Greetings! I highlight six stories about romantic love in this post.
Here’s a quick trailer. (I’ve moved my goofy intro video to the bottom).
Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Fable
Artwork Copyright © 2017 “Six Fools and the Dragon” by Sanjay Patel (all other artwork is mine)
Music: “Casual Arcade Track #2 (looped)” from GameDev Market
Scroll down for details and separate trailers for each story. Or click the button to jump to the bottom of the page where you can get quick summaries at a glance, and go straight to the stories.
[Video description: Trailer. Duration 31 seconds. Music plays: Casual Arcade Track #2 (looped) from GameDev Market. No sound effects. Eight slides appear. Between each is a blur transition. First, center image of a medieval-looking bard playing a string instrument and singing. The image is framed by a soft circle. The Six Days of Love banner sits in center before the image. Second, Title “The Ogre and the Elf Go To Honeymoon City” appears at top. Image is an elf and ogre sitting across from each other under a chandelier. Third, Title “The Everwalker” appears at bottom. Silhouette of a tall woman with a staff midstride. Fourth, Title “ The Merchant and the Magician” appears at bottom. Centered candle with a rainbow flame. Fifth, Title “The Prisoner Under the Sea” appear at top. Humanoid face with fin-like ears, scaly skin, and large irises. Sixth, Title “The Bard of Trilenkary” appears at bottom. Silhouette of a tree with bar branches and a man playing a fiddle sitting at its base. Seventh, Title “Six Fools and the Dragon” appears at the bottom. Six characters are running away from a dragon breathing fire at them. Website URL appears at bottom until the very end where it fades as eighth slide appears. “Storyfeather.com” swipes up from the bottom and stays near the bottom. Behind it, the Storyfeather bard logo floats up to middle, and “Find these short stories and more at” fades in at the top.]
SIX FOOLS AND THE DRAGON
Genre: Fantasy
In this Year Four story, a mustachioed scoundrel gathers five allies to help him save his wife, who was turned into a dragon for trying to save him. (Ah, love.) There is the wizard in blue robes with a green-jeweled magic staff; the armored knight who bears a shield that guards against flame; the jungle barbarian; the mystical fire-cat; and the sprightly archer. This is one of my all-time favorite stories that I’ve written. It’s a fun, fantastical romp. I’ll be turning it into a podcast episode sometime this summer. But you don’t have to wait. You can read and enjoy right now.
Artwork Copyright © 2017 “Six Fools and the Dragon” by Sanjay Patel
Music: “Medieval Theme 5 (Looped)” from GameDev Market
[Video Description: Trailer. Duration 33 seconds. Music plays: Medieval Theme 5 (Looped) from GameDev Market. No sound effects. Digital drawing by Sanjay L. Patel, square. Six figures are running away from a dragon who is breathing fire behind them. All are facing the viewer. Beside them, columns are toppling. The words “Short Story” and “Genre: Fantasy” are displayed in front of the image. The words fade and are replaced by the story title. The story title flies forward and away. Website URL appears at bottom throughout. Lines of dialogue appear next to each figure one by one. The wizard first: Your wife, I fear, has been transformed. Then the cat: I cannot resist fire. Then the archer: Dragons may be large, but they are certainly not cumbersome. Then the barbarian: I will crush it. Then the knight: This adventure is not yet done. The words all fade. Then words appear near the mustachioed scoundrel: How quickly can you grow a flower? The words expand, then fade.]
THE BARD OF TRILENKARY
Genre: Fairy Tale & Fable
In this Year One story, a rice merchant who dreams of being a bard finds himself down and out after giving away too much of the rice meant for a royal feast to his neighbors and fellows. But his fortunes turn and turn again when he receives an unexpected gift that may lead him to his dreams or to his doom…
There’s a (very) passing mention of Trilenkary in yesterday’s story, “The Prisoner Under the Sea.” My early attempt at establishing a shared world.
[Video Description: Trailer. Duration 35 seconds. Digital drawing, square. Silhouette of a tree just right of center with a few bare branches visible. At its base, bottom center, sits a man playing a string instrument, a fiddle or violin. The words “Podcast Episode” and “Genres: Fairy Tale & Fable” are displayed in front of the image. The words fade and are replaced by the story title. Subtitles appear at the bottom: “Someday is today, he thought. If my true love is not among these charming maidens today, I cannot imagine where she might be. Even so, I will make this day a perfect joy—or a perfect debacle! For tonight, I am a bard.” No music until the very end. No sound effects. Website URL appears at bottom until the very end, fading as a text box appears displaying the words, “Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and so on. Or listen on my Podcast page at storyfeather.com”]
THE PRISONER UNDER THE SEA
Genre: Fantasy
In this Year Two story, a sailor tossed overboard during a storm and a shipwreck is saved from drowning by a people who live under the sea. But he feels more like a captive than a guest. And it seems the people had ulterior motives for rescuing him. Motivated by his longing to return home to his beloved, the sailor entreats and bargains. He would do anything, even let the sea change him forever…
[Video description: Trailer. Duration 25 seconds. Digital drawing, square. Centered, a humanoid face with fin-like ears, scales, and large dark irises, whose complexion blends with the watery green-and-blue background. A wavy audio gram animation sits at forehead level, moving in time with the narration. The words “New Podcast Ep” and “The Prisoner Under the Sea”appear then fade. Subtitles appear at the bottom: “The sea roiled. The sky flashed. Thunder cracked the air. And the sturdiest vessel that Locke had ever served aboard listed and toppled.” No music. Thunder and water sound effects throughout. Website URL appears at bottom at end.]
