Storyfeather

Something has disrupted the ethereal force that imbues all creatures in the world with magic. Genre: Mythology, Fable   Excerpt : Once, in a long-forgotten age, every creature could live in every sphere. This was so because of an energy, a force that spun around and through the world. The elephants called it "ethereum." The owls called it "magic."   What story or stories am I revisiting in this ep...

There is only one currency that is able to abide at the nexus of all existence. In our world, we call it the black penny. Genre: Fantasy   Excerpt : Touching the penny evoked a vision in my mind of a swirling whirlpool, not of water, but of stars. I felt a moment of calm sweep over me. The problems I faced were real and daunting and major. But there were things in the universe that dwarfed them. A...

Salis and Dulcine are not just twins, but the best of friends, despite their opposite natures; so when one of them falls into a deadly trap, the other will do anything to rescue their sibling. Genre: Fantasy, Mythology   Excerpt : Even when they were still babies, people noted their opposite dispositions, which only became more obvious as the two grew older. Salis was well-liked by all, for he was...

When two siblings play a board game where they must collect seven magic rings, they discover that the game pieces may possess real enchantment.     Genre: Fantasy, Mythology   Excerpt : "I…am a Mystery mage." "Awesome. What does that mean?" August frowned down at the game board. "I don't know. What do the rules say?" Nova was minding the rule book—or the guidebook as the cover proclaimed. She flip...

A young woman has trained and studied so that she could wield the mysterious powers she has inherited. Genre: Fantasy, Mythology   Excerpt : "Did I almost die or something?" I asked. My mom frowned. "Don't say things like that." But then she glanced from side to side and peered at me. "Do you…see anything?" I shook my head. But I wasn't worried. I had studied the "pragmata agnosta," the "things un...

To rescue her child, Florisse places all her hopes upon a dangerous and alluring enchantment that may be broken. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy   Excerpt : Florisse looked down at her daughter and spied the twinkle in the baby's eye. Perhaps she had caught hold of what she truly wanted after all. Baby Fawnette was not yet a year old, and as expected, she had upended the merry lives of her mother and f...

Spark has been wandering all her life.   But her wandering had no purpose, until she began searching for a home. Genre: Mythology, Fable, Fantasy     Excerpt : Spark had been traveling all her life. She'd never once landed in one place. But now she had. Now, she could be still. And she'd found this one place, this one twirling world. Exploring was exciting. But Spark was not quite exploring. She w...

A little girl longs for the heroic queen of their realm to visit her dreams and help her face a nightmarish monster. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy   Excerpt : "She did so come riding down out of the sky on a flying horse!" Carmen glanced around at the rest of her friends, daring anyone else to disagree. But no else did. She settled her gaze on the one who had interrupted her. Kavita crossed her arms...

A town targeted by a warlord is defended by an unexpected army of...well, I'm sure you can guess. Genre: Fairy Tale   Excerpt : The hilltop town of Adarak had a tradition of baking gingerbread men and setting them along the windowsills on the longest night of winter, facing outward, to keep the town safe from enemies— whether mortal or mystical. Many believed that this tradition arose in homage of...

A young journalist who thinks she's about to write a quick food truck review, observes something unusual about the truck, giant bugs that only she seems to see. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy   Excerpt : What are they? Ria wondered, taking off her glasses and putting them back on. The bugs were blurry without her glasses, but still present. They reminded her of the iridescent green beetles that came o...

An inexperienced crew of administrators aspiring to be field operators are assigned to a distant star system, where they encounter a sentient nebula. Genre: Science Fiction   Excerpt : The newly appointed Captain Dorus gazed at his new crew, each one interviewed and hand-picked by him. The not-so-hotshot pilot, Orson, who retired early after she was nearly killed flying into a star during a practi...

Every ninth full moon, the Reptilian Vaudevillians put on a spectacular show that for one audience member is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Genre: Fable   Excerpt : No one will know of my crime. Tomorrow, I will die. And so will every one of my cohorts. The ones who came before are already dead. So none will know of my crime. Today, I should be searching for a mate. But instead, I am hiding in the sh...

After a young drummer commits the crime of "creativity without a license," her bandmate discovers a way to protect her and all other unlicensed artists.   Genre: Science Fiction   Excerpt : "Tell me, as the band's leader, what is the future of Discordance now? Will you find a new drummer? Will you disband and follow individual careers? The fans are dying to know." Kavita seen herself in interviews...

