Transdimensional Top Hat
Storyfeather
Hoping to find some inspiration and direction in life, an aimless young woman buys a top hat at the estate sale of a magician. Genre: Mystery, Mythology, Science Fiction Excerpt:Ro checked the bookcases and found some intriguing titles. Animating Your Crafts Finding the Right Writer to Type on Your Haunted Typewriter Philosophy and Alchemy: A Foundation Illusions to Fool the Physical Senses: A Foundation Illusions to Fool the Psychic Senses: A Foundation Love Potions, Snake Oils, and Other Tonic Myths In fact, they all looked intriguing. “Where do I begin?”...
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Stranded in Shadow
Storyfeather
When two friends hear a commotion in their mysterious new neighbor's apartment, they go to check, only to find the door open, and the apartment completely empty...well, almost empty. Genre: Mystery, Fantasy Excerpt:The only object in the entire apartment was lying on the tiled kitchen floor. Broken into several pieces. A mug. I could make out a design on one of the larger shards. An eye. A wide open eye, just staring. I felt the hairs on my neck rise. I blinked. A liquid that looked like pink-orange milk was spattered across the tile, as if it spilled from the mug as the mug fell. Had...
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Citizen Forsaken
Storyfeather
A tourist is stranded after a mysterious incident destroys all the paths leading to the tourist’s home, a seemingly identical city that once existed just beyond the surface of a mirror. Genre: Fantastical Mystery Excerpt:“I’ll be damned,” I heard a voice say. My roommate’s voice. And she…saw me. She saw me vanish. She saw me reappear. She saw me without stripes on. She saw my fluted ears peaking from under my indigo hair. She saw the copper shimmer and the green gleam of my skin. She saw my irises, round but spinning slowly, almost imperceptibly, like the minute hand of a...
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King Midian and His Glove of Gold
Storyfeather
An elven traveler grants a king a priceless power in return for an equally priceless treasure. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt:The elven traveler leaned closer and whispered to the girl. “What kind of life can he give you? Closed off and cloistered? Stuffed into corsets? I can give you a life of mischief and adventure.” The Wheel of Fiction Turns. What did it land on this time?Each Season 9 story follows a theme chosen by the Wheel of Fiction. Thirteen spokes. Eight are the themes from previous seasons. One is “Turn Again.” One is a wild card. And three are covered in question...
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Diamond Dreamt of Rose
Storyfeather
A cursed young woman seeks the aid of a queen who walks through dreams to reach a sister trapped in eternal sleep. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt:“Turn back,” the queen said. “I want no curses in my kingdom.” Clara explained as quickly as she could. “I am not the only one who is cursed. My sister. My husband…” “And it was one who cursed you all?” “He taunted me. He told me that what I love would be come what he loves. And what he loves best is treasure.” The Wheel of Fiction Turns. What did it land on this time?Each Season 9 story follows a theme chosen by the...
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Only Fools Prevail
Storyfeather
In a realm where the learned are held at the highest esteem, a fool is called upon to challenge a trickster. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt:“I visit you because I am curious.” “I think it’s because you want to be the first trickster who understands a fool.” The trickster laughed. “My dear Sovereign, no one amuses me as you do. But I must tell you. To a trickster, everyone is a fool.” The Wheel of Fiction Turns. What did it land on this time?Each Season 9 story follows a theme chosen by the Wheel of Fiction. Thirteen spokes. Eight are the themes from previous...
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A Realm Without Rain
Storyfeather
A visitor from another realm encounters an overwhelming and mysterious phenomenon that bears further investigation, rain. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt:“When I was young, my mother told me a story about the rain. I was afraid of it, you see. And what she told me didn’t help much with that.” He winked an eye at me. “My mother was quick to embrace and kiss her children, but she wasn’t one to coddle or lie to us.” I found myself leaning forward. “What did she say?” “There are great beings who live in the sky. When enough of these beings weep, their tears fall to the earth as...
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Forge of the Forsaker
Storyfeather
Even before the mountain began to rumble, one mortal had begun to doubt his decadent gods. Genre: Mythology Excerpt:We are descended from a powerful people. So it is said. The most powerful our world has ever known. Their might unmatched. Their domain unending. Their eyes all-seeing. I am nothing next to them. I am a blade of grass underfoot. A mayfly blinking in and out of existence. A mortal. But today I will discover if there are forces in the world mightier than the gods. For today is the day I bring them down. The Wheel of Fiction Turns. What did it land on this time?Each...
