A concert on a volcanic moon, retirement on an abandoned space station, and a luxury resort on the edge of a black hole. Storyfeather Gazette.

Published 3 months ago • 3 min read

July 2026 Issue 2

In this issue: A delightful popsicle discovery, and short stories & podcast episodes from the second half of July.

Circle format, a three-quarters view of Nila's smiling face from a photo with an oil paint filter applied.

FAVORITE POPSICLES 🧊

I'm wilting! (Have I mentioned summer is my least favorite season?) On the bright side, I did discover some new flavors of my favorte popsicle brand. I tried the Helados Mexico™ Con Chamoy Minis Variety pack. Mango🥭 is tops, then lime. The pineapple is pleasant, but the flavor is not as strong. I worried they would be too spicy for me, thus defeating the purpose of the popsicle. But my doubts were unfounded.

I hope you're staying cool and hydrated. And if stories serve to further soothe you, I happen to have some handy below.

✒️ 🪶 🎙

Greetings! I'm Nila. Every week, I release a new short story and a new podcast episode spanning the genres of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, mythology, fairy tale, fable, and horror.

Whether you're in the mood to read or listen, I've got stories to tell you.

🧬 SCI-FI JULY 🐜

✒️ For this month's theme, ordinary life events with a sci-fi twist.

🎙 The podcast episodes are about a space resort, a movie theater for aliens, and a soothing temporal anomaly.

Titles and taglines below. Enjoy!

Short Stories

Digital drawing. Distant view of a stage with two figures in dark silhouette, a long-haired guitarist playing at left, and a lead singer with microphone raised at right. Glowing colorful fog illuminates the stage up to waist level of the performers. Stage lights beam outward at angles from center. At top center, partial view of a wispy bright orb hung with studded chains. At foreground bottom, silhouettes of three figures visible in the audience, with arms raised. Figure at right corner has a frog-like head. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along curve of orb. Copyright notice along bottom left reads “Copyright © 2026 Nila L. Patel.”

Year 13. This year's theme is WildCards. Cards pulled from games. Maybe characters who are wild cards? I'll figure it out as I go.

Each link below leads directly to the story post.

THREE HUMANS, A GRACKLE, AND A SPACE STATION

Three friends get in over their heads when they buy an abandoned space station for their retirement. 🛰

Genre: Science Fiction

LIVE AT THE GOLDEN RED

Three friends leave their home galaxy to attend a smoldering concert that for one of them is the event of a lifetime. 🌑

Genre: Science Fiction

Find more Year 13 stories at the button below.

Podcast Episodes

Digital drawing. Facing forward, sitting on the ground, a couple leaning towards each other with their heads touching and their eyes closed. At left, a woman, her right leg outstretched out of frame, and her left leg bent. She loosely holds a baby or young toddler in her arms. The baby’s hands grip her forearm. His eyes are open and looking up and to the left (his right). At right, a man, sitting cross-legged with his hands held loosely in his lap. Behind them, centered, is a depiction of the planet Mars against a star-filled space with a plume of glowing gases passing horizontally through the center. Some element of each person’s clothing blends in with the red hues of the planet. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along lower leg pants of the man.

The Wheel of Fiction turns and decides each story's theme. Thirteen spokes total. Eight are the themes of past seasons, one is a Wild Card, one is "Turn Again," and three are a mystery.

The text links below go to the Explore page on Storyfeather, where you can listen to the episode and find more info about the story

Pressing on the Spotify embed image leads to the episode's Spotify page.

ZONE OF ETERNAL SLEEP

The sleep-deprived parents of a sleepless baby stumble upon a potential relief on their way to a Martian superstore. 😴

Genre: Science Fiction

Zone of Eternal Sleep

Jul 17 · Storyfeather

32:41

THE GRAND UNIVERSAL SINGULARITY RESORT

A new guest services employee works a memorable first shift at the most exclusive resort in the galaxy. 🛎

Genre: Science Fiction

The Grand Universal Singular...

Jul 24 · Storyfeather

39:45

THE GOLDEN RATIO THEATER

A recent college graduate dreams of operating a local theater that has a special and secret importance to planet Earth...and beyond. 🎥

Genre: Science Fiction

The Golden Ratio Theater

Jul 31 · Storyfeather

39:34

Find more episodes at the button below.

👾

The techno-symbiote didn’t have a “sonic” name. But she did fancy having one. When asked, she said she’d adopt the name of the space station, which launched a week-long conversation among the trio of friends about what they would name the station.

Weir proposed calling it “Station Forsaken.” Dex was okay with that being a nickname, but wanted something a little more classic for the official moniker, even if it was a bit boring, like Clover Station, since its position overlapped three star systems. Rules of registration wouldn’t allow them to revert to the station’s original name. Hawley had narrowed her list down, but it stilled contained 25 potentials. Everything from Priscilla to “Nine Red-Winged Hawks Perched in Woden’s Eye.”

—From "Three Friends, A Grackle, and a Space Station"

Attention Fiction Writers ✒️

Did you know I have a dedicated area of the Storyfeather site just for fictioneers? You'll find articles, a resources page, my book. You can even sign up for my newsletter, Fictioneer's Field Guide. I pick a topic or theme for the month. Then, I send out a short weekly email with tools, tips, techniques, troubleshooting, and typically a demo using one of my stories. On signing up, you'll get a PDF download to help you spark your story, and a short welcome series of emails walking you through that PDF.

Visit the 🌿 Fictioneer's Field Station today!

Reminder: You can always customize and change what emails you receive from me by using the "update preferences" link at the bottom of each email.