The Margin Alien

To rescue her brother, a woman jumps into what she believes is a dimensional rift generated by a device that he has invented.   Genre: Science Fantasy   Excerpt: “You come from within the margins.  Where there are well-defined boundaries... Reality.” "Isn’t this also real?” “It is for now.”   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. I’ve written a lot of stories about inventors inventing things. This week’s story was inspired by a weird dream I had, and by a the episode called “Jukebox Time Portal.”   MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available from Amazon as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover. You can also get there from my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE   The Store page also has sign-up forms for my two email newsletters: Storyfeather Gazette (if you’d like to keep up with the fiction I create) Fictioneer’s Field Guide (if you’d like writing tips and guidance from me) Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “The Margin Alien” Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Puzzle Pieces” by LEE ROSEVERE (Intro) “Start the Day” by LEE ROSEVERE (Outro) “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)   Music by LEE ROSEVERE “Awkward Silences (version b)” “All the Answers” “Introducing the Pre-roll” “The Secret to Growing Up” “Puzzle Pieces” “Here’s the Thing” “Everywhere” “Start the Day” “Snakes” “Under Suspicion” “Knowing the Truth” “Decompress” “Not My Problem”   Tracks by Andrew Sitkov are part of music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Sound effects from AudioJungle, and GameDevMarket, and Soundly (through Hindenburg) Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.   Find more music by Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by Lee Rosevere at freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere and leerosevere.bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Left half bottom, a woman in a plaid shirt and wearing a parachute harness seen from the waist-up, glances up and over her left shoulder. Right half, a translucent tree with two branches. An eagle with rainbow-colored feathers perches on one branch, wings partly extended, gazing down at the woman. Bars of light cross around the woman and the eagle. The ground is a hazy. Sparks and hazy bubbles are dispersed everywhere. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along bar of light at center left.

Using alchemy and electricity, a man builds a doorway that’s meant to isolate the mind of anyone who passes through it. Genre: Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction   Excerpt: “A whole twisted into a new shape that does not remember the old. A whole slowly sliced into pieces that do not know how to come back together. And so they move farther and farther apart. That is what your doorway has done to me.”   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. This story is inspired by another one I’ve written where someone uses “arcane practices” to build a device intended for good, only to later realize that the device has unexpected and dangerous effects: The Mirror of Displacement.   MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available from Amazon as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover. You can also get there from my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE  The Store page also has sign-up forms for my two email newsletters: Storyfeather Gazette (if you’d like to keep up with the fiction I create) Fictioneer’s Field Guide (if you’d like writing tips and guidance from me) Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “The Doorway of Disarray” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Whispers” by Nicholas Jeudy (Intro & Outro) “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)   Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio) “Monochromatic stain” “Unsolved” “Inspector” “Evidence” “Whispers” “Prisma” “Experiment 3” “Experiment 6” “Experiment 7” “Unclassified” “Ghost hacker” “Investigation day” “Profiler” All these tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle, and GameDevMarket, and Soundly (through Hindenburg) Vocal effects created with Audacity Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.   Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Slightly left of center, a man in a suit seen from the back steps toward a detached doorway into a hazy light. Sitting up at his left is a dog with tongue lolling out, gazing up at the man. To the right is a portable generator.  Wires lead from the generator and wrap around the doorframe. The dog, man, and generator cast shadows. Right foreground, another dog seen in profile from head to top of chest, with red eyes, notches in the ears, and red spittle dripping from the mouth, stares at the man. Faint outlines of shelving are seen in the background. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along left side of doorway.

