In the year 2025, humanity received an answer to one of its most fundamental questions: “Are we alone in the universe?” Only one thousand standard years later, unnoticeable and unfathomable to the greatly aged cosmos, a galactic alliance was formed, a coalition of inhabited worlds bound together in cooperation, friendship, and mutual progress. The Grand Unified Milky Way. The G.U.M. was protected by the Milky Way Planetary Rangers, whose members hailed from every planet in the alliance, and whose mission was to patrol within and outside the borders of their home, the galaxy the Earth humans charmingly named the Milky Way.   On the most important diplomatic mission of the millennium, Captain Sal Nova and her Rangers are attacked by a weapon that shouldn’t exist. Genre: Science Fiction Tags: alien, ambassador, Bristle, captain, chief engineer, commander, Milky Way, Myrmica, Roditore, Sal Nova   CREDITSStory: “Sal Saturn and the Planetary Rangers” Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Episode Art: “The Argon Weapon” Copyright © 2017 by Sanjay Patel Narration and Editing:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)   Music by TRG Banks “Through the gravitational field” “Insideoutworld” “Interstellar breakfast” Music by Andrea Baroni (Cyberleaf)* “Fugue For One Synthetic Heart (no percussion)” “Ground Control” “Forest Bathing” Music by Jonathan Shaw* “A Dream of First Flight” Music by Andrew Sitkov (MuzStation Game Music)* “Last Moments of Peace” “Prepare for Battle” *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Andrea Baroni, Jonathan Shaw, and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Music by TRG Banks is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal License Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket   Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrea Baroni and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.uk and gamedevmarket.net Find more music by TRG Banks at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Instagram: @storyfeather Email: nila@storyfeather.com

Storyfeather

Sal Saturn and the Planetary Rangers

It starts off dark, and all I hear is a low, subtle pulsing. Not as rhythmic and steady as a heartbeat, but more like, the whooshing and sloshing of a washing machine. Then I can make out the clicking. Click, click, click. Multiplied. Click, click, clickclickclickclickclickclick. I see myself. And I am myself at the same time. My shoulders are drooped. I can hardly keep my eyes open. My skin feels warm, too warm.  I see myself noticing the sound and raising his—my—head. My eyes move to the left and my head turns slightly, but then stops. I need to see. But I don’t want to see.   A young man pursuing his dreams is himself pursued by something from his nightmares. Genre: Fantasy, Horror Tags: devourer, dream, improv, mucus, nightmare   CREDITSStory: “How I Defeated the Devourer” Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Episode Art: “The Devourer Laughs” Copyright © 2017 by Sanjay Patel Narration and Editing:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)   Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “Shadow tunnel” “Do or die” “Pitch black” Music by Albert Fernandez (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* “Atmosphere_Frozen” “Atmosphere_BoundedScreams_Loop” “Atmosphere_BadSensation_Loop” Music by Lee Rosevere “It’s A Mystery” “Start the Day” “Awkward Silences (version b)” Music by ROZKOL “Fever Dream” “To the Water’s Edge”   *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Albert Fernandez is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Lee Rosevere and ROZKOL is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket, including effects by Kara Square and Evil Mind Entertainment Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by Lee Rosevere and ROZKOL at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Instagram: @storyfeather Email: nila@storyfeather.com

How I Defeated the Devourer

“What is that? On its head? Is that a hat or…a deformity?” “It’s too hazy to see when it’s in motion,” I said. “We’ll have to pause.” “The lights are on. We can see everything. I thought he only comes when it’s dark.” “No, remember that mom who was taken when she was tucking her kid in. He was awake and his light was on.” Jules and I were reviewing all of the preliminary evidence. I didn’t want to keep looking at this video. Seeing a girl getting dragged away. All the rumors that the person dragging her away may not even be human didn’t make it easier. Some of the first rumors were of alien abduction. The latest rumors had turned the abductor into some kind of urban legend.   One investigator is about to discover that the latest victim in a string of strange abductions is more than she appears to be. Genre: Horror, Mystery Tags: abduction, April Majus, Bagger, closet, creature, Jules, soul   CREDITS Story: “April Majus” Copyright © 2016 by Nila L. Patel Episode Art: “Reaching” Copyright © 2016 by Sanjay Patel Narration and Editing:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)   Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “Prisma” “Dark Secret” “13 sins” “Demon at the door” “On the other side” “Where Am I” “Unclassified” Albert Fernandez (Potion Audio)* “Atmospheres_PersecutionDanger_Loop” Andrea Baroni (Cyberleaf)* “Forest Bathing”   *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy, Albert Fernandez, and Andrea Baroni is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy, Albert Fernandez, and Andrea Baroni at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Instagram: @storyfeather Email: nila@storyfeather.com

