The Edge of the Unknown
These narratives are purposefully left open, resembling pages found on a desk rather than a bound novel. The short stories in this post capture specific moods and incidents but stop short of explanation. This approach turns the reader into a collaborator, required to piece together the logic and potential outcomes of the scenarios presented.
This project creates a space at the intersection of human creativity, interdisciplinary arts, and applied artificial intelligence research. It serves as an exploration of how digital tools can integrate into the writing process, shaping the future of storytelling and scriptwriting while bolstering digital literacy skills.
The genres explored in this post range from the quiet introspection of Slice of Life and Coming-of-Age to the darker tones of Contemporary Mystery and Horror. This specific collection showcases the work of author Jamie F. Bell.
We invite you to read these fragments and let your mind wander into the dark corners they illuminate. How would you finish what has been started here?
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
As leaders in the fusion of creative technology and storytelling, we are dedicated to enhancing digital literacy through innovative publishing methods. This selection offers a diverse array of short stories, blending the terrifying elements of horror and cyberpunk with the grounded reality of slice of life and coming-of-age narratives. Through AI-assisted narrative development, we craft satirical contemporary mysteries and stream of consciousness pieces that challenge the reader. Explore our unique approach to fiction, where romance meets the uncanny in a celebration of modern literary creativity.
A Catalogue of Faded Cures
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Slice of Life | Genre: Slice of Life
Leo sees letters; I see ghosts. That’s the main difference between us. He’ll stand there, neck craned, analysing the font on some faded ad for cough syrup, and I’ll be picturing the person who bought it. The mother with a sick kid, the guy with a winter cold in the dead of July, all walking under this same unrelenting sun, on this same stretch of Osborne Street, just a hundred years removed. The past feels thin here, like old paper you could poke a finger through.
The Pristine Muck
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Satirical / Ironic | Genre: Coming-of-Age
Jesse, a cynical teenager, is halfway through a forced ‘character-building’ hike on the ‘Old Mill Heritage Trail,’ which he finds to be an over-manicured and ironically ‘authentic’ experience.
The Gilded Ornaments
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Cyberpunk | Genre: Contemporary Fiction
The air in the old stone cottage was a thick, comforting soup of pine needles, burnt sugar, and the faint, underlying scent of woodsmoke. Outside, a soft, insistent drizzle had given way to a nervous flurry of fat, wet flakes, clinging to the bare branches of the oak tree by the porch. Inside, the last of the afternoon light, thin and watery, stretched across the worn Persian rug in the living room, illuminating dust motes dancing in a slow, almost melancholic ballet. Boxes of decorations lay half-unpacked, their glittery contents spilling like forgotten treasure.
A Glitch in the Cold Brew
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Stream of Consciousness | Genre: Contemporary Mystery
The heat is a physical presence in the city today. A suffocating blanket that makes the air shimmer above the pavement. Inside the cool, air-conditioned sanctuary of Thom Bargen on Sherbrook, the world feels sane again. I’m thinking about the digital and the physical, the way a photograph of a mural is both a copy and a new thing entirely.
The Spin Cycle of Regrets
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Romance | Genre: Horror
Denny hated laundromats. The smell of ozone, the damp chill that seeped into your bones, the lonely melancholy of watching your life tumble behind a smudged porthole window. But the Coin-Op on Elm Street was different. It had a reputation, whispered among people like him. It had a machine, Number 7, that could wash more than just grime from your clothes. Tonight, he was here to wash away a family curse.
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
