The truth about Jack and the beanstalk is that he tried to disguise himself as the famous Fum. Fum was revered among the giants who lived in their cloud castles, and thus his image was sacred. There were laws against creating images of him, or appearing as him, which Jack was unfamiliar with.
Thus when the giants saw Jack dressed as their most sacred hero, they cried out, "Fee! Fine! Faux Fum!"
Happy to announce that my short story "Virus Alert" has been published on Every Day Fiction! Just a very short tale about the monsters we create. This one has been kicking around since the W Bush era, so I'm really glad it finally found a home, and in these times of pandemic and paranoia, I feel like it still has a lot of relevance. Why not give it a read? It's not like the government is monitoring you or anything... https://everydayfiction.com/virus-alert-xauriel-zwaan/
#fiction #ScienceFiction #scifi #FlashFiction
#writever Altitude
Dragons can fly as long as they want at high altitude with no fear of frost : with their flame, they heat up the air ahead of them before they cross it. It is easy to do, once you master circular breathing.
Improvisation
'Elena the Curious is unreliable,' said Krek the Swift. 'She depends too much on her improvisation ability.'
'This ability,' whispered Elena to his ear, 'is the result of years of rigorous training. Fancy an Itching spell?'
#MastoArt #FlashFiction #SmallStory #TootFic #MicroFiction #writever
Detective Petrov's eyes swept the cluttered room. "So," he said, "Leonid Chekhov, age 56, an automobile mechanic - found strangled in his study. The question is, who would want him dead?"
"Sir," said officer Gurin, "look - there's a pistol on the desk."
Detective Petrov stared at the weapon, frowning. "Do you realize what this means?" he asked. "Before we're done here, I have to fire this gun...."
Finding out you were a character in a story was unsettling. Discovering an AI hiding in that story was just piling on. Sophia found the situation did have its advantages, though. She could use the stretches of time between publications to work on stuff.
Like planning a fourth-wall break.
"Nesso, can we chat for a bit?" Sophia asked, directed at the speaker in her office.
The AI responded, ::Of course::
"I'd like you to create an interactive story featuring an AI named Nesso and a character named Sophia. We'll play our respective parts. Sophia-in-the-story will ask Nesso-in-the-story a series of questions, and Nesso-in-the-story will answer them like you would. Please recommend anything that might improve the story."
Nesso processed the prompt for a moment before responding. ::It seems a bit bland. Can I suggest we add a dragon?::
The woman waited patiently for Medea to return. Medea's raven studied her reflection in a shiny brass contraption.
"A coffee maker?" the woman asked.
The bird bobbed his head. "I make the coffee around here," he said. "I don't drink it."
"What about tea?" she asked.
"What about it? I can make that too."
"But do you drink it?"
"We ravens like our water cold and pure," he said, "not heated with leaves and herbs. Although, if you have a bit of brandy...."
"Greetings, Grandpa Anarchy!" the villain exclaimed. "It is I, the Riddle Man - the nemesis who challenges you with clever riddles and rhymes! Today I ask... um... what have I got in my pockets?"
Grandpa sighed. "Really?"
"Look," said the villain, "I wasn't prepared for you yet. But! It is a very famous riddle, is it not?"
"If the answer isn't The One Ring to Rule Them All," said Grandpa, "then I'm about to go Mount Doom on your ass...."