THE MERCHANT AND THE MAGICIAN
Genre: Fantasy
In this story, a candle is enchanted so its flame is linked with the life a man who goes off to war. His family will know he’s still alive so long as the flame burns. One day, the flame dies. His family mourns and creates an altar for the candle, according to custom. Several months later, the candle flame erupts again on its own. It could only mean that he’s alive. His wife decides to find him and bring him home, before the flame dies again…
This story is from Year Two. My theme for that year was Objects of Power. I chose the theme after realizing that the first few stories I wrote that year had something in common. Choosing a theme helped me to figure out what to write each week. It was challenging and fun. So I have chosen a theme for each year’s stories.
[Video description: Trailer. Duration 18 seconds. Digital drawing, square. Centered, a partially melted candle with a rainbow flame emits a slight glow. A rough textured frame surrounds the image. The story’s title appears and then fades at the beginning. A circular radiating audio gram animation sits just beneath the flame, moving in time with the narration. Subtitles appear at the bottom: “Love is not a spell, but it is a kind of magic. Most of the time it is weak, suffusing us and passing through us without our notice. But sometimes, it can be focused. It can do wonders.” Website URL appears at bottom at end.]
THE EVERWALKER
Genre: Fairy Tale
This story is all the way from Year One. It’s also one of my earlier podcast episodes. My theme for that year was just the challenge to myself to write and post one short story every week. In this story, a young woman who longs for true love wakes one morning to find a pair of enchanted slippers by her bed. She does not check with anyone in her family about where those slippers came from before reading the associated note and making a wish for the slippers to lead her to her true love. What she doesn’t know is that the slippers won’t let her stop until she reaches her wished-for destination. What could go wrong?
SEQUEL ALERT!
I like this story and the characters in it. So I chose to revisit this story for Year Eight by writing a sequel. If you enjoy this story, you might want to check out the sequel. It’s also about love, just not romantic love. It’s called “The Whereverwalker.”
[Video description: Duration is 47 seconds. Digital drawing. The silhouette of a tall young woman wearing a dress and boots, bearing a walking stick, and taking a step. Behind her, a solid line with a slight wave separates the sky and the ground, both of which are represented by single solid colors. The words “Podcast Episode” and “Genre: Fairy Tale” are displayed in the middle. The words recede away as the story’s title appears. The title recedes. Subtitles appear in time with narration at the bottom of the screen: “Once there was a girl named Florisse whose greatest dream was to find and marry her true love. She dreamed by day and she dreamed by night. She would pray to the gods of her ancestors. She would wish upon falling stars. And when she saw lovers hand in hand, she would ache with longing and burn with envy. One morning when she woke, she found upon the floor of her chamber, a pair of fine slippers.” The website URL appears at the bottom and fades only at the very end. At the video’s end, a text box appears over the image displaying the words, “Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and so on. Or listen on my Podcast page at storyfeather.com.”]
THE OGRE AND THE ELF GO TO HONEYMOON CITY
Genre: Fairy Tale
This story is from Year Seven, where the theme was to write short stories from prompts. The prompt for this story? Write about a couple who have very different perspectives on a shared memory. The title occurred to me first, and I worked backwards from there. As the elf and ogre recount the first few days of their honeymoon for a friend, they remember the details differently. Soon, their conversation gets heated (and not the fun kind of heated)…
YOU CAN GO TO THE SHORT STORY FROM THE PODCAST EPISODE PAGE
[Video Description: It’s me, Nila, seen from the neck up. I’m wearing virtual heart-shaped glasses. I blink and two daisies bloom from my head. Utterly impressed with myself, I make an expression that seems to say, “ta-da!” The flowers vanish as I begin speaking. Text appears at the bottom in time with my announcement: “For the next six days I’m going to be featuring six stories that I’ve written, some of them that I have a podcast episode for, that feature romantic love.” I blink again at the end and the daisies bloom again. Throughout, the “Six Days of Love” banner sits atop my head, and “storyfeather.com” sits at the bottom.]