Storyfeather Gazette: A train flickers through time, a broom closet leads to an eerie corner, and a fancy dress party is disrupted by a dress with a will of its own

Published over 1 year ago • 2 min read

July 2025 Issue 2

In this issue: Short stories and podcast episodes from the first half of July, and a story excerpt about a dress made of a, let's say, unique material.

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

POCKETS ARE, OF COURSE, A MUST 👗

I don't know about you, but I don't like dressing up. Maybe it's because outfits that are meant to dazzle are typically uncomfortable. But I've always been fascinated by the idea of having a piece of clothing, or a whole ensemble, that reflects who I am, can make me look amazing or invisible (as I choose), and has magical pockets that can hold a lot of stuff without bulging or getting heavy.

(This might explain my recent obsession with getting a utility vest of some kind.)

I invite you to try on my stories. Maybe you'll find something that suits you just right.

✒️ 🪶 🎙

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.

Here we go...

Jaunty July 💃

✒️ I've visited many settings in my stories throughout the years. This month, I'm focusing on different aspects of setting. Not just physical locations. But mood and atmosphere. The first two stories hit close to home, so to speak.

🎙 The podcast episodes are about extraordinary experiences with common spaces. A glass that does more than magnify, and a train boarded today that takes the passenger to tomorrow.

Titles and taglines below. Enjoy!

Short Stories

Digital drawing. At middle top, a large eyeball with glowing green-blue iris. Scattered blood vessels form a faint star shape around the iris. Two green hands flare out from the sides of the eyeball, palms out, one tilted downwards, the other upwards. Glowing water flows from the bottom of the eyeball, which sits or hovers atop a hill. The water cascades in three waterfalls into a pool at bottom. Faint silhouettes of trees flank the hill at bottom. The sky above is blue and clear. A reddish haze hangs above the tree line. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along bottom of middle waterfall. Copyright notice at bottom right reads, “Copyright © 2025 Nila L. Patel”

We're in Year 12, the Year of Praxis. The word essentially means "practice." Through the stories, I'm exploring elements of my writing practice.

Each link below leads directly to the story post.

DANCE OF THE FAIRY FLEAS
Nothing is as it seems at a fancy dress party where an attendant and honoree has been sent an extravagant outfit made from an extraordinary fabric. ✨️

Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy

STAR IRIS FALLS
You move into a new place, and you open the broom closet door to find that the back wall is missing. You climb in to investigate. What do you find? ⛲️

Genre: Fantasy

Podcast Episodes

Digital drawing. View down the middle of a train car. Several seats are visible, but only two are occupied. At far right, a young man is asleep, his left elbow propped on the window edge, his head resting in his hand. His other hand lies on his lap, holding a rectangular object. It’s dark outside the windows. At far left, an older man with a table attachment propped up, holding a cup of coffee in his right hand. His left arm and hand are curled around a briefcase that lies on the table. He’s glancing to his left. It’s bright outside the windows on his side. At center, standing in the aisle is the same young man who’s seen sleeping. He is surrounded by a glowing light. His arms hang by his side. He’s holding a cell phone in his right hand. His brows are raised and his mouth parted. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along right side of the young man’s jacket.

We're in season 8, the Year of Revisitation. Each episode is a standalone story, but it's inspired by an earlier story.

The text links below go to the Explore page on Storyfeather, where you can listen to the episode, find the links to the episode(s) that inspired it, and more.

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

THE MAGNIFICENTING GLASS

A researcher comes across a magnifying glass, but it doesn't magnify, it makes magnificent. 🔎

Genre: Mystery, Mythology Science Fiction

The Magnificenting Glass

Jul 4 · Storyfeather

23:41

TOMORROW'S TRAIN TODAY

A young man boards a train to visit family, only to learn he is a day late for his visit, but just in time to suffer disaster. 🚂

Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Tomorrow's Train Today

Jul 11 · Storyfeather

37:13

🔬

“It looks like the fabric is made of tiny little things.”

“Things? What things?”

“They look—and I'm no expert—but they kind of look a little bit like they could be…fleas.”

I stared at her. “Fleas?”

“They're joined together cleverly actually, by hooking their legs and jaws together.”

“Fleas. I'll be covered in fleas?!”

—From "Dance of the Fairy Fleas"

Parting words🪶

Next time, we'll visit a supernatural garden, a whimsical dream realm, or maybe...maybe we'll just stay in our beds.

After all, exploring other places from the relative safety of our beds is one of the many wonderful qualities of fictional stories.

Happy reading and listening! 📚
—Nila

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