Laser Beam Ice Cream
Storyfeather
A kitchen mishap leads to the accidental invention of the most powerful ice cream in the world. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: His portable, miniature laser beam healing aid flew out of his hand and landed in the still-open container of vanilla ice cream. Arthur pushed down the momentary surge of panic about the electronics in the laser. He reached out to pick the device out of the ice cream. Luminescent sparks made him recoil. What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by...
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Matchstick and Mischief
Storyfeather
Two adventurous friends offer to help a scientist whose revolutionary invention for all mousekind isn’t exactly authorized. Genre: Science Fiction, Fable Excerpt: “What happened to gravity?” Matchstick asked, as he pushed his legs against a stone. The stone moved away from him, and he, moved away from it, and toward the other two mice. Mischief reached into her satchel for her pencil and pad. “Fab, we fell into the isolated chronon field. Can you confirm?” “I…” Doctor Fabaceous clutched the control slab against his chest. His eyes faced forward, but he...
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Oddnever
Storyfeather
A studious, non-mischievous fairy fulfills her forbidden dream of traveling to the human realm...straight into a convenience store. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy Excerpt: She passed her least favorite quill partly through the mirror and pulled it back to test. The quill appeared undamaged. So she next passed her least favorite finger through the mirror, gasping at the watery chill that passed through it as it passed through the mirror’s surface. Her finger too seemed unharmed. And so, in the most reckless act that she had ever committed in her life thus far, Oddnever stepped...
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Cliff's Rad Blazer
Storyfeather
Weatherman Cliff Blazer is always receiving blazers from his fans. But the latest one he receives really takes the cake. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt: “So far, five people have come in complaining of difficulty breathing, and producing a strange croaking sound. Now, they’re still being treated, and the hospital staff is hesitant to speculate on what could be causing this, but the reason we’re reporting on this is that one of the patients has been discharged and we spoke to them earlier. They didn’t want to be on camera, but…” Of course they didn’t want to be on...
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The Once-God Rampion
Storyfeather
A god loses half her powers and is cast out of the heavens for the crime of sharing those power with mortals. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: She was far too kindly, and therefore looked upon with disdain by her fellow gods. The other gods feared that the balance of power was being tipped too much toward mortal creatures, to whom the kindly god had given many gifts… To teach her a lesson, the other gods diminished the kindly god by half. They took half her powers, half her wisdom, half her stature. They even took her name, which alone bore a good portion of her power. They...
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Noctemfaere
Storyfeather
Mythical flying horses couldn't possibly be real; but there is one that we all may meet in our most vulnerable hours. Genre: Mythology, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Excerpt: They emerge from the shadow-light of the moon mist. I resist the urge to reach out. I gasp and shiver. The room has grown cold. Not the crisp cold of winter. Not the numbing cold of ice. Not even the cold of night. It is a bracing but fortifying cold. A vast cold. What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode? Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but...
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The Union of the Spyglass
Storyfeather
A group of curious and ingenious humans build a spyglass to peer into the realm of the gods, to find out why the gods are not governing the world as they were expected to. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: Not in the beginning, but early in the history of the world, many mortals suspected that the ones who called themselves gods were shirking their duty of properly governing the world. Some responded by entreating the gods. Others by railing against them. But a few decided to try answering the question of what it was that the gods spent their time doing if they were not doing what was...
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The Caligo Palm
Storyfeather
In an age long past, death was not a mystery, for a palm tree once grew upon the earth that served as a path between life and afterlife. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: He came by sea in ships laden with his forces… By day he attacked, and by night he attacked. They knew that they must destroy him. And they knew that they could not destroy him, for he was now too powerful. What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode?Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a...
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The Sandalwood God
Storyfeather
Three children are determined to find out if the tales they’ve heard are true…that there is a god living in the middle of the forest outside their village. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: For a moment, there hung an expectant silence. The man was watching the bard on the closest stage, but he still caught the glances between the young folk at his table. And he still noted that there was one whose gaze never left his face. “The grown folk won’t tell us,” this one said, a little girl. “Are you the one who lives in the wooden house in the middle of the forest? ...
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Didymedicus
Storyfeather
A charlatan pretending to be a healer wins the king’s favor, but seems mostly harmless, until the day the king collapses and cannot be roused. Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery, Mythology Excerpt: The royal physician, Galena by name, examined the festering bruise just below the king’s ribcage. The king lay in a sleeping stupor. A state he had been in for three days, and yet it was only now, and only by order of the queen that the royal physician was allowed to examine her king. Galena peered down at the bruise, around the margins of which there appeared an oozing of bright purple...
info_outlineA town targeted by a warlord is defended by an unexpected army of...well, I’m sure you can guess.
Genre: Fairy Tale
Excerpt:
The hilltop town of Adarak had a tradition of baking gingerbread men and setting them along the windowsills on the longest night of winter, facing outward, to keep the town safe from enemies— whether mortal or mystical.
Many believed that this tradition arose in homage of the ginger-colored cloaks that the town guards wore, all the better to hide their movements through the forests and mountain surrounding the town. But every grandmother in town made sure to tell her grandchildren the true story of the tradition…
What story or stories am I revisiting in this episode?
Each Season 8 episode is a standalone story, but it’s connected to or inspired by a previous story through a character, a place, an object, a concept, a continuation of events (ahem, sequel), and so on.
This story is connected to the Year Five story entitled “I Dreamed A Cookie,” in which a baking contest finalist takes inspiration from a locked-in-a-bakery-overnight dream.
ANGRY GINGERBREAD MERCH
Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring this episode's Angry Gingerbread Giant design?
Please visit my Store page here: STORYFEATHER STORE
MY FIRST BOOK IS OUT!
Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written? I have a method. And I talk all about it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories.
It’s now available as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover.
The book title takes you straight to the book on Amazon.
Or you can visit my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE
(Hint: The Store page has a sign-up form for my email newsletter, where you can get tales of my fictioneering mischief and writing tips from me for free.)
CREDITS
Story: “The Gingerbread Guard” Copyright © 2020 by Nila L. Patel
Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel
Music:
“Battle_1_normal (loop)” by ALBERT FERNANDEZ (Intro and Outro)
“Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)
Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)*
“Secrets of Kingdom”
“Steel Enemy”
“Driving Force”
“Ice and Fire (heavy part)”
“Ice and Fire”
“Magic Within”
“Knight Rising”
“Percussion Loop #16 (Version 3)”
“Percussion Loop #17 (Version 2)”
“Lyric Voices #2”
Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)*
“Battle_1_normal (loop)”
“Exploration_Forest Of Magic”
“Exploration_Mystical Place (loop 1)”
“Exploration_Mystical Place (loop 2)”
“Locations_Medieval Tavern Song”
*These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.
Music by Albert Fernandez and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market
Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket
Vocal effects created with Audacity
Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.
Find more music by Andrew Sitkov and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.net
Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com
Episode Art Description: Digital drawing of a partial view through a window. Lined along the inside, looking out are four gingerbread men. Three are iced with decoration and look angry. The fourth is smiling. In the window’s reflection is a giant gingerbread man wreaking havoc. His arms are raised and fingers curled down with menace. He is breathing fire down onto the ground. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along windowpane at bottom right. Format made square with borders at top and bottom that contain blurred elements from the main image.