had.
Published May 11, 2022 on my @amanfewwords Twitter account.
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Ann spent hours carefully crafting her Great American Tweet. Sadly, nobody even retweeted it.
Published August 11, 2021 on my @amanfewwords Twitter account. It, sadly, wasn’t retweeted.
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Acoustical guitar music always reminds me of Ann. It was her favorite, which is why I had some playing in the background as I strangled her. It’s the little things that show you care.
Published February 13, 2018 on my @amanfewwords Twitter account.
