Weekly Unfinished Tales and Short Stories from our Dataset
Welcome to our daily collection of narrative experiments, drawn from the archives of our ‘Unfinished Tales and Short Stories’ project. This ongoing creative arts and research program began as an interdisciplinary exploration undertaken simply for fun, and to learn what we can do at the intersection of storytelling and technology. The short stories presented here are artifacts from that initial, playful phase of discovery, capturing a wide range of genres and narrative starting points.
These narrative fragments serve a dual purpose within our research framework. For our studies in AI-Assisted Scriptwriting, they provide a diverse dataset for generating novel plot structures, character arcs, and alternative narrative pathways. Concurrently, they function as practical case studies for our Talent Development and Training initiatives, helping us analyze the evolving skills creative professionals need to navigate interdisciplinary approaches and manage the integration of emergent technologies into their workflows.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
The River’s Green Scrawl
Author: Tony Eetak | Category: High Fantasy | Genre: Literary Fiction
Along the industrial banks of the Red River in inner-city Winnipeg, as spring thaws the last of winter’s grip, two teenagers, Patti and Mateo, encounter a shimmering, impossibly green light that defies explanation and subtly alters their perception of the mundane.
The Glazed Imponderable of Highway 16
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Satirical / Ironic | Genre: Slice of Life
The Manitoba summer pressed down, thick and hazy, outside the Trucker’s Respite. Inside, the air conditioning unit, a relic of indeterminate vintage, struggled against the heat, emitting a continuous, low growl that permeated every conversation. Fluorescent tubes hummed overhead, casting a pallid, unwavering light that bleached the colour from the faded plastic booths and the perpetually damp Formica tabletops. The scent of stale coffee, deep-fried remnants, and a faint, cloying sweetness hung in the air, a testament to countless meals consumed by weary travellers.
A Chill in the Timberline
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Boys Love (BL) | Genre: Mystery
The wind howled a hollow, endless note, scrubbing the low hills of their remaining colour. A bitter, deep freeze had gripped the valley, turning the world into a study in whites and greys. Snow, fine as flour, coated everything in a thick, uncompromising blanket, piling high against the skeletal timber of spruce trees that clung desperately to the ridge lines. The air itself seemed to splinter on each breath, sharp and metallic, carrying the distant, indistinguishable scent of burning pine and something else, something acrid and old. Smoke, perhaps, from a fire long extinguished but never truly forgotten by the land.
Freeze of the Prairie Line
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Satirical / Ironic | Genre: Slice of Life
The air, sharp and unyielding, bit at Steve’s exposed knuckles. A grey smear of sky pressed down on the desolate expanse of the Manitoba prairie, where the only sign of life was the ’24-Hour Bite Stop’ — a solitary beacon of flickering neon and exhaust fumes. Inside, the diner trembled with the passing of another semi, its groan a familiar counterpoint to the impending, suffocating storm.
The Stutter of Brick Dust
Author: Leaf Richards | Category: Gritty Realism | Genre: Mystery
The alley reeked of stale beer, damp cardboard, and the metallic tang that often clung to the forgotten spaces of the city. A cold spring drizzle had just eased, leaving every brick face weeping, every grimy puddle shivering under the dull glow of a distant streetlamp. Mike hunched, his breath puffing visible in the chill, as Patricia meticulously traced a finger along the uneven edge of a loose grate. This wasn’t a game; the air was thick with something far heavier than just the damp.
Design Notes and Applied Research
This collection showcases the intersection of traditional narrative forms with contemporary thematic exploration. The juxtaposition of genres such as Literary Fiction and Mystery with subjects ranging from High Fantasy to Gritty Realism demonstrates the participants’ developing command over narrative structure and tone. This diverse curation reflects our program’s focus on how digital platforms facilitate new combinations of style and substance, pushing creative boundaries.
The assembly of these works served as a practical exploration into the malleability of genre conventions. It was an engaging exercise in creative synthesis, highlighting how distinct narrative traditions can inform and enrich one another. Ultimately, this collection stands as a compelling record of artistic experimentation within our ongoing study of storytelling’s evolution in a digital age.
About the Project
The Unfinished Tales and Short Stories collection was an interdisciplinary arts and narrative storytelling experiment in 2025. It was part of a creative arts and participatory research project by The Arts Incubator Winnipeg and the Art Borups Corners collectives. It focuses on two key areas: AI-Assisted Storytelling and Scriptwriting, exploring AI tools for generating ideas, plot structures, and story arcs; and Talent Development and Training, studying digital skills, literacy and training needs for creative professionals by experimenting with AI and immersive technologies to inform future projects. Funding and support were generously provided by the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program and the Government of Ontario. We thank them for supporting the arts, digital transformation, and applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) research.
About the Author
