Futures and Frontiers
The allure of these unfinished tales lies in their ambiguity. Readers are presented with a specific moment in time—a conversation, a confrontation, or a realization—without the context of a full plot. This format mimics the way we often experience life: in segments and scenes, rather than neat narrative arcs. It requires the reader to actively participate in building the world.
This collection serves as a testing ground for integrating human creativity with applied artificial intelligence research. By treating digital tools as collaborators in the writing process, we are investigating new methods for generating scripts and stories. The project aims to refine digital workflows and demonstrate the utility of AI in the arts.
This post features a blend of speculative and historical themes, ranging from Dystopian and Contemporary Sci-Fi to the grit of a Western and the emotional weight of a Family Saga. The authors contributing to this selection are Eva Suluk and Jamie F. Bell. Their combined work offers a varied look at human resilience across different settings.
Take a moment to read these excerpts and visualize the world beyond the margins. We encourage you to become part of the storytelling process by imagining the consequences of the actions described.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
From the vast landscapes of westerns and family sagas to the high-stakes tension of dystopian and contemporary sci-fi, our latest publication exemplifies the power of modern creative technology. This collection of short stories incorporates elements of horror, magical realism, and slice of life noir to push the limits of digital literacy. As we champion the future of publishing, we utilize AI-assisted narrative techniques to craft compelling comedic and dramatic experiences that resonate with today’s readers.
The Glint in the Murmur
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Horror | Genre: Dystopian
The air, thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves, hung heavy over the city. Rust-coloured sycamores scraped against the bruised twilight sky, their skeletal branches making a brittle music against the persistent, low hum that had settled into the very foundations of the world. It was a sound that existed just beneath perception, like the thrum of blood in one’s own ears, only external and omnipresent. Lamplight, the few remaining, cast long, wavering shadows across cobbled alleyways, illuminating patches of condensation that clung like cold sweat to brickwork. The usual hurried evening chatter was gone, replaced by a sporadic, disquieting quiet broken by distant, unidentifiable sounds that made the back of my neck prickle. Autumn, with its melancholic beauty, had never felt quite so… brittle.
A Glitch in the Northern Fabric
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Magical Realism | Genre: Contemporary Sci-Fi
The community hall, a patchwork of old lumber and new insulation, shivered against the bite of the late autumn wind. Dust motes danced in the anemic light filtering through the high windows, illuminating the mismatched chairs pulled around a scarred pine table. The air was thick with the scent of lukewarm coffee and the lingering dampness of a building that had seen too many seasons. Outside, the early evening was already a deep, bruised purple, hinting at the aurora that would soon sweep the sky.
Winter Data, Spring Plans
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Slice of Life | Genre: Contemporary Fiction
The server room, usually a sterile, hushed space, vibrated with a low, rhythmic hum that was almost a comfort in the deep winter cold. Outside, the world was a dull expanse of grey snow and bare branches, but inside, against the pale green glow of status lights, Unit 734 and Unit 902 were meticulously weaving the data threads of Melgund Township’s past year into a comprehensive tapestry. Kyle, the community coordinator, leaned against a rack, the warmth of his chipped ceramic mug a small comfort against the chill that seemed to seep through the building’s old foundations. He watched the bots’ projected interfaces dance across the wall, a silent ballet of statistics and summaries.
A Gaze Across the Salt Flats
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Noir | Genre: Western
The air hung heavy with the scent of dried manure and stale tobacco, thick like a shroud over the forgotten lean-to. Dust motes danced in the slivers of light piercing the warped timbers, illuminating the grim set of a young man’s jaw as two figures loomed over him, their faces etched with cruel indifference. Outside, the wind scoured the salt flats, a mournful whisper against the vast, indifferent sky.
A Dire Script
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Comedy | Genre: Family Saga
The air in the dusty rehearsal room hung thick with the ghosts of forgotten lines and stale coffee. Outside, autumn rain lashed against the theatre’s grimy windows, a fitting percussive accompaniment to the internal storm brewing between Connie and Terry as they stared at the offending script. A singular, inexplicable ink blot marred page thirty-two, right over the most ludicrous monologue, a tiny, dark omen, like a splotch of dried blood on a map to nowhere. It was a detail only they, the doomed navigators of this theatrical shipwreck, would ever notice or assign such dire significance.
About the Project
By design, these stories have no beginning and no end. Many stories are fictional, but many others are not. They are snapshots from worlds that never fully exist, inviting you to imagine what comes before and what happens next. We had fun exploring this project, and hope you will too.
The Unfinished Tales and Short Stories collection is part of an experimental, creative arts and research program by The Arts Incubator Winnipeg and the Art Borups Corners collectives. Each chapter is an interdisciplinary arts and narrative storytelling experiment focused on two key areas: AI-Assisted Scriptwriting, where researchers explore using AI to generate story ideas, plot structures, and alternative story arcs to enhance creative development; and Talent Development and Training, where the project studies the necessary skills for creative professionals to manage AI and immersive technologies in production, helping to inform future training curricula. The project was made possible with funding and support from the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program and the Government of Ontario. We thank them for supporting the arts, digital transformation research and innovation in Ontario.
About the Author