April Majus

A kid…in a costume. It had to be. Still, it was frightening. To think I almost hit the poor little guy. Maybe it was a good thing that the costume was so good, so convincing. The sickly yellow glow-in-the-dark contacts. The pro-quality fang fixtures. That tail that almost looked as if it were whipping back and forth on its own. I thought it was some animal I’d almost hit. That would have been bad enough. If I’d known it was a kid, I might have panicked and lost control of the car. Maybe I would have hit him.   A homeowner is haunted and harassed by sightings of a demonic little creature. Genre: Horror, Mystery   Tags: cat, creature, dog, Flynn, imp, Nox, sleep, vision   CREDITSStory: “The Incident of the Imp” Copyright © 2016 by Nila L. Patel Episode Art: “Incident of the Imp” Copyright © 2016 by Sanjay Patel Narration and Editing:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)   Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “Fear” “Paradigm” “Investigation day” “The attic” “Souls” “Once upon a time” “The myst”   Andrew Sitkov (MuzStation Game Music)* “Mystical House” “Story at Night (Short Loop 1)” “Scary Theme (All in One)” “Story at Night (Short Loop 2)”   Lee Rosevere “What’s Behind the Door”   *These tracks were 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 Music by Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket   Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Lee Rosevere at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Instagram: @storyfeather Email: nila@storyfeather.com

The Incident of the Imp

He wore not a scrap of clothing as he lay on the grimy dirt within the coffin, so I could see that his entire body bore a ghastly green pallor. His toes and fingers were abnormally long and thin, and the toes even seemed to taper to points as the nails had grown back deformed. His ears too were long and tapered. The serene and contented smile on his face struck me as obscene.   She was watching from afar. She insisted on watching. And though her brother was with her, giving her comfort, and though she had paid twice my wage for the privilege of being present, a wave of doubt troubled my gut. This was no time for doubt, with my hand gripping the wooden stake that I was soon to drive into her husband’s heart. A hunter of the foul and the unnatural believes he has found his—and humankind’s—greatest enemy. Genre: Horror Tags: crypt, fiend, hunter, knight of snakes, O’Brien, William   CREDITS Story: “The Hunter and the Crypt” Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Episode Art: “The Hunter and the Crypt” Copyright © 2017 by Sanjay Patel Narration and Editing:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)   Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “The crypt” “The evil inside” “Six feet under” “To hell” “After dark” “The corner of your room” “On the other side” “Dead end” “Just behind” *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket.   Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Instagram: @storyfeather Email: nila@storyfeather.com

The Hunter and the Crypt

Achievement Unlocked: 200th Episode! “Marisela!” Rigo cried out and Marisela came running into the boys’ bedroom. He was standing before the left side of his bed, shining a flashlight on both the bed and the wall behind it. Alex stood beside him, speechless, clutching the cuff of Rigo’s sleep shorts. With the lights off, the only thing easily visible was the part of the thing that his flashlight illuminated.   Something dark and dangerous is growing inside the wall next to one little boy’s bed. Genre: Horror Tags: Alex, chemoimagination, Frank, Manifestus, Mari, Marisela, Rigo, wall monster   CREDITSStory: “Chemoimagination” Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Episode Art: “Manifestation” Copyright © 2017 by Sanjay Patel Narration and Editing:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)   Music by Andrew Sikov (MuzStation Game Music)* “Evil is Near” “Last Moments of Peace (looped)” “Scary Theme #2 (Version 2)” “Lyric Voices #1” “Lyric Voices #2” “Scary Theme #1” Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “Under my bed” “The encounter” “Eternity (seamless)” “Ghost hacker” “Emblem (seamless)” “Trust me” “The myst” Music by Andrea Baroni (Cyberleaf)* “Night Time (no percussion)” “Fast Lanes Light Rain (no noise)”   *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Andrew Sitkov, Nicholas Jeudy, and Andrea Baroni is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket, including spooky effects by Evil Mind Entertainment   Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrew Sitkov, Nicholas Jeudy, and Andrea Baroni at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Instagram: @storyfeather Email: nila@storyfeather.com

Chemoimagination

“We only allow guests to stay in the master suite for one night. Any longer than that and some begin to experience issues with their health.”  “Psychological issues, you mean?” “Indeed, Mister Rattus.” The manor’s keeper and their guide through the tour of the grounds, Mr. Wildschwein bowed his head to the reporter and glanced at the rest of the tour-guest group. The believers, as he thought of them. Even the ones who deemed themselves skeptical. There was the mysterious and bespectacled Ms. Kapik who lingered in the back; Mr. and Mrs. Mouflon, the posh and professional patrons; Mr. Bantam, the young red-maned traveler; and the trench-coated Mr. Rattus.   Five special guests check into a manor house with a dark and enchanted history.  But are they only guests, or does the manor’s keeper have some other motive in mind for their stay? Genre: Horror, Mystery   Tags: Bantam, boar, garden house, Goodhorse, Kapik, monkey, Mouflon, rat, Rattus, rooster, sheep, stranger, Wildschwein   CREDITSStory: “Goodhorse Manor” Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Episode Art: “The Chamber of Lady Goodhorse” Copyright © 2017 by Sanjay Patel Narration and Editing:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)   Music by Lee Rosevere “Awkward Silences (version b)” “The Nightmare” “Heat Haze” “I Believe in You” Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “Profiler” “Investigation day” “Black light” “Unclassified” Music by Benjamin Carr (Scythuz)* “Deceitful Castle” “Mystical Forest” “Fire Dungeon” “Modern Battle Theme 5” Music by Andrew Sikov* “Mystical House (Looped)” “Scary Theme #5 (Version 2)” “Scary Theme #1 (Version 2)”   *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Nicholas Jeudy, Benjamin Carr, and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket, including spooky effects by Evil Mind Entertainment Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Lee Rosevere at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy, Benjamin Carr, and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Instagram: @storyfeather Email: nila@storyfeather.com

