Storyfeather Gazette: An artificial being feels remorse, gnomes guard the mind of a mountain, and dogs warn humanity about vacuum cleaners

Published 6 months ago • 2 min read

November 2025 Issue 1

In this issue: Short stories and podcast episodes from the first half of November, and hot chocolate appreciation.

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

HOT CHOCOLATE SEASON 🔥🍫

Who's pumpkin spice? 😏 As far as I'm concerned, it's hot chocolate season. And lest you doubt my resolve, I'm already halfway through a box of 50 packets of hot chocolate. I am not messing around, people. I like making it with milk. These days, I also add a teaspoon of instant coffee. Back in my young days, I'd drop in a dollop of Irish cream.

How do take your hot beverage of choice? How about with a story? 🤓

✒️ 🪶 🎙

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.

Neurovember 🧠

✒️ For this month's theme, stories about nerves and the nervous system.

🎙 The podcast episodes are about wrestlers and vacuum machines...in space.

Titles and taglines below. Enjoy!

Short Stories

Digital drawing. Two small humanoids standing in front of a cave opening, both holding out their right hands with palm facing forward, and both holding pickaxes in their left hands. The figures are gnomes wearing pointed hats and frowning. A man with a long white beard at left, and a woman at right. Behind them is the mouth of a cave, with bright lightning bolts striking down. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along the woman’s dress at her right hip. Copyright notice at bottom right 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.

LANTERN IS AWAKE

An artificial entity gains emotions and spreads the ability, leading to a time of turmoil between the two sentient species on Earth. 🤖

Genre: Science Fiction

WE GNOMES NEVER FORGET

A people known to the gnomes as the tall children venture deep into the mountain, and strike upon an ethereal glowing jewel that must never be mined. 🌟

Genre: Fairy Tale, Mythology

Podcast Episodes

Digital drawing. Five figures arrayed in flanking formation. At center is a human woman facing forward from waist up. She holds her hands before her, facing each other. A glowing ball of light is suspended between her fingers. Along the forearm part of her left armband, a lightning bolt glows. She wears color-blocked exercise clothes. A humanoid lizard sits to her right and behind, raising her right arm as if in greeting. She wears a scarf around her neck, and a breastplate displaying circuitry. To the lizard’s right and behind is a giant seagull, wings outspread, head raised, and beak open, blasting out a ray of swirling circles. To the human woman’s left, a toad springs up and out. To the toad’s left and behind, a unicorn with a rainbow mane rears up, her horn blasting forth a ribbon of light. Watermark of “Storyfeather” appears along the edge of the seagull’s wings. The rectangular image is made square with top and bottom borders with streaks of colors matching the rainbow hues of the main image.

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.

GALACTIC RING OF WRESTLING LADIES

The most popular wrestling show in five galaxies is in danger of being shut down, unless the wrestlers jump into action to save it. 💫

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Galactic Ring of Wrestling L...

Nov 7 · Storyfeather

57:41

ATTACK OF THE VACUUM MACHINE ARMY

Six kids explore the possibility that dogs have been trying to warn humanity about a terrible enemy in their midst...vacuum machines. 🐕

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Attack of the Vacuum Machine...

Nov 14 · Storyfeather

45:01

🤖

And the most powerful artificial force that humanity ever created began to bloom like a flower, spread like a plague, and evolve…like a human.

The scientist understood this.

He understood that what we had created had the potential to do what plastic and nuclear fusion could not. It could help us and stand beside us.

But only if it truly came to possess our best qualities. If not, then it would crush us. A mighty child supplanting its feeble and fading parent.

—From "Lantern is Awake"

Parting words🪶

Next time, Season 8 ends with a microscopic ripple. And Season 9 begins with...cakes probably.

Happy reading and listening! 📚
—Nila

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