Once, a colossal egg floated in space.  It was the size of a planet, and it orbited the twin stars of a system somewhere in a galaxy far from our own. Genre: Mythology, Science Fiction   Excerpt: Many things have hatched from many eggs. Some terrible. Some wonderful. Some massive.  Some minuscule. Was there not a poet that spoke of the egg’s perfection as a container?  No hinge, no edge, no keyhole, and yet, the newest and weakest of creatures can break through, and in doing so, prove themselves worthy of entering the world.   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. I’ve written so many stories that I now have more than one story about eggs.  More. Than. One. Is…too many? Here they are if need to binge-listen to episodes about eggs: “Finden’s Egg Pocket” “The Iolyran Serpent” “This Egg Is Not an Egg”   MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available from Amazon as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover. You can also get there from my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE   The Store page also has sign-up forms for my two email newsletters: Storyfeather Gazette (if you’d like to keep up with the fiction I create) Fictioneer’s Field Guide (if you’d like writing tips and guidance from me) Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “Many Things Have Hatched” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Space Discoveries” by ANDREW SITKOV (Intro & Outro) “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)   Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* “Freedom” “Space Discoveries” “Abstract Vision #3” “Unknown Terrain” “Abstract Vision #6” “Abstract Vision #9” “Abstract Vision #4” “Dark Side” “Among the Stars”   All these tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Vocal effects created with Audacity Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration. Find more music by Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At center, an egg whose translucent surface reveals a reptilian creature curled within, facing right. The creature’s head in profile shows a closed eye and a mouth with a beak-like upper lid. Four small limbs protrude from the torso, on which scales are faintly visible. The creature’s tail curves back under its head. The egg floats in a primordium with two tiny glowing bodies at top left. Glowing cracks with crystalline nodules run along the shell’s surface. Watermark of “Storyfeather” curves along the egg at right.

An astrobiologist gathers and assembles clues from across time to help solve a cosmic mystery that threatens to doom Earth.  Genre: Science Fiction, Mythology     Excerpt: From the depths of the cosmos they come…warping all around them as they go. Time. Matter. Energy. Will. Shifting between the unknowable and the knowable. Per our current understanding, the entity moves through the cosmos and through dimensions, through all levels of existence, differentiating like a cell, gaining specific characteristics, (maybe gaining awareness…   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. This week's episode aims to answer some unanswered questions I left in a Season 4 episode called “Professor Gadston.”   MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available from Amazon as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover.  You can also get there from my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE   The Store page also has sign-up forms for my two email newsletters: Storyfeather Gazette (if you’d like to keep up with the fiction I create) Fictioneer’s Field Guide (if you’d like writing tips and guidance from me) Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “Doctor Spencer's Fallen Star” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Connecting dots” by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Intro & Outro) “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)   Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio) “Complexe Mind” “Connecting dots” “Cold case” “Connected” “Compass” “Cyber” “City”   All these tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle, and GameDevMarket Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.   Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital drawing: A mask-like face at center with sharp angled eye holes, a mouthpiece shaped like jagged teeth, and a beak-like nose. Instead of a body, an amorphous form flows out and up from behind two small ears, where the neck would be expected. A wake of glowing light flows out from the face’s jaw, indicating movement at great speeds. Below and behind the face, bottom half of image, the translucent hint of a planet and a large continent. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along border of visible continent.

