Weekly Unfinished Tales and Short Stories from our Dataset
This daily collection presents a fascinating cross-section of narrative experiments drawn from the ‘Unfinished Tales and Short Stories’ project. As an interdisciplinary arts and narrative storytelling initiative, our program delights in exploring the boundless possibilities of creative expression, offering a unique glimpse into diverse worlds, compelling characters, and intricate plotlines that challenge conventional narrative structures. Each entry serves as a standalone piece while contributing to a broader tapestry of speculative and grounded fiction.
Beyond their inherent entertainment value, these stories are instrumental to our core research objectives. They provide invaluable empirical data for our AI-Assisted Storytelling and Scriptwriting research, allowing us to analyze how artificial intelligence can effectively generate innovative ideas, refine plot structures, and explore alternative story arcs. Concurrently, they illuminate critical insights for our Talent Development and Training pillar, identifying the evolving skills and digital literacy proficiencies essential for creative professionals navigating the confluence of AI, immersive technologies, and interdisciplinary artistic practices.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
In the Beam
Author: Tony Eetak | Category: Literary Fiction | Genre: Domestic Thriller
The humid summer air hung heavy in the main hall of the Serpent River First Nation community centre, carrying the faint, lingering scent of last night’s bingo and the pervasive aroma of lemon disinfectant. Dust motes, forbidden from explicit mention yet undeniably present in the diffuse light, danced with a languid indifference as the very infrastructure of the future arts programme seemed determined to unravel itself. The projector, an obstinate, beige behemoth of forgotten technology, offered only a stuttering, lacklustre rectangle of grey, mocking Devon’s increasingly frantic attempts to bring it to life.
A Chill in the Old Hall
Author: Tony Eetak | Category: Supernatural Mystery | Genre: Historical Fiction
The wind, sharp with the scent of wet pine and distant woodsmoke, tore at the posters Evan had meticulously stapled to the community board. Red and gold maple leaves, brittle as old parchment, scuttled across the frosted ground. It was late October, and the grey light of afternoon had already begun its surrender to an early dusk, painting the sparse clapboard buildings of Oakhaven in shades of muted indigo. Inside the drafty, cavernous interior of the Oakhaven Community Hall, a handful of faces, etched with the seasons of the north, turned towards Evan, their expressions a blend of polite skepticism and weary resignation.
The Shimmering Descent
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Expository | Genre: Fantasy
The biting cold of a northern Ontario winter permeated everything, a constant, dull ache that seeped into bones. Beneath a sky that was too vibrant, too alive with an alien luminescence, three figures navigated the precarious terrain of a frozen lake, their breath fogging in ragged clouds. The air hummed with an unsettling static, a promise of something more than just a deep chill.
The Weight of Summer Light
Author: Tony Eetak | Category: Young Adult (YA) | Genre: Family Saga
The oppressive summer heat hung thick and heavy, a blanket woven from humidity and the persistent hum of distant insects. Inside the community centre, the air was still, stagnant, despite the single, rattling floor fan in the corner. Paint peeled in languid curls from the window sills, and the scent of old wood and something vaguely metallic—the static charge of a dying fridge, perhaps—clung to everything. It was a place where time felt less like a river and more like a sluggish pond, mirroring the slow, quiet struggle of the community it served.
Data Dust and Digital Fire
Author: Eva Suluk | Category: Satire | Genre: Cyberpunk
The air in the community hall hung heavy and still, thick with the unseasonal humid warmth of a northern summer. A low hum vibrated from the ceiling-mounted projector, a sound that usually meant nothing, just the persistent background noise of the ‘Digital Hearth’ functioning as intended. Tonight, however, it carried an unnerving, discordant undertone, a frantic buzz suggesting something fundamental was off-kilter. The holographic display, meant to showcase local artists’ digital work, pulsed with a sickly green, then shifted to an angry, pixelated red, casting a momentary, unsettling glow over the scarred linoleum floor.
Design Notes and Applied Research
This daily collection, spanning genres from Domestic Thriller and Historical Fiction to Fantasy, Family Saga, and Cyberpunk, alongside subjects such as Literary Fiction, Supernatural Mystery, Expository, Young Adult, and Satire, directly reflects our project’s commitment to skills development. Each narrative form demands distinct authorial competencies, from intricate plot construction and character depth to rigorous research and imaginative world-building. Furthermore, the diverse range illustrates how storytellers adapt their craft for contemporary audiences and digital presentation, engaging with new possibilities for narrative structure and audience interaction.
Exploring such a broad spectrum of storytelling approaches has proven to be an insightful and engaging experiment for the Arts Incubator. This collection highlights the dynamic interplay between traditional narrative forms and the evolving landscape of digital arts, demonstrating how creative practices are both honed and transformed. We believe this initiative successfully showcased the varied applications of artistic skills in a digitally evolving environment, providing valuable insights into contemporary storytelling.
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.
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