Unexpected Turns of Fate
Within this collection, you will discover a series of distinct, unfinished tales. These are not complete novels, but rather narrative moments—scenes preserved mid-action, or characters introduced without full backstories. The intent is to spark curiosity, prompting readers to consider the broader contexts these fragments imply.
This project represents an experiment in collaborative storytelling, exploring the intersection of human creativity and artificial intelligence. It examines how digital tools can serve as a collaborative partner in the writing process, fostering new methods of storytelling and advancing digital literacy skills.
This post highlights genres including the sharp wit of Dark Comedy, the unsettling tension of a Domestic Thriller, and the disciplined world of Military Fiction. These specific pieces are brought to life by Jamie F. Bell, Leaf Richards, and Eva Suluk.
Step into these narratives and let your own creativity bridge the gaps, transforming incomplete stories into full experiences through your active engagement.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
Discover engaging short stories in Dark Comedy, Domestic Thriller, Military Fiction, and Coming-of-Age genres, occasionally featuring Ornate / Baroque, Sports Fiction, Comedy, or Western Style BL influences. Our project fosters digital literacy by exploring AI-assisted narrative and the evolving landscape of publishing through creative technology.
The Patron Saint of Polyurethane
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Coming-of-Age | Genre: Dark Comedy
The cold was a physical presence, a thing that scraped at the lungs and turned the moisture of your breath into a cloud of tiny, instantly freezing knives. It was the kind of cold that made the city’s festive lights look brittle, like coloured glass about to shatter. Steam plumed from sewer grates along Portage Avenue, ghostly and slow in the windless dark, while the hollow chime of a distant bus announcement echoed off the icy facades of office towers.
The Ochre Blur
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Ornate / Baroque | Genre: Domestic Thriller
A persistent, bone-deep chill has settled over Winnipeg, painting the city in shades of grey and ochre. Inside, the quiet hum of an old refrigerator is a monotonous counterpoint to the incessant drizzle tapping against windowpanes, blurring the lines between the stark reality of autumn and the persistent, vivid pull of another world.
The Winter’s Grin
Author: Leaf Richards | Category: Sports Fiction | Genre: Dark Comedy
The world outside the bus window was a smeared, grey landscape of exhaust fumes and slush, a typical Winnipeg winter tableau. But inside, it was just me and the ringing in my ears, the echo of Coach Graham’s words still burning through the static of my disappointment.
The Unlit Harbinger
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Comedy | Genre: Military Fiction
The wind, a malevolent, unseen entity, whipped through the parade square, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and distant, churning diesel. Every gust threatened to pluck the earflaps from under Captain Napson’s service cap, his face already a deepening crimson against the grey, unforgiving sky. Below the flagpole, an evergreen, monstrous in its height and girth, stood as a monument to unfulfilled festive ambition. Its branches, stiff with latent ice, seemed to mock the two figures who stood before it, contemplating their impossible task. The air bit at exposed skin, promising chilblains and frostnip, a bleak pre-Christmas forecast.
The Stung Hinge of August
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Western Style BL | Genre: Coming-of-Age
The afternoon sun beat down on the planks of the pier, making the air thick with the smell of creosote, bait, and the distant promise of frying food. Below, the water of the bay was a murky, restless green, slapping against the pilings with a rhythm that matched the anxious thump in Leo’s chest. He wasn’t catching anything, but that was hardly the point.
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 an experimental, creative research project by The Arts Incubator Winnipeg and the Art Borups Corners Storytelling clubs. Each chapter is a unique interdisciplinary arts and narrative storytelling experiment, born from a collaboration between artists and applied AI researchers, designed to explore the boundaries of creative writing, automation, and storytelling. 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.
