Inner Lives, Hidden Worlds, and City Pulses
Presented here are a series of short stories, each an incomplete moment plucked from a broader narrative. These tales function as vivid snapshots, capturing characters and conflicts mid-scene, without offering full resolutions. They prompt readers to consider the unspoken past and the unwritten future, inviting imaginative engagement.
The goal of this project is to explore the dynamic interplay between human artistry and artificial intelligence. It serves as an experiment in how digital tools can act as a partner in the writing process, fostering new forms of literary expression and advancing digital literacy within the creative community.
This collection spans a variety of genres, from intricate Literary Fiction and intense Psychological Drama to clandestine Espionage / Spy Fiction, intimate Slice of Life, and dynamic Urban Action. These unfinished tales are brought to you by Jamie F. Bell, Eva Suluk, and Leaf R., each contributing their unique voices.
We encourage you to step into these intriguing narratives. Allow your thoughts to wander beyond the page, envisioning the conclusions and origins that will complete each story in your own estimation.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
Immerse yourself in compelling short stories from Literary Fiction, Psychological Drama, Espionage / Spy Fiction, Slice of Life, and Urban Action, with categories including Dystopian, Romance, Western Style BL, and Gritty Realism. Our project is at the forefront of digital literacy, exploring AI-assisted narrative and creative technology to innovate publishing and define the future of digital publishing.
Borrowed Chairs in a Church Basement
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Dystopian | Genre: Literary Fiction
The coffee was terrible, brewed hours ago and kept warm on a sputtering hot plate. It tasted of burnt plastic and resignation. I held the flimsy styrofoam cup, the heat turning my knuckles pink, and tried to look like I belonged in the circle of mismatched chairs in the basement of St. Jude’s, a place where grace felt like a long shot.
Falling Debris
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Romance | Genre: Psychological Drama
The city’s breath, once a low, distant hum, had been ripped away, replaced by a terrible, grinding silence, punctuated by the groans of tortured steel. Dust, thick and caustic, hung heavy in the air, transforming the vibrant spring afternoon into a sepia-toned nightmare. Sunlight, once a warm caress, now struggled to pierce the particulate haze, casting a sickly, alien glow upon a world irrevocably altered. A pervasive sense of dread, cold and sharp, had settled deep within my chest, a physical weight pressing against my ribs.
The Ghost of Operation Mistletoe
Author: Leaf R. | Category: Psychological Drama | Genre: Espionage / Spy Fiction
The air in the community hall hung thick and heavy, laden with the scent of old wood, stale popcorn, and the faint, metallic tang of an overheating projector bulb. A single, dusty spotlight cut through the gloom, illuminating a patchwork stage set that looked less like Victorian London and more like a forgotten attic sale. The summer heat was relentless, even indoors, pressing down on the handful of us gathered, making every movement a chore, every line delivery feel like a desperate gasp for air.
A Grating Calculus
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Western Style BL | Genre: Slice of Life
The asphalt, a dark, bruised ribbon, buckled under the relentless summer sun. Heat waves danced above its surface, distorting the already distant horizon into a liquid smear of ochre and dull green. A lone, aging sedan sat on the shoulder, its front driver-side wheel a deflated mockery of mobility, a flat, sad grin against the backdrop of a vast, indifferent sky. The air, thick with the scent of baked earth and exhaust residue, seemed to press down, stifling any impulse for swift action.
Porcelain Animals and Cold Iron
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Gritty Realism | Genre: Urban Action
The rain wasn’t dramatic enough for a movie. It was a miserable, persistent drizzle that beaded on the rusted fire escape and made the whole industrial district smell of wet metal and ozone. Below, the streetlights painted slick, shimmering colours on the tarmac, a watercolour of urban loneliness. From his perch three stories up, Kenny Kent watched the warehouse, the condensation from his breath fogging the binoculars he’d bought from a pawn shop yesterday.
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.
