The child ran, and hid, as their parents had said.

They hid in the most hidden part of the house. The part no-one ever went.

It was dark and dusty. The walls lined with empty shelves that went to the ceiling. In one corner sat a box - completely featureless, except for a small slot, and a single button.

They heard footsteps - and they froze. Would they be found? Would they have the same fate as everyone else?

The footsteps receded.

They stepped back in relief, and nearly tripped over the box. As they did, they brushed the button. It made a small whir, and a piece of paper emerged, covered in words.

They looked at it, looked closer, and saw the tiny metal teeth. Pulling upward, the paper tore off.

Now they could see it clearly, it was a story. One they had never heard. Only short, but a story nonetheless.

Listening for footsteps and hearing nothing, they pressed the button again. Another story. A different one. A third press, a third story.

They sat and read. And pressed the button. And read some more.

Time passed, and their tummy gurgled. Surely it would be safe now?

They emerged from the hidden room to find the house empty.

They made their way to the kitchen. On the table sat a cake, with seven candles on it.

There was a noise at the front door.

"I don't know - they can't have gone too far, even after this time."
"We are going to have to call the police. "

"Mummy? Mums? Did I win?" the birthday child called out, unaware of the dramas they had caused.

They never found the hidden room again.

#SF #SFF #Tootfic #microfiction #IAmWriting

The box waited in the corner. It was just a simple machine, so granting it any form of needs or wants was nothing more than anthropomorphism. Still, it had been constructed with purpose, and the room it was in had more than enough sentience to make up for the box's lack.

So I suppose it would be more accurate to say that the room with the box in the corner waited. And, just as it felt the need, manifested a door and some high windows. Enough to give a sense of time, but too little to make out any detail.

A small child stepped in and closed the door, panting. Footsteps outside came closer, and then faded. The child backed up, and bumped the box, which acted according to its builder's wishes, and produced a story.

And so the child spent several hours reading the tales the box produced, and then left, leaving the room empty again.

No longer needed, the door and windows vanished, and the room waited again.

#SF #SFF #microfiction #Tootfic #IAmWriting

Rachel and Glenda were beside themselves.

It had started as a simple game of Hide and Seek, but now their child was missing. No-one had seen them since the start of the game three hours ago.

After a while they had sent the guests home, and searched the house from top to bottom, the garden, and even the surrounding blocks.

Now, tired and worried they returned home.

Opening the front door, they confronted that they would have to call the police.

"Mummy? Mums? Did I win?" came a voice from the kitchen.

Rushing in, they found their missing child, looking slightly dusty, and clutching a handful of strips of paper.

The now seven year old led them through the house to a cupboard, and pointed. "The door is in there!"

But there was no door. They would have said that it was a made up story - if it were not for the strips of paper covered in stories they had never seen before.

#SF #SFF #microfiction #Tootfic #IAmWriting

RaeXitchilla knew she'd not had a normal childhood. For starters most kids are not the result of ten years of genetic and biochemical tinkering by their parents, blending two incompatible lifeforms into a coheisve whole.

She had to admit they'd done a good job. Being able to shift in appearance to conform to either bauplan, and look good at it, was a plus. On the down side, all forms of teenage rebellion had to be carefully examined for possible interactions with her distinctly unique biochemistry. At least she got to see her brother struggle through it as well.

Dating had been the worst bit. When she let go, various bits of both her base forms tended to emerge. There had been the people who were revolted. There had been the fetish creeps. And the fact that that had applied to both species was the bit that was really disappointing.

Still, there had to be someone out there. She just had to find them. Maybe there was a third intelligent life form out there. Or maybe there was someone on the two worlds.

Somewhere.

#SF #SFF #microfiction #Tootfic #IAmWriting

Went comet chasing last night, got some great technically good shots. And this one. Which I love.

Taken when the comet was less than one degree above the horizon, as it dived into the sea.

A little cloud just rounds things out.

25*15s@80, Dwarf3, post in Snapseed and Google Photos.

#astronomy #photography #astrophotography #Astrodon #c2024g3 #comet

@georgetakei

But of course! Everyone knows they are fowl-mouthed.

I'll see myself out.

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and Moon Glow

Taken the night after the full moon, this late night shot of the incoming comet is rather lovely, in my opinion. Even the Musk Smear works.

#DwarfII 150*15@80 post processed in #Snapseed and #GooglePhotos

#astronomy #astrophotography #Astrodon #Photography #comet #TsuchinshanAtlas

@ewdocparris
(Resists the urge to re-tell Simak's "Shakespear's Planet" - just!)

Milton had heard of places like this, but never thought he'd find one in his yard.

A space-time gate. Open for just a few minutes at random times. Able to take you anywhere and when within your personal time-line. A chance to do-over your past, or to leap into an unknowable future. Or, if time was not your thing, a chance to travel anywhere.

He looked back at the dilapidated cottage.

Time for a second chance. The year he enrolled at University. The year he met Wilson. The year he met June.

Milton stepped forward and back to his past.

#WritingCommunity #Midjourney #WritingPrompt #SecretSciFiNetwork