Storyfeather Gazette: A sick dragon drains a town and a cosmic cookie contest ends in a sweet twist.

Published 11 months ago • 2 min read

December 2025 Issue 1

In this issue: Short stories and podcast episodes from the first half of December, and I'm keeping it casual for the holidays.

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

THIS DECEMBER, KEEPING IT CASUAL 😌

I'd hoped to make December a time to wind down, wrap up, and start planning just the fun stuff for the year to come. But I still have so much I want and need to do. I'm fairly certain that means most everything will spill over into January. So, my aim is to make what progress I can, then celebrate, indulge, prepare, reflect, and take it easy.

I hope you have a warm and wonderful December.

And if you're in the mood for a cozy indulgent story, I've got cookies 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.

Keycember 🔑

✒️ For this month's theme, turning, finding, maybe even making keys. Or being a key?

🎙 The podcast episodes are about the price of being dazzling and of being ordinary.

Titles and taglines below. Enjoy!

Short Stories

Digital drawing. A pile of chocolate chip cookies lies at bottom below a larger cookie floating above, styled like a flying saucer. The larger cookie is tilted at a forty-five degree angle from horizontal with bright lights around the edge. A translucent dome is set at the center with a tiny, bright-eyed figure inside. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along the edge of the dome at left. Copyright notice along left side reads, “Copyright © 2025 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.

THE KEY TO HEALING A SICK DRAGON

When a visiting dragon falls ill, a town faces starvation as the appetite of the magic that heals him grows and grows. 🐉

Genre: Fantasy

KEY TO THE COSMIC COOKIE CONTEST

Meg knows she won't be the first human to win this competition, and yet, she makes it to the sweet, sweet end. 🍪

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction

THE GAME OF EIGHT KEYS

A woman is trapped in a game where she must pass through eight realms and eight doors to escape. 🚪

Genre: Fairy Tale

Find more stories at the button below.

Podcast Episodes

Digital drawing. At center, a man seen from thighs up, facing forward with head raised up, eyes and mouth slightly parted. He wears a sparkling shirt with a ruffled front, fancy cuffs, and ornate belt. A sparkling half-cape hangs from his left shoulder and is tied over his right shoulder. His right arm is bent, hand raised to his temple. A dangling earring with linked golden hoops hangs from his left ear. His shoulder-length hair is loosely pinned behind the ear. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along the right side of his torso

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.

THE APPRENTICE WHO DAZZLES

A self-help instructor helps himself to the most dazzling part of his newest protege...her soul. ✨️

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

The Apprentice Who Dazzles

Dec 5 · Storyfeather

34:41

A PROXIMITE AND A HUMAN

Two ordinary transport technicians, working their first shift together, are assigned to drive a high-profile prisoner. 🌟

Genre: Science Fiction

A Proximite and a Human

Dec 12 · Storyfeather

35:52

Find more episodes at the button below.

🍫

And she tried techniques and ingredients she’d never had access to before (because none were legal to use on Earth). Chocolate pop-drops, which released a tiny singularity when bitten into. The “thousand layers in a single fold" technique for making a flaky pastry. A fruit with a name that translated to “spectrum berry,” because consuming it allowed some people to see beyond their usual visual spectrum for a limited time.

—From "Key to the Cosmic Cookie Contest"