Goodhorse Manor

Once, there were five magic beans. A poor boy was swindled into accepting them as payment for some vegetables he was trying to sell at market. His mother had thought the beans were useless until he ate one and grew into a giant. His mother was poor and could not have supported the needs of a skinny boy much less a giant. So she had no choice but to cast him out. On his wanderings, he befriended a young girl who called herself Turtle. She named him Cob, which was short for “corncob” for he was tall as a cornstalk (and he didn’t fancy being called “Stalk”).   They were an odd company.  An enchanted company.  And they had lived through many adventures together. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy   Tags: bean-maker, Beanstalk, bird, Cob, Gallus, giant, golden goose, harper, magic bean, Renny, Turtle   Storyfeather Shared Universe: This is the fifth story in a continuing narrative. The recap at the beginning allows me to get away with saying that this story stands alone. (I hope.) Here are the first four episodes: “The Green Magic Bean” “The Blue Magic Stew” “The Red Magic Dread” “The Defiant Little Giant”   CREDITSStory: “The Meek Mountain Peak” Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Episode Art: “Where the Giants Once Lived” Copyright © 2017 by Sanjay Patel Narration and Editing:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Scott Buckley “Dragon’s Lullabye” Music by TRG Banks “Lake in the woods” “Swanhead” “The silver bus” Music by Komiku “Dreaming of you” Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “Pitch black” “Ex nihilo (seamless)” “Deep lands (Part 2)” “The ocean takes it all” “Deep lands (Part 1)” “After dark” Music by Benjamin Carr (Scythuz)* “Ancient Ruins” “Fire Dungeon” Music by Jonathan Shaw* “A Tale of Wind”   *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy, Benjamin Carr, and Jonathan Shaw is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Scott Buckley is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Music by TRG Banks and Komiku is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal License Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Scott Buckley at scottbuckley.com.au Find more music by TRG Banks and Komiku at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Benjamin Carr at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.uk and gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Instagram: @storyfeather Email: nila@storyfeather.com

The Meek Mountain Peak

They all watched as the one called Yellowjaws was taken to the edge of the arena. He limped from a vicious gash along his lower left leg that still seemed to be seeping blood. His long fur was matted with blood, dust, and his own thick spittle. He stopped and turned to them. He had been neither loved nor reviled. In that moment, he was—by most—envied. For as they watched, the fur fell away from his form, leaving behind pale brown skin that would certainly darken to a natural bark brown under the sun. His snout, along with the double rows of jagged yellow-orange teeth by which he was named, began to shrink. His whole head shrunk somewhat. His face and head were bare, but in time, something would grow there. Not fur, but hair. Yellowjaws was a man again.   Great-horn has risked his life and freedom to avoid killing in the Arena; now he must face a greater terror than death. Genre: Fantasy Tags: arena-lord, gray-spawn, Great Persidasia, Great-horn, Persidain, raven, Redscale, Side-eyes, Spear-chin, Talltooth, Yellowjaws   CREDITSStory: “Great Persidain” Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Episode Art: “Persidain” Copyright © 2017 by Sanjay Patel Narration and Editing:  Nila L. Patel   Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “Peacefull place (seamless)” “Dark fields (seamless)” “Home (seamless)” “The village (seamless)” “Warriors (seamless)” “Shadow forest (seamless)” “The encounter” “Witch hunt (seamless)” “Eternity” “Chimeria (seamless)” “Ex nihilo (seamless)” “Immortals (seamless)” Music by Andrew Sitkov (MuzStation Game Music)* “Lyric Voices #2” “Percussion Loop #16 (Version 1)” “Percussion Loop #16 (Version 2)” Music by Albert Fernandez (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* “Battle 3 slow (loop)”   *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.   Music by Nicholas Jeudy, Andrew Sitkov, and Albert Fernandez is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket   Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy, Andrew Sitkov, and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com   Instagram: @storyfeather Email: nila@storyfeather.com

Great Persidain

I'm Nila, and I've been writing and posting an original short story every week since November 2013 on storyfeather.com. Stories in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror, fairy tale, mystery, and mythology. Now I'm narrating those stories in the Storyfeather podcast.

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Storyfeather

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