The unexpected demise of a witch on All Hallow's Eve prompts her faithful assistant to seek the answer to the question, "Who killed Edith Evilez?" Genre: Horror   Excerpt : "Who killed Edith Evilez?" the slightly malnourished young—or perhaps old—woman asked, as she thrust a dusty umbrella at a passing passerby. The asker's name was Trudy Trubbeld. And she had been standing at the corner, asking t...

A young woman finally learns the truth about what happened when her grand-aunty accepted a dare to knock on the door of a mysterious manor. Genre: Horror   Excerpt: Naomi clicked on her recorder, took a deep breath, and asked her grand-aunty Z about the one thing that her mother and grandmother told her to never, ever, never, never, ever ask her about. "Aunty, what did you see when you went into M...

A family is haunted by a demon who collects the fallen baby teeth of the children, and who soon hungers for more and more teeth, even when there are none for them to offer. Genre: Horror   Excerpt : Many doctors and healers had tended to him. But the family he left behind, to whom he was beloved, blamed only one. The doctor of teeth. For before he came, the patient appeared to be suffering some pa...

Traveling on a road at night that cuts through the woods, one driver fears encountering dangers both natural and supernatural. Genre: Horror   Excerpt : The car had been behind me for a while, even before we turned onto Dollortop, the road that just barely split the sprawling woods that separated the counties. I gripped the steering wheel at ten and two, and glanced at the rearview mirror, as I ea...

Be advised: This episode contains some intense music and sound effects.   A group of friends venture into an abandoned tunnel against the warnings of one of them, who senses there is something in the tunnel that won't let them get to the other side. Genre: Horror   Excerpt : Bradley rubbed his hands together and looked at Amora. "It's show time." Phoebe walked over to Amora, whose dark-eyed gaze w...

A bard embarks on a quest to discover what it is that the dragons guard at the center of a maze made of the primal cosmic elements.   Genre: Fantasy   Excerpt : Once upon a time, there was an ocean of water and at the center of this ocean of water was an ocean of sand and at the center of this ocean of sand was an ocean of air and at the center of this ocean of air was an ocean of fire. This ocean...

A small team of marine explorers searches for a treasure from an arcane myth, a jewel that fell from the heavens.   Genre: Science Fiction   Excerpt : "So the gods order the sea fairies to wreck the ship," Dalil continued. "I mean tear it apart until nothing is left, not even a single plank for the princess to grab onto to survive. But here's the thing, the thing that the king didn't know and the...

The heiress of an unexpected fortune learns the cost of becoming too attached to her newfound riches after she is cursed by a magical vagabond.   Genre: Fairy Tale   Excerpt : "But beware that you cling too tightly to your riches, madam. For gold likes best to glitter in the light, and if you confine it, it will seek to fly away. Your treasure will turn against you."   "So says one who has no trea...

A young mage facing a difficult homecoming finds a treasure by the side of the road, a stolen treasure whose true owner she cannot find, and whose last owner is a terrible troll. Genre: Fairy Tale   Excerpt : With one hand, she raised the sack, as she waved the other before her eyes, casting a lensing spell that would allow her to see any magical markings upon the sack. Indeed there was a magical...

When Baron Raven discovers a rare gem in his mines, he performs his duty by making a gift of the gem to his liege, King Monkey. Genre: Fable   Excerpt : In the mines within the five mountains that lay at the kingdom's borders, Baron Raven discovered a most wondrous stone. Even in its raw form, it shone with a cosmic gleam that kindled the baron's curiosity. The gears of his clever mind spun and wh...

The seemingly empty cardboard box that a student uses for a school project still contains something.   Something unexpected…and unnerving. Genre: Science Fiction   Excerpt : "What?" I asked. "Is it a bug?" "There's an eye, Mallow. It's looking." I leaned over the box, now thinking that a picture of an eye from something my mom ordered had scared my brother. Just as I peeked inside, he said, "It's...

In a desperate moment, a mage casts an unpracticed spell to save himself, but may have doomed himself instead... Genre: Fantasy   Excerpt : Of course Panofus knew the procedures and had run many drills, but he had never expected to use that particular part of his training. He should have paid more attention to the rumblings and rumors of demonic invasion. He had a plan for escape. A simple plan. I...