A merchant vessel enters a system with rigid laws about visitors, and almost succeeds in making a lucrative delivery, when it encounters a potentially deadly obstacle. Genre: Science Fiction    Excerpt: We had obtained the means of shielding certain sections of engineering and the crew quarters. Cargo, I was happy to be transparent about. But there were things aboard my ship that I needed to hide. And I couldn’t expect the crew to remove every questionable item. Our chief engineer would have disembarked if we didn’t fly with a sufficient supply of his favorite snack, mokkie-bars.   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode?Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. This story is connected to the Year Seven story entitled “A Tale of Nine Lemons,” in which a young man, whose parents have given his siblings all manner of wondrous parting gifts to help them make their fortunes in the world, is given a basket of lemons to make his fortune. That story was the result of a writing prompt about…lemons.  MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover. The book title takes you straight to the book on Amazon. Or you can visit my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE   The Store page also has sign-up forms for my two email newsletters: Storyfeather Gazette (if you’d like to keep up with the fiction I create) Fictioneer’s Field Guide (if you’d like writing tips and guidance from me) Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for updated info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “The Lemonuclear Conductor” Copyright © 2020 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Neon god” by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Intro & Outro) “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)   Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY “Them droids” “Neon god” “Reloaded” “Negociation” “MDK” “Bio hazard” “Men in black” “Under the mask” “Trojan horse” “Master” “Virtual reality”   All these tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle, and GameDevMarket, and Soundly (through Hindenburg) Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.   Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital drawing of a humanoid person with a long-haired mohawk and scaly skin at left, facing away and looking at multiple glowing holographic displays with various readouts. The person points at the main display, which shows a containment or reactor vessel. Some text is readable. The word “engineering” at top, and “Lemonuclear Conductor: LNC Version 5.5.” Horizontal rectangular image is made square with borders at top and bottom with a textured pattern of square confetti and vertical bars in the same orange and yellow colors of the main image. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along left side of reactor vessel.

An excited apprentice attempts to make a planet for the first time, having watched the making of hundreds. But watching is not the same as doing. Genre: Science Fiction, Science Fantasy   Excerpt: Nebulous gases shimmered as they swirled past me. Particles crashed and fused. Vapors thickened into plasma and then into liquid. Specks became pebbles. Pebbles became rock. Rock collided with rock… The layers of the sphere began to close into one sphere, imbued with a strong enough measure of gravity to draw a fine cloak of dust around itself as it spun into place.   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. The story that inspired this one, from way back in Season One, is called “Heliotrope,” about a device built by hopeful human hands. Fun fact: The character Proto is named for the term “protostar.” The character Ring is named so because I have an affinity for ringed planets. (Aside from Earth, my favorite planet is Saturn.)   MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover.  The book title takes you straight to the book on Amazon. Or you can visit my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE   The Store page also has sign-up forms for my two email newsletters: Storyfeather Gazette (if you’d like to keep up with the fiction I create) Fictioneer’s Field Guide (if you’d like writing tips and guidance from me) Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for updated info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “RIng Planet One” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Intro & Outro) “Cosmic Drifting” by LEE ROSEVERE (Outro   Music by JONATHAN SHAW “A Tale of Peace”   Music by LEE ROSEVERE “Cosmic Drifting” “Puzzle Pieces” “How I Used To See The Stars” “Musical Mathematics” “I Believe in You”   Tracks by Jonathan Shaw and Andrew Sitkov are part of music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Jonathan Shaw and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.   Find more music by Jonathan Shaw and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.uk Find more music by Lee Rosevere at freemusicarchive.org/music/lee-rosevere and leerosevere.bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital painting. At center, a planet with a dark smooth surface. A pyramidal section has been cut out to show three layers beneath the planet’s surface. Two glowing rings surround the planet. Amorphous, plasma-like material swirls around the planet. Watermark of “Storyfeather” curves along planet at bottom.

Following their queen and captain into exile, the crew of the Echidna build an experimental engine, to keep surviving and striving, and to one day establish a new colony.  Genre: Science Fiction THIS IS EPISODE #400. I have put out 400 podcast episodes by my lil old self. Mwahaha! Tell me this means I cannot be stopped!   Excerpt:“Queens growing old without growing wiser. That’s not what we need. That’s not what I seek to be.” Those were the last words that Captain Navaso spoke before she went into exile, breaking from the Unified Colonies, along with 899 loyal members of her colony.   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. This story is a direct prequel to an episode from Season Three, “The Adventure of the Goliath,” in which a couple of agents who investigate unusual phenomena follow a distress signal coming from an unusual source.   MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover. The book title takes you straight to the book on Amazon. Or you can visit my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE   The Store page also has sign-up forms for my two email newsletters: Storyfeather Gazette (if you’d like to keep up with the fiction I create) Fictioneer’s Field Guide (if you’d like writing tips and guidance from me) Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for updated info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “The Last Voyage of the Echidna” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Drive With Me” by ANDREW SITKOV (Intro & Outro) “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)   Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music) “Abstact Vision #3” “Abstact Vision #6” “Drive With Me” “Be a Hero”   Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio) “Particle Voyager” “Connected” “Prisma” “Connecting dots” “Pursuit” “Killer Escape” “Autopsy” “Black light” “Genetic marker”   All these tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle, and GameDevMarket, and Soundly (through Hindenburg) Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration. Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A ship shaped like a submarine appears at bottom half, moving toward a glowing anomaly at center. Lightning, sparks, and gases emerge from the anomaly and stream outward. A zigzag pattern with nodes at each junction glows on the ship’s hull and is reflected above and below the ship, but darker in color. Lightning also bursts from two thrusters on the ship’s dorsal hull. Watermark of “Storyfeather” on hull of ship along left thruster.

