fantasy short stories

One idea could be a world where magic is tied to emotions. For example, when a person is extremely happy, they can create beautiful, floating lights. A young girl discovers she has an unusual ability to control negative emotions like anger and turn them into a powerful force to fight against dark creatures that thrive on despair. She has to learn to balance her emotions to use this power effectively.

Sure. One great story from it could be 'The Last Unicorn'. It's a classic that tells the tale of a unicorn who discovers she may be the last of her kind and goes on a journey to find out why. Another could be 'The Hobbit'. It's an adventure-filled story about Bilbo Baggins and his encounter with dwarves and a dragon. And also 'The Snow Queen' which has elements of magic and a journey to break a spell.

One great short fantasy story is 'The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas' by Ursula K. Le Guin. It presents a seemingly utopian society with a dark underbelly. Another is 'The Emperor's New Clothes' which, while often seen as a children's story, has strong fantasy elements as it deals with the absurdity of a society that refuses to see the truth. Also, 'The Sandman' by E.T.A. Hoffmann is a classic short fantasy. It's about a man who falls in love with a beautiful but ultimately unobtainable woman created by a magician.

Well, 'The Little Match Girl' by Hans Christian Andersen can be considered a great short fantasy short story. It's a poignant tale where the girl has these visions while freezing in the cold. 'The Sandman' is also a classic in the short fantasy realm. It has an eerie and dream - like quality. Oh, and don't forget 'The Fisherman and His Soul' which is full of rich fantasy elements like mermaids and souls being separated.

Well, among certain adult - oriented readership, they might be somewhat popular. But in the general literary community, they are not as mainstream as other types of fantasy stories due to their explicit nature.

Some well - known ones could be 'The Necklace' by Guy de Maupassant, which has elements of a kind of dark fantasy in how the characters' fates unfold. Another is 'The Monkey's Paw' by W. W. Jacobs, a spooky and thought - provoking short story. And 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which has a dream - like, nightmarish quality that can be considered in the realm of fantasy.

A fantasy story could be set in a world where dreams are a tangible reality. There are special hunters who go into people's nightmares to slay the monsters that lurk there. The main character is a young trainee hunter who accidentally enters the wrong nightmare and discovers a conspiracy that could destroy the balance between the dream world and the real world. So, they must fight against powerful dream entities to save both worlds.

Short fantasy stories typically have quick - paced plots. Since they are short, things happen fast to keep the reader engaged. They also feature extraordinary characters. In 'Peter Pan', we have Peter who can fly and the Lost Boys. Moreover, they use vivid descriptions to bring their fantastical settings to life. The description of the Snow Queen's palace in 'The Snow Queen' is a good example.

One characteristic is their ability to create a complete and engaging world quickly. In just a short space, they introduce elements like magic systems. For example, a short story might describe a unique way of casting spells in just a few paragraphs. The themes in short fantasy stories can be quite diverse, from good versus evil to self - discovery within a magical context. And the language used is usually rich and descriptive to bring the fantastical elements to life, even in a limited word count.

A great example of a mideval fantasy short story is 'The Snow Queen' by Hans Christian Andersen. Although it has elements of fairy - tale, it also fits into the mideval fantasy genre with its magical characters and the journey of the protagonist. 'The King of the Golden River' is also a notable one, where a young man has to face various trials in a magical, mideval - like setting to gain a great reward.