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Queen Niyami
Storyfeather
Troubled by the tragic tale of a queen, who suffered because of a quarrel between two gods, three children question and alter the story. Genre: Mythology Excerpt:For the thing that lurched from shadow to shadow had been summoned by godly powers and imbued with godly powers. As it passed, it left behind a trail of slime that smelled of sulfur and rot. So the guards had no trouble in finding it. What they could not do was stop it. The Wheel of Fiction Turns. What did it land on this time?Each Season 9 story follows a theme chosen by the Wheel of Fiction. Thirteen spokes. Eight are...
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The Last Night of Grief
Storyfeather
A philosopher, a mage, and a swordsman are sent on an impossible quest from which they know they will not return alive. Genre: Mythology Excerpt:The philosopher felt her heart go still. She felt the cold steel of the swordsman’s sword quivering by her right side. She felt the warm spark of the mage’s magic prickling by her left side. In that moment, and none other since, she had wished her friends would unleash their might and fury… The Wheel of Fiction Turns. What did it land on this time?Each Season 9 story follows a theme chosen by the Wheel of Fiction. Thirteen...
info_outlineThe terrifying night phantoms that haunt a once-forbidden wood are never seen by day, until one morning when an ordinary man encounters a phantom trapped in the sunlight.
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Excerpt:
Something terrible had come into the world. Something evil. Invisible, intangible. Some corruption that could not be perceived. And therefore could not be fought. By the time it had a grip on someone, it was too late. The corruption seeped into every part of that person, defiling their heart, twisting their thoughts, draining the very life out of their body.
No land was spared. No person was spared, no matter how pure, how honorable, how fit of body, how courageous of heart. No place was hidden from this corruption.
The Wheel of Fiction Turns. What did it land on this time?
Each Season 9 story follows a theme chosen by the Wheel of Fiction. Thirteen spokes. Eight are the themes from previous seasons. One is “Turn Again.” One is a wild card. And three are covered in question marks and will be revealed when the wheel lands on them.
See a story trailer and a (satisfying) video of the wheel turning here: Kairos and the Phantom
This episode landed on REVISITATION. I revisit the concept of night phantoms. Here are earlier episodes featuring them.
The Watchers of the Western Observatory
Find more stories and episodes where the drawing inspired the story here: Year of Revisitation.
MERCH!
Interested in merch, like mugs and notebooks, featuring my artwork?
Please visit my Store page for info on where you can buy: STORYFEATHER STORE
The Store page also has sign-up forms for my two email newsletters:
Storyfeather Gazette (if you’d like to keep up with the fiction I create)
Fictioneer’s Field Guide (if you’d like writing tips and guidance from me)
Choose what you want. (Either way, you're choosing high jinks.)
MY FIRST BOOK (yay)
Ever wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written? I have a method. You can learn it in my book called Fictioneer’s Field Guide: A Game Plan for Writing Short Stories.
It’s now available from Amazon as an eBook, paperback, and hardcover.
You can also get there from my Store page: STORYFEATHER STORE
CREDITS
Story: “Kairos and the Phantom” Copyright © 2021 by Nila L. Patel
Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel
Music:
“Peacefull place” by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Intro)
“Northern dusk” by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Outro)
“Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)
Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)
“Deep”
“The last stand”
“Between two worlds”
“Dark fields”
“Emblem”
“Shadow forest”
“The forest”
“Ancient gods”
“Seasons”
“Lonely day”
“Peacefull place”
“Northern dusk”
“Home”
All tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.
Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market
Vocal effects created with Audacity
Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping of some to align with my narration.
Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net
Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com
Episode Art Description:
Digital drawing. At right, a man in medieval style clothing stands amid patches of grass and looks shocked. His brows are raised and he holds his right hand over his mouth as he gazes at the figure to the left, a man with a gray complexion bowing as he catches an apple with his left hand. The bowing man is surrounded by a wispy glowing cloak, and the colors of his clothing appear to be bleeding into the cloak. At his right foot is a platter of food. A stone sits on or in his left foot. Part of a stream is visible behind the man at right. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along the inner edge of the long vest worn by the man at right. The rectangular image is made square with top and bottom borders that display blurred sections of the main image.