Two siblings end up in a shared dream and explore it according to their priorities: eating food and making friends. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy     Excerpt: As Astra kept staring at the sign, the characters began to shift into ones she could read. She grinned and started reading aloud. “Dream Sector Alpha. Basic fantasies. Opening gifts. Eating rocky road brownies—wait, I don’t like rocky road brownies.” “I do!” Fen said. “Dream Sector Beta…Zeta…Theta. Hey, I know this. This is the Greek alphabet.”   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. This story revisits “The Mystery of Mrs. Highweather,” in which a new father, seeking stories for his baby daughter, stumbles across a series of books he used to love in his childhood about the caretaker of two adventurous kids.   MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover. The book title takes you straight to the book on Amazon. Or you can visit my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE   The Store page also has sign-up forms for my two email newsletters: Storyfeather Gazette (if you’d like to keep up with the fiction I create) Fictioneer’s Field Guide (if you’d like writing tips and guidance from me) Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for updated info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “Two Tickets to Dream Sector Disigma” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Packed lunch” by TRG Banks (Intro) “The silver bus” by TRG Banks (Outro) “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)   Music by TRG BANKS “Through the gravitational field” “The silver bus” “Packed lunch” “First stop” “Horse ride 4” “Cigar”   Music by ANDREW SITKOV* “Casual Theme #2” “Casual Theme #4” “Knight Power” “Secrets of Kingdom” “Journey into Fog” “Battle March” “Protection of Kingdom” “Knight Rising”   *All these tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Music by TRG Banks is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal Sound effects from AudioJungle, and GameDevMarket, and Soundly (through Hindenburg) Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.   Find more music by Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by TRG Banks at freemusicarchive.org/music/TRG_Banks Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital drawing of a stream cutting through a grassy meadow. Foreground left corner displays glowing curling stems. A ladybug is perched on one of the stems. Bottom middle edge, a piece of paper floats in the water. To the ladybug’s left, a wooden sign juts up from the grass. In the upper third of the image, forests are visible through purple haze, and mountains even further back. The sky glows with sunlight. The rectangular image is made square with top and bottom borders that repeat and continue the top and bottom of the image. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along the edge of the river at center right.

