I sputtered in disbelief. "What the... Any risk of slips, trips or #falls?"
The field commander shrugged. "Need a risk assessment."
"On a battlefield?"
"Standard protocol."
#MastoPrompt #MicroFiction
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MH Thaung
@mhthaung@mastodon.scot
mastodon 4.7.2Scottish-born pathologist, now in London. Attention split between #EyePath and #WritingCommunity. Writes #MicroFiction stories, also light-hearted #ScienceFiction and #Steampunk novels. She/her.
PubMed-indexed publications at: https://tinyurl.com/yv338mr4
Novels at: https://mhthaung.com/books
602 Followers
664 Following
24 Posts
Joined November 07, 2022
Speculative stories:
Professional links:
The goblin skipped out of the way. "I can't believe they say you're the weaker #sex."
"It's true." The ogress rolled the tree trunk off the path. "Me brother lifts 'em."
"Bah, he's just showing off."
"Mebbe?" She smirked. "And his back hurts after."
The contender stared in horror. "Half the #kingdom?"
"If you succeed, it's no more than you #deserve." The regent's expansive gesture took in slag heaps, rivers of sludge and gaunt figures scurrying across the landscape.
"Ah. I... I've changed my mind."
"As you wish."
After seeing the visitor safely off, the regent dispelled the illusion. They were safe again, for a while.
The detective's nose twitched as he inspected the half-full coffee cup. "Ah, that distinctive aroma. Bitter almonds. Or is it #aniseed? I always get them mixed up."
"That explains a lot," muttered the rookie.
The barbarian hurried after his companion. "That didn't go too well."
"It's fine." The rogue grimaced. "Her words have a #hidden meaning."
"As in, she *won't* toss you in the river? That's why're we leaving in such a rush?"
"... just being discreet. In case anyone else catches on."
The barbarian looked sadly at his shattered #axe.
"They're catching up." The rogue tugged his arm. "Come on!"
"But—"
"I'll buy you a new one."
"Really?" He grinned. "Okay, then."
#Steam billowed from the doorway. The detective paused, grubby banknotes in hand. Now to find out if his informant could be trusted.
- He's weird.
- What?
- Odd.
- Oh, him. Never been the same since the island of the #lotus eaters.
(This one's quite forced, but maybe you can squint a bit...)
"Why are fewer people landing Down Here?" he demanded.
His underling's tail twitched nervously. "We think more are checking the fine print on our contracts."
"Impossible! Nobody can tolerate that #wall of text in its entirety." He pondered. "A typo must have crept in somewhere. Get the Eighth Circle residents to check it."
"Only? ONLY? I've never been so offended," she snarled. "How do humans think we communicate?"
"You mean, while they #dream, we give them advice?" His eyes widened.
"Of course. Didn't you pay attention in Divine Influence 101?"
"Er..." He reddened. "I must have missed that part."
On his return to the table, Dan glared in outrage. "Who had that last slice?"
Ed smirked. "Me."
"You're so #gluttonous!"
"Sure. We won't mention you'd already eaten the rest."
Here's my newest illustrated #MastoPrompt #microfiction story
Replying to
@pheonix@hachyderm.io Absolutely! I'm a pathologist and *can't* be poor professionally without causing harm. So I also write fiction, as I can afford to be bad at it without consequences (other than maybe a wee bit of embarrassment, but that's nothing...)
Replying to
@GinevraCat@toot.community @darkwolf@hear-me.social Aww, thanks, you've made my day 😊 I'm always on the lookout for "my people".
Replying to
@deadtom@dice.camp Ugh, yes. Last time I tried that, I had to set up my account credentials before I could read the file 😒 And then more faff with "Do not, under any circumstances, sync this data online." 😬
Hooray! After escaping the 'zon system, my A Quiet Rebellion trilogy is now on sale in multiple ebook stores. It's social SF(ish) with paranormal elements. Definitely no vampires or shifters!
The series starts with A Quiet Rebellion: Guilt.
Murder. Secrets. Infectious paranormal powers. After a duty-mandated killing, a man's conscience leads him into increasing trouble when he opposes a corrupt official.
Edit (26/4/2026): Book links now at https://mhthaung.com/books/
Replying to on famichiki.jp
@FlockOfCats@famichiki.jp I was kind of heartbroken when I saw what his most recent post was about 😢
Replying to
@nlowell@zirk.us Thanks, Nathan! I'll keep you posted on whether I manage to find "my people".
Having further fun with illustrating #Mastoprompt stories:
https://mhthaung.com/2026/05/24/very-short-story-87-cauldron/
Replying to
@danwwilson@rstats.me I hate it turning things that *aren't* dates into dates, even when I format it as text.
And I got caught out when dates formatted to my liking suddenly turned into something else around line 2000 - just as well I checked before assuming it was all ok 😬