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_outlineWhen Lucinda’s dream of studying magic is dashed, she finds another chance in a grand royal contest that she’s been forbidden to enter.
Genre: Fairy Tale
Excerpt:
“Every spell I try turns to ashes. It was not my intention to teach myself. I merely have no other choice.”
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 joins the several others where I write my version of a classic fairy tale. Lucinda has a couple of stepsisters, and a godmother shows up to help her get into an event. Hmm…whatever could this be?
I’ve written other “alternate version” fairy tales. Here are a few:
“The Green Magic Bean” based on “Jack and the Beanstalk”
“The Crimson Hood” based on “Little Red Riding Hood”
“The Dreaming Queen” based on “Sleeping Beauty”
And last week’s episode: “Why Beauty Sought the Beast” (I’m certain you can figure out which fairy tale inspired this one)
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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.
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The book title takes you straight to the book on Amazon.
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CREDITS
Story: “Lucinda of the Ashes” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel
Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel
Music:
“Medieval Theme 5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Intro and Outro)
“Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)
Music by BENJAMIN CARR (Scythuz)*
“Mystical Forest”
“Dwarven Settlement”
“Mausoleum”
“Mines”
“Labyrinth”
“Crystal Caves”
“Necropolis”
Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)*
“Medieval Theme 2”
“Ice and Fire (peaceful part)”
“Medieval Theme 1”
“Medieval Theme 3”
“Medieval Theme 5”
“Adventure Track #1 (looped)”
“Adventure Track #2 (looped)”
“Medieval Track #1”
“Lyric Voices #5”
Music by Lee Rosevere
“Early Morning Song Finch Duet”
*These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.
Music by Benjamin Carr and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market
Music by Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Sound effects from AudioJungle, and GameDevMarket, and Soundly (through Hindenburg)
Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.
Find more music by Benjamin Carr and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net
Find more music by Lee Rosevere at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com
Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com
Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Two hands seen from above, as if they were the viewer’s hands, covered in ash. The left hand at bottom left is holding a glass container, like a beaker with a funnel top. The right hand at top right holds a glass rod. The index finger is held away from the rod. A drop of liquid hangs from the end of the glass rod, right above the opening of the beaker. A small figure with dragonfly wings hovers over the left hand. The beaker contains a vaporous liquid. A bright cloudy swirl begins at center behind the hands and darkens as it moves outward to the edges of the image. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along back of hand at upper right.