To preserve their endangered houses, Black Radish, Purple Carrot, and Green Garlic send envoys to reach a garden hidden beyond the natural world. Genre: Fable, Mythology   Excerpt: Soil and sunlight, water and worm. These were still needed for the growing of plants in ancient times. But in those times, to truly live and to thrive as they were meant to, plants also required a nourishment that not many legends speak of. The spirit of an animated being, that is, the spirit of an animal.   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. I’ve written a number of food-based stories, and not all of them are dessert-based. This new story was inspired by “My Food Is Speaking to Me,” about someone who’s not sure if the voices coming from the food in their fridge and pantry are real or not.   MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover. The book title takes you straight to the book on Amazon. Or you can visit my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE The Store page has a sign-up form for my email newsletters. Fictioneering mischief and writing tips. Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for updated info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “The Garden of Perpetuation” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Desert Town” by CHRIS LOGSDON (Intro and Outro) “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)   Music by CHRIS LOGSDON “Mystical Town” “Desert Town” “Shady Town” “Port Town” “Whimsical Town”   Music by ANDREW SITKOV “Medieval Track #1” “Medieval Theme 4” “Fight Till Dying” “Lyric Voices #1” “Secrets of Kingdom” “Medieval Track #2” “Adventure Track #1 (looped)” All these tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Chris Logsdon and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle, and GameDevMarket, and Soundly (through Hindenburg) Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.   Find more music by Chris Logsdon and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Three people seen from the back walking down a path that leads toward barren-branched trees in the distance. The figure on the left glances to the right, has long wavy hair, wears a coat with a purple carrot patch along the right arm, a satchel hanging from right shoulder across the body, and a belt on which hangs a pouch and an axe. The middle figure walks slightly behind the others and wears a cloak with the hood raised. Three black radishes are depicted on the back of the cloak with the leaves laying over the shoulder and one extending into the hood. The figure on the right wears a basket full of green garlic. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along the right side of the middle figure’s cloak.

A young man boards a train to visit family, only to learn he is a day late for his visit, but just in time to suffer disaster. Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction   Excerpt: A man laughed and said, “Just shuffle the cards.”  My heart skipped a beat. I saw a bright flash of light.  I heard an intense, painful screech.  The train car lurched.  People screamed, and then—   What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on. The inspiration for this episode is a story I once wrote about a woman on the subway who missed her stop and ended up arriving at the previous day, “Subway to Yesterday.”   MY FIRST BOOK (yay)Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written?  I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories. It’s now available as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover. The book title takes you straight to the book on Amazon. Or you can visit my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE The Store page has a sign-up form for my email newsletters. Fictioneering mischief and writing tips. Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)   MERCH!Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork? Please visit my Store page for updated info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE   CREDITSStory: “Tomorrow's Train Today” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Cry No More – (A) Melody Loop” by Tao & Sound (Inro & Outro) “Cry No More – (B) Melody Loop” by Tao & Sound (Inro & Outro) “Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)   Music by ANDREW SITKOV “Abstract Vision #6” “Abstract Vision #3”   Music by TAO & SOUND “Cyberjazz Nights” (full track) “I Never Gave Up – (B) Drums & Bass Loop” “Cry No More - (B) Drums & Bass Loop” “Cry No More – (A) Melody Loop” “I Never Gave Up – (B) Melody Loop” “I Never Gave Up – (A) Melody Loop” “Cyberjazz Nights – (A) Drums & Bass Loop” “Cry No More – (A) Drums & Bass Loop” “Noir Blvd – (A) Drums & Bass Loop” “Cry No More – (B) Melody Loop” “Noir Blvd – (B) Drums & Bass Loop” “U Never Had to Exist – (A) Drums & Bass Loop” “Noir Blvd – (B) Melody Loop” “U Never Had to Exist – Intro” “U Never Had to Exist – (A) Melody Loop”     All these tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Andrew Sitkov and Tao & Sound is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle, and GameDevMarket, and Soundly (through Hindenburg) Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.   Find more music by Tao & Sound and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. View down the middle of a train car. Several seats are visible, but only two are occupied. At far right, a young man is asleep, his left elbow propped on the window edge, his head resting in his hand. His other hand lies on his lap, holding a rectangular object. It’s dark outside the windows. At far left, an older man with a table attachment propped up, holding a cup of coffee in his right hand. His left arm and hand are curled around a briefcase that lies on the table. He’s glancing to his left. It’s bright outside the windows on his side. At center, standing in the aisle is the same young man who’s seen sleeping. He is surrounded by a glowing light. His arms hang by his side. He’s holding a cell phone in his right hand. His brows are raised and his mouth parted. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along right side of the young man’s jacket.