Welcome back to Microfiction Friday, where we’re dedicated to tiny stories with BIG impact!
This is a special week, as we’re celebrating the 30th story shared through Microfiction Friday! It’s the final story in what will become a physical microfiction collection (more on that later). I’ll still be putting out weekly microfiction, though; if anything, I might even ramp up production!
But for now, enjoy this story inspired by the super nasty springtime storms that blow across the state of Kentucky (which I’m still not used to, by the way).
Here’s this week’s story, “Temperamental Twisters.”
Temperamental Twisters
By J. Louis
Little Timmy waddled after the orb of light, struggling amidst the chest-high wheat field. The fairy zipped back and forth, bringing with it an agitated breeze that roiled the grain like an amber ocean.
“Gotcha!” He clasped his hands around the fairy, catching its wings between his fingers.
A sinister wind caressed his face as an eerie silence settled overhead. Silent lightning lit up the dark clouds. The sky’s maw opened up and an evil green funnel descended.
Timmy dropped his hands to his side and stood, mouth agape, as the fairy slipped from his fingers, vanishing on the wind.
From the Prompt Vault
Next, it’s your turn to get creative!
Write a story inspired by the prompt: maw.
Maw is probably one of my favorite words of all time. It’s so sinister-sounding and can be used in many different ways. It’s typically used in reference to a vicious animal, but you can use it in a more abstract way to personify something, like what I did in this story.
If you use this prompt, restack this post and tag me in it so I can read your work! I love seeing what our readers come up with.
(You might even be included in next week’s newsletter!)
Thanks for Reading!
Subscribe today to get these stories delivered right to your inbox every Friday. I’ll even throw in a FREE microfiction primer to sweeten the deal.
If you’re not ready to subscribe just yet, that’s cool too; if you want to support my work some other way, you can buy me a coffee with a one-time donation.
For More Insights Into Creative Writing…
You can learn valuable writing lessons, support my work financially, and promote your own writing by becoming a paid member of Your Path to Publication.
For just $10/month (or $50/year—about one fancy coffee per month), you’ll get access to:
Story Synthesis: Submit custom story ideas and earn sponsorships for your own writing.
Community Writing Hours: Dedicated co-writing sessions to help you set goals, get feedback, and make meaningful progress on your writing projects.
Beyond the Paywall: Access to paid-only posts and chat threads.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Until next time… keep writing!
- Josh
Loved how the mood shifted right along with the wind — your setting felt so alive and intense. Such a neat (though extreme!) example of turning setting into character.
Your use of the reality of tornado activity in this fantasy feels very powerful to me! I love how this story begins innocently, and moves into realistic terror, then ends with the release.