Twitter Art Micro-Stories: A List
Lately, I have been writing micro short stories on twitter based on incredible art and photos by the talented community there. These stories are scattered among my many other tweets, including excerpts from my book and many works-in-progress, and can be hard to find without a lot of scrolling.
So, for your reading convenience, here they are in one collection (newest to oldest):
"Can't believe you're fishing for birds. Birding!"
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 16, 2020
"Not birds."
"No? Whatcha trying to catch?"
"Old droids. Ones who have nowhere to charge anymore, whose owners passed on."
"Oh yeah? What do you do with them?"
"Take them in, give them a new home."
"…Mind if I help?"
"Sure!" https://t.co/p4qWrVgaQg
'Within the shell of a dead mountain, within the walls of the earth itself, they built a house, safe and sound. No matter the raging storms of the world without, the rocks and bricks would protect those inside, sheltered and secure in their own little world within the world.' https://t.co/gJk1hw0DbO
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 15, 2020
'The trees and grasses came back after the deluge. There was so much more fertile soil to take hold upon. The old land had been swept away, but the plants adapted and seized upon new deposits and new opportunities, forging a fresh new land, bringing life back after the flood.' https://t.co/lc4yabgNhi
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 14, 2020
"There wasn't always two moons."
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 14, 2020
"You're nuts."
"No! I swear! The truly ancient texts speak of only one moon!"
"Then when did the second appear?"
"No one knows, but there's a gap in the texts of thousands of years, of no writings at all. What I fear, is the arrival of a third…" https://t.co/wZCwHopcdQ
'Over hundreds of years the path was worn into the ancient stone. Not by purpose, but by a million weary travelers walking up and over the shortest path, by a million tired souls, resting upon the rock as they paused to catch their breath at the top. Now, no one remembered how.' https://t.co/th6Us2Xb30
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 13, 2020
'Not long ago, one could ford the river, not long ago, this was an undivided land where the river flowed freely below the ancient mountains. Not long ago, there was no gorge, not long ago by the reckoning of the stars. Yet that was a time before the first man, not so long ago…' https://t.co/mPnIY3Wwnq
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 13, 2020
'The old god was at rest. Many thought him dead. Then, many thought him a legend. Then, many thought of him no more. The old god sat, still and silent through the ages, pondering the passage of time in the movement of the waves. Asag would watch the tides and storms forevermore.' https://t.co/7mG0A3nrao
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 13, 2020
'The world was new, volatile, fractured and unsettled. Nothing stayed the same for long. Colossal plumes of gas erupted upon the shattered plains, thrusting jagged shards of crumbling rock up from below. No life could survive this hellscape. But, life had never known this world.' https://t.co/d0dOfuYCTU
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 13, 2020
'Lush was the valley below the great peak, filled with all manner of creature and plant thriving among the cold waters. The summer melt brought the waters and the bloom of trees and grass fostered life in the valley for another year. The mountain was dead, but gave forth life.' https://t.co/vKOmPnZ88n
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 11, 2020
'The storm was coming. They all knew it. The birds and the lords of the sky sought refuge at the heart of the gathering tempest, circling, on guard, ready to flee the moment the winds shifted. They all knew the storm was coming, but none knew what would be left once it was gone.' https://t.co/p7B0w5Fziy
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 10, 2020
'It took ages, but the portal was built. It took another age for the people of the doomed world to filter through to the other side, a refuge from their dying lands. The portal stood alone and silent on the dead world. One day it lit up and refugees started to return…' https://t.co/lCMwxHz7zH
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 10, 2020
'It was a long and difficult climb to make an offering to the god of the summit, but every week he would make the journey with thanks in his heart.. Little by little, his fortunes fell and his people died away, but still he sacrificed. Surely, persistence would pay off some day.' https://t.co/0Q44Yl6FkK
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 7, 2020
'Gods, giants, wizards, wyrms, dragons, and demons, all had created the hidden rift valley in the old stories. None knew how it came to be. In truth, it did not matter. Those that settled in the concealed chasm led peaceful, prosperous lives, hidden away from the wider world.' https://t.co/S76xHNh8WB
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 7, 2020
'In the chapel of the vale, there are but few parishioners. The path to the place of worship is treacherous for those who know where it lies. Yet, no matter how few come to pray in the lonely sanctuary, none are turned away for want of wealth. The chapel is a refuge for all…' https://t.co/g5CHsMmR4y
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 6, 2020
'The songs started at dawn. The haunting wails of the creature wafted across the land as it slid through the air, but none paid it anymore mind than they did the birds or bees. No one knew what they were, but no harm had come in the millennia since they arrived, so none cared…' https://t.co/1Xbhvbz091
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 6, 2020
"T'was late in the season, the roads were slick with ice. T'was late in the season, the streams had ceased their flow. It was late in the season, his cart was full of spice. T'was late in the season, he made to race the snow. T'was late in the season, the risk worth the price…" https://t.co/zaYcUFZxa7
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 6, 2020
'"Do you see lights rising up from the ridge-line?"
