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A beautiful woman, and a shade face each other in the cellar. What is the dark secret that led them there? Tragic Beauty My head hurts so much, as I watch her weep. She must be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Sitting in the corner, on a simple stool she’s dressed in a tight black skirt and jacket, ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 065 – Tragic Beauty (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

The Collector awaits inspection of his floating museum by members of the Galactic Council. Will they be happy with his latest exhibits? Collector Today is a special day, for them at least. For me it’s just another irritation, a visit by the bureaucrats of the Galactic Council, on one of the inspection tours of their investments. My team and I, ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 064 – Collector (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

(continued from Three – Deliberation) The conclusion to the four part mini-series investigating consequences and solutions of insurrection in a star system of the Council of Seven. The Principle of the Ten finally give an answer. Four – Manifesto The Insurrection on Koi Beta, with the death of thousands of humans and indigenous people had been led by a local ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 063 – Manifesto (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

(continued from Two – Human Nature) After the insurrection on planet Koi Beta the debate moved on to the nature of Humankind as the Council of Seven try to decide how to create a new, lasting government for the sake of the 84 star systems with their deliberations on democracy. Three – Deliberation Elector Solveig watched the members of the ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 062 – Deliberation (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

(continued from One – Insurrection) The revolt on planet Koi Beta has prompted the debate about its future in the Galactic Council of Seven. The discussion moves on to “What is Human Nature?” Two – Human Nature “So we are gathered to discuss the fate of the Planet Koi Beta,” Elector Solveig continues, “to decide how we respond to the ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 061 – Human Nature (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

A revolt on planet Koi Beta prompts a great debate about the future of humankind in the Galactic Council of Seven. One – Insurrection The year is 4010 of the Common Era. The Great Expansion of 3000 CE saw the human race spread across the galaxy colonising every habitable planet, and in the great tradition of its insular past, subjugate ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 060 – Insurrection (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

The warriors, elders and children are gathered for the annual ritual of renewal for one last time… Ritual Renewal Deep in the forest of their birth, protected by both bogs and guile the tribe gathered at nightfall for the final ritual of the season, to protect their lands for another year. The moon was full, the sky awash with glittering ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 059 – Ritual Renewal (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

Dreaming of trees we journeyed through space to a new planet, hoping to seed the future for humankind. Tall Trees I still can’t believe they left me here. I know they weren’t my real parents, and the crew were in a panic, but really, they could have waited. I think they were assumed I was delirious, lost. Maybe it was ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 058 – Tall Trees (Post-Apocalypse series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

Love is desperate in the darkness of a post-apocalyptic world. Angelo Their love erupted in the darkest, deepest alley. It seemed to stretch ever further into the shadows where the light was absorbed slowly, then expunged entirely. There too, sound was deadened, muffled, the shunting of distant cars felt like thuds underwater, and the stench of decay overwhelmed the slick ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 057 – Angelo (Post-Apocalypse series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

The indigenous people of the planet have bought back their original lands, and everything within. First People On a distant planet, somewhere in the solar system of Barnard’s star the silhouette of two figures spread long shadows deep into the sands of the plain. “At last. It’s taken so long. I can’t believe it” Muffled by her thin scarf Namid ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 056 – First People (Post-Apocalypse series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

Polly endures loneliness and hostility in a world that doesn’t understand her difference. But some things never last… Polly Hedron She could not remember when she last smiled. It seemed an irrelevant notion except that whenever she walked along the streets, and out to the prairie beyond if she encountered a group of people someone always shouted out. “Hey darlin’ ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 054 – Polly Hedron (Echo series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

The fate of humankind is subject to a parley amid the bitter hundred year war across space. Tasked by the Intergalactic Council Titan attempts to find a resolution. Stewards and Avatars The three vast armies of the human factions, the Northern, Eastern and Central had fought each other to a standstill across every planet in their sector and every mote ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 053 – Stewards and Avatars (Post-Apocalypse series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

In the Hebrides, the Storyteller settles in at dusk to tell the ancient tale of the Blacksmith and the Stars. The Blacksmith and the Stars “Let me tell you an ancient tale.” The Storyteller, with the sun sinking behind her strikes up the familiar toll. In front of her is the natural amphitheatre carved from the headlands by the relentless ... Read More The post Micro-fiction 052 – The Blacksmith and the Stars (Origins series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

A dystopian planet earth can no longer support humanity. The search for water deep underground leads the last humans to an unexpected encounter. The post Micro-fiction 005 – Lost (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

A supernatural tale about a little girl, her father, and the demon who came to terrorize the valley. The post Micro-fiction 004 – Demon (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

A simple tale, that ranges from the origins of humankind, to the desolation of eternal creatures. Even great givers of life can be confounded by the simplest of gifts. The post Micro-fiction 003 – A Gift (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

On a terra-formed planet gone mad, a robot flees from its fellow hybrids, seeking safety in the dark forests. A new short tale from These Fantastic Worlds. The post Micro-fiction 002 – Hybrid (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.

A story from the end of the universe, an intriguing mash-up of Native American, Babylonian and Aboriginal mythology. Eagle watches the fires at the edge of the universe as they burn back time and space. The post Micro-fiction 001 – Eagle (Echoes series) appeared first on These Fantastic Worlds.