A spectral spectacle! A pale procession. And a guardian Angel. Storyfeather Gazette.

Published 3 months ago • 2 min read

January 2026 Issue 2

In this issue: Short stories and podcast episodes from the second half of January, and yet more creature merch.

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

THE END OF THE BEGINNING 💀

Beginnings can be exciting. But also high-pressure. Sometimes, it's good to be in the middle, where no one is paying attention. And you can write strange little stories. Or read them. 😏

✒️ 🪶 🎙

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.

Januscary 😱

✒️ For this month's theme, spooky stories to start the year off fright.

🎙 The podcast episodes are about creatures that teeter between scary and cuddly.

Titles and taglines below. Enjoy!

Short Stories

Digital drawing. On a stage with warm sepia-toned background, stands a woman at right in grayscale and black, a kneeling shadow at left, and black silhouettes of several spiders dangling from above. The woman is in stark outline, wearing a magician’s outfit with fishnet stockings. She has short curly hair. Her bent right arm is raised up and above it hovers the faint outline of a human head. Her left arm is bent to her side. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along the long tail hanging from her belt. Copyright notice at 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.

PASSING IN THEIR PALE PROCESSION

A straightforward job, of dropping off equipment in a newly discovered tunnel under a suburban home, turns into an ordeal when the team gets lost. 🏚

Genre: Horror

A MISTRESS OF UNSACRED CEREMONIES

This midnight show would be something different. Something else not quite dead, but risen from the past. 👻

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

This story was directly inspired by a podcast episode I heard in recent months. Ever heard of midnight ghost shows?

Here's the Spotify link to that episode if you're curious.

The podcast is "You're Wrong About" hosted by Sarah Marshall. The episode is "Midnight Ghost Shows with Chelsey Weber-Smith"

Midnight Ghost Shows with Ch...

Oct 14 · You're Wrong About

103:58

Find more Year 13 stories at the button below.

Podcast Episodes

Digital drawing. Two figures at center. Left, a toddler boy wearing overalls with a patch at the chest bearing an image of the hand-horns sign. The boy’s right hand is outstretched and is conjuring a cloud of cotton candy. His other arm is bent at his side. Right, an animal that appears to be half-dog and half-fish. The dog-like body is sitting up. The fish-like head is turned to the side with mouth open, displaying piranha teeth and a pointy outstretched tongue. The creature’s eyes are red. It has a long tail bearing fins, ending in a caudal fin. The creature wears a studded collar with a tag that reads “Angel.” Behind them is the hazy shape of a Ferris wheel with glowing lights. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along the boy’s right side.

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.

ISLE OF THE FAIRY RING

A folklorist is swept up in a journey to find the proof that supports her seemingly preposterous notion about porcupines and fairy tales. 🦔

Genre: Fairy Tale

Isle of the Fairy Ring

Jan 24 · Storyfeather

41:40

ANGEL AT THE CARNIVAL

A dog and a boy wander through a carnival. One of them is terrifying. One of them is sweet. Guess. 🎡

Genre: Fantasy

Angel at the Carnival

Jan 30 · Storyfeather

39:40

Piranha Dog Merch 👕

I've got merch featuring Angel, who's part piranha and part dog. Here is the direct link:

Part Piranha Part Dog merch

(T-shirt at top. If you scroll down, you'll find mugs, hoodies, and more.)

Find more episodes at the button below.

😱

In the darkness we sit, and a gurgling, bubbling sound fills the theater. A flashbulb sparks on the stage. A low glow illuminates a tank filled with a grainy greenish liquid, and body parts, aimlessly floating. Otherworldly music starts to play, the eerie high whining notes of a theremin.

The show begins.

The light from the tank expands just enough for us to see a figure appear from the right.

A beautiful young woman glides gracefully into the sphere of hazy light.

—From "A Mistress of Unsacred Ceremonies"

Attention Fiction Writers ✒️

I have another newsletter and it's for fictioneers. Every month, I pick a topic or theme to cover about fiction-writing. I send out a short weekly email to introduce the topic, cover a technique, do some 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.

February's theme will be fairy tales.