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) July 1, 2020
They looked at him in shock, backing away in horror. "Oh no… Your time has come! Only the damned see the lights! They'll be here soon!"
He stammered in fright, but they were already chanting. Then he saw the white horses…' https://t.co/puTIJ0arWa
'No one knew why it was there. No one knew what it was for. There was no city here, not even settlements. The tower stood alone. Many came to see it, to study it, to dream of it, and when they went away, their dreams remained. Little did they know, their dreams were the tower.' https://t.co/l3usRDvY4L
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 30, 2020
'There is trade between gods and men. Men would pray and gods would bless. It had always been that way. It is why their city thrived, or so the lords of the city always told their subjects. Yet the subjects prayed as well, seeking something far different in trade from the gods.' https://t.co/4SOLXltkul
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 30, 2020
"The silence shattered with a million gasps! The clouds were parting, the darkness receding, the sun they thought they'd never see again but as a dim haze above, emerged from beyond the gloom! The pharos was alive once more! Hope and light had returned to the world at last!" https://t.co/WPv2Klqmpq
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 30, 2020
'Few walk the land of the dragons. There is no need. Few creatures can live and nothing grows in this remote region. Some brave souls come every so often to challenge themselves and learn their worth. Few walk the land of the dragons, but many that should be feared fly.' https://t.co/pIGfFHs3V0
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 25, 2020
'The rider did not, could not, look up for fear they would notice. The guardians of old were jealous of the path to the temple of truth. None had dared venture there since they took up watch. But the terrified rider kept toward the temple. Someone had to try to learn the truth.' https://t.co/YpeCCJyUa6
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 25, 2020
"They had been an empire once. The relics of a glorious past served as a reminder of their lost power. Grand structures, crumbling away with the ages, the memories of their reign fading away with the features on every edifice. Their life was simple now, simple, small, serene…." https://t.co/xdELtLK9VR
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 23, 2020
"Far from the gleaming cities with their teaming crowds, far from the grand cathedrals and grander monuments to the glories and triumphs of civilization, the isle of the wilds sits in solitude. Few frequent its shores or worship at its sacred shrine. Far too few feel so free." https://t.co/sahksADrbw
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 23, 2020
'The Temple of the Missing Gods existed before the faiths of today. When it was built, there were many more gods than now, each with their own temples and followers. But gods rise and fall and every generation there are less than before. The Temple was ancient, and full of gods.' https://t.co/57Q3XCtBt4
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 19, 2020
The house loomed on the hill above, casting pools of eerie green light and darker shadows in the gloom about her. Turning to her companion, she asked, "Is that it? Is that the house you warned me about? The house of evil?"
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 11, 2020
"No, that is the home of the one who holds it at bay." https://t.co/d8M3sdWq96
"They all looked up, toward the horizon, following the movement of the birds above. They all looked, silent, reverent. Today was a rare day, one of the few days they ever caught sight of the old tower. An age ago, it was their strength. Now, it was a memory, seldom seen." https://t.co/ymYU2lKBLq
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) May 25, 2020
"No matter how dark the night got, no matter what the blight blotted all about, the tower stood alone, aloft, aloof. It was never stained in the sins of the simple, it was never tainted by the corrupting touch of life, but only because the tower never deigned to become involved."
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) June 5, 2020
"It once was a symbol of power, authority, and dominion over the lands around and all who dwelt therein. Now, as the tides go in, and the tides go out, it is a symbol of nothing more than the passage of time, and the memory of long ago times, fading and crumbling with the ages."
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) May 25, 2020
"A gateway into another world?"
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) May 19, 2020
"Perhaps. Perhaps it is but a gateway into your own soul, where the only company is your own mind."
"Okay, now I'm scared…."
In that moment between light and dark, in that period between the seen and the unseen, the hidden colors of the world burst forth to paint our skies and our lives, brilliant and vivid for but a brief time, only to fade swiftly to grey, not to be seen again for another day.
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) April 29, 2020
The place seemed so tranquil now. Every so often, a jogger or hiker would pass by, never knowing, never suspecting. Water washes all away in time. No trace remained of either of them anymore. Not their footsteps, not their blood, not even their bones remained after so many years.
— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) April 11, 2020
