A queen becomes a shark and an ordinary guy tries to save Bigfoot from big tech. Storyfeather Gazette.

Published about 1 month ago • 2 min read

March 2026 Issue 2

In this issue: Short stories and podcast episodes from the second half of March, and a quick thought about curiosity.

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

A SHARK, A VOLCANO AND A CRYPTID 🤔

We are constantly curious about ourselves and our world. This can sometimes get us into trouble. It's not the curiosity itself that's troublesome. But the ways in which it sometimes manifests. Let us ever endeavor to keep the balance. Seeking when we should seek. Stopping when we should leave things well enough alone.

✒️ 🪶 🎙

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.

March of Technology 🤖

✒️ For this month's theme, the tech is only as destructive as the one who wields it.

🎙 The podcast episodes reveal how even the powerful are persecuted by the gods.

Titles and taglines below. Enjoy!

Short Stories

Digital drawing. At center, Bigfoot, wearing a tall wide-brimmed hat, standing with right arm extended out slightly, hand resting on the top of a cane, and right leg slightly bent and stepping to the left. Leaf litter at bottom. Hazy silhouettes of trees and leaves in background and above. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along outside of upper right arm. Copyright notice along right side 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.

PERSONAL ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTOR

Inspired by a frustrating thought, a person builds a device that should detect the unique energy signature emitted by an individual. 🔭🌈

Genre: Science Fantasy

LET BIGFOOT GO, MAN

Martin has a brief but wonderful encounter in the woods with a legendary creature. 👣

Genre: Science Fantasy

Find more Year 13 stories at the button below.

Podcast Episodes

Digital drawing. A creature with the front half of a woman and the bottom half of a shark. She’s underwater. Foreground, a disembodied eye trailing a nerve stalk lies on the floor of the body of water in which the creature is floating. She faces forward with both hands planted on the floor as if doing a push-up. Her right eye is missing. The socket bleeds. Her open mouth is filled with shark’s teeth, and part of a second mouth appears to be growing out of her first and under her right cheek. She wears gold jewelry, metal cuffs, and a scarf wrapped upon her head that flutters slightly in the water. Her tail is visible bending towards the right. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along edge of tail fin.

The Wheel of Fiction turns and decides each story's theme. Thirteen spokes, with eight occupied by the themes of prior seasons. There's a Wild Card, and a "Turn Again" spoke. And three mystery spokes.

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.

QUEEN NIYAMI

Troubled by the tragic tale of a queen, who suffered because of a quarrel between two gods, three children question and alter the story. 🦈

Genre: Mythology

Queen Niyami

Mar 20 · Storyfeather

42:21

FORGE OF THE FORSAKER

Even before the mountain began to rumble, one mortal had begun to doubt his decadent gods. 🌋

Genre: Mythology

Forge of the Forsaker

Mar 27 · Storyfeather

34:11

Find more episodes at the button below.

🎩

Protestors abounded from every possible side and cause. Supporters of Bigfoot, of course. Those opposed to the waste of capital on a pointless venture. Opponents of the technology itself, and whatever else it might end up being used for. Enemies of the man who owned the company. Amateurs and enthusiasts who wanted themselves to be the first to capture an image of Bigfoot. Some of those blurry figures in that company photograph, who had their own various reasons.

Resistance appeared from within the company, and resistance from outside it. But for all the opposition that maniacally smiling man faced, no one could stop him from forging ahead with his vision. The device was built. And Martin got one.

—From "Let Bigfoot Go, Man"

Attention Fiction Writers ✒️

I have another newsletter, one for fictioneers. Every month, I pick a topic or theme to cover. I send out a short weekly email to introduce the topic, cover a technique, talk troubleshooting, then use one of my stories to demonstrate some aspect of the topic. If you're a Gazette subscriber, you can get the fiction-writing newsletter by simply pressing the title here: Fictioneer's Field Guide.

Parting words🪶

Coming in April, tricksters and cursed girls and various fairies.

Happy reading and listening! 📚
—Nila

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