#Tag
I glared at the tangled leads. "Get me some #pliers."
"You can fix it, right? It was only a prank—"
"No, I can't fix it. I'm using them on YOU."
I glared at the tangled leads. "Get me some #pliers."
"You can fix it, right? It was only a prank—"
"No, I can't fix it. I'm using them on YOU."
The monk sat on the stone floor of the courtyard, with her eyes closed. In her mind, she was pouring fine sand onto the substrate of her consciousness, creating ever so beautiful patterns that it made her smile, but when she opened her eyes, she was not able to recreate what she had seen. Frustration welled up from her stomach through her chest; she let go of the sand and took a deep breath.
Her students were now flooding the courtyard; loud and full of energy, they gathered around her, marveling at her art with all its imperfections, only she could see. They were soon silent, rapt by their own work, and as she walked the courtyard and realized how far they all had come with their beautiful, imperfect creations, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders and craved the coarse feeling of sand in her hands once more.
#mastoprompt #monk #wss366 #recreate #writing #microfiction #tootfic #smallstories
"I'd like to start a war," says I to the monger.
"What type of war would that be?" says he.
"Good against evil. Right against wrong."
"Us against them," he nodded.
"How much will it cost?" I ask.
"Upfront cost is low. Division, hatred and greed."
"Those I can afford, I think."
"The greater price comes during and after," he explains.
The day came when there were no more silver pipes running the length of the motorcycles. The twin stacks belching smoke behind the cab of the pickups were silent. The roar of the Harleys was no longer a thing. The rear end of cars looked different because there was no longer a need for a pipe for #exhaust . No longer a need to worry about starting a car in a closed garage. Smog was gone in cities
It was strange. It was different. But we could breathe.
The #MastoPrompt for Friday 28 November 2025 is:
The poem or story can include the prompt word or be about the prompt word.
@ me, if you like, or just include the #MastoPrompt tag (to allow people to follow or filter their feeds), or keep your work to yourself - all the options are good as long as you're writing.
If you're including an image please do include alt-text if you’re able to.
#Writing #SmallPoem #Poetry #Fiction #MicroFiction #SmallStories
The #MastoPrompt for Saturday 30 August 2025 is:
The poem or story can include the prompt word or be about the prompt word.
@ me, if you like, or just include the #MastoPrompt tag (to allow people to follow or filter their feeds), or keep your work to yourself - all the options are good as long as you're writing.
If you're including an image please do include alt-text if you’re able to.
The #MastoPrompt for Saturday 30 August 2025 is:
The poem or story can include the prompt word or be about the prompt word.
@ me, if you like, or just include the #MastoPrompt tag (to allow people to follow or filter their feeds), or keep your work to yourself - all the options are good as long as you're writing.
If you're including an image please do include alt-text if you’re able to.
Toads—and toad fellows in particular, he had been told—could not be bakers. But they'd see. He'd show them all. Thomas stuck out his tongue in concentration. The almond paste was just about ready. It would be glorious in his choux buns: It would be...
A knock at the door and a birble of birdsong interrupted his doughts. He couldn't stop the smile. "Paolo, hi) you're just in time to help me taste test!" #MastoPrompt#MicroPrompt#WSS366#LesFicFri
Toads—and toad fellows in particular, he had been told—could not be bakers. But they'd see. He'd show them all. Thomas stuck out his tongue in concentration. The almond paste was just about ready. It would be glorious in his choux buns: It would be...
A knock at the door and a birble of birdsong interrupted his doughts. He couldn't stop the smile. "Paolo, hi) you're just in time to help me taste test!" #MastoPrompt#MicroPrompt#WSS366#LesFicFri
As I reached my horse, the bandit chief laughed. "Think you'll get away on that pathetic #nag?"
"No." I patted her flank and raised my axe. "We fight better side by side."
The mare snorted in agreement, displaying unusually long, pointed teeth.
As I reached my horse, the bandit chief laughed. "Think you'll get away on that pathetic #nag?"
"No." I patted her flank and raised my axe. "We fight better side by side."
The mare snorted in agreement, displaying unusually long, pointed teeth.
The #MastoPrompt for Thursday 10 July 2025 is:
The poem or story can include the prompt word or be about the prompt word.
@ me, if you like, or just include the #MastoPrompt tag (to allow people to follow or filter their feeds), or keep your work to yourself - all the options are good as long as you're writing.
If you're including an image please do include alt-text if you’re able to.
The #MastoPrompt for Thursday 10 July 2025 is:
The poem or story can include the prompt word or be about the prompt word.
@ me, if you like, or just include the #MastoPrompt tag (to allow people to follow or filter their feeds), or keep your work to yourself - all the options are good as long as you're writing.
If you're including an image please do include alt-text if you’re able to.
“No computers.” the guard said harshly, holding out a metal box.
I put my phone in the box. He didn’t budge. I took off my smart watch and added it in.
“Are you sure you have no more computers? The detector sends out a brief EMP. It would be a shame to destroy any gadgets. Or injure you." He was staring at the side of my face.
Ah. I removed the Connex from my temple. I’d forgotten it was there.
He ushered me into what looked like an old electronic doorway, then pressed a button. A light flashed.
"You're free to enter. Enjoy." No smile.
I passed through a corridor to desk where a receptionist smiled. "First time?"
"Yes, is it obvious?"
"Don't worry. It's simple. Through the double doors there you'll find the main selection of books, by era and topic. It's colour-coded and easy to follow. You'll need these if you want to touch anything." She put a paper mask and thin laboratory gloves on the desk.
"Behind you is the iffy section, as we call it. Books printed after 2015."
"2015?! I thought AI printed books only appeared in the mid 2020s."
"That's probably true, but we can't be sure. Preserving authentic pre-AI knowledge is our raison d'être. We can't be too safe."
Her look turned serious and I saw the devotion to the cause in her eyes. Since the Big Corruption of '32, no digital files could be trusted to replicate original human knowledge. This library was a time capsule.
"Can books be taken out?"
"No, I'm afraid not. We couldn't let them back in, as they could be fakes."
"So, can I copy things? My phone and Connex were taken away. Do you have a camera to message me chapters?"
"No, we're strictly machine-free. but we have several scribes. They're very good." She was enjoying my puzzled look.
"They can copy down whole pages for you. With pen and paper," she answered my unspoken question.
"Pen and paper?" these were words of tales and myths.
"Come, I'll show."
#devotion #MastoPrompt #microfiction #AI #ArtificialIntelligence
