Three siblings created their own game to play each year at winter solstice, a game that has grown and changed as they have, sometimes in unexpected ways.
Music: “Investigation day” by Nicholas Jeudy
[Video Description: Trailer. Duration, 45 seconds. Music: “Investigation day” by Nicholas Jeudy. Digital drawing. Background, a two-layer round chocolate cake with a slice cut out, with orange frosting, chocolate glaze on top and dripping down the sides, and overlapping round orange slices wrapped around the bottom. Tall glowing triangles of sugar candy crown the top. Foreground left, a square piece of two-layer cake with sprinkles, frosted with whipped cream, topped with three berries in a diagonal, and sprigs of tiny leaves. Foreground right, a square cake seen from top and along one corner, with frosting piped at the bottom and top borders. The word “Farewell” is written on the top. The word “Level” is written on the visible sides. A shadowy hand emerges from right and reaches for the cakes. Another hand grasps the first at the wrist. Title card with the words “Short Story” and “Genre: Fantasy” and the story title are displayed in front of the image. The title card and story title fade. Lines from the story appear over the image: “No one knew anything in the beginning of their journeys. They only started knowing things by going on the journey. By making decisions before they even knew what the right decision was. I have to help my brothers get out. Because it’s my fault we’re in here.” The title reappears at top just as the last line appears. A watermark of the site URL appears at bottom left throughout.]
Welcome to Year 9 of Storyfeather
Every year’s short stories (mostly) follow a theme. This year, I will turn the Wheel of Fiction to help me decide what to write. There are thirteen spokes on this wheel. Eight are occupied by the eight themes from the previous years of stories. One is a prompt to turn the wheel again. One is a wildcard (hmm…curious). And three are covered only in question marks. I suppose I’ll find out what’s beneath those questions as we go along.
Welcome to the WHEEL OF FICTION
The Wheel of Fiction landed on CHALLENGE for this week’s story. That’s the spoke that describes the first year of Storyfeather, the one that didn’t actually have a theme outside of the challenge I set for myself to write a short story every week for a year. So what challenge did I set for the story, or my characters, or myself?
A game. Inventing a game was the challenge that three siblings set for themselves, a game they would all enjoy and all have a chance to win. A game where they could alter the rules and add levels and keep playing until they all grew old…
[Video Description: Duration, 7 seconds. Choice wheel made on the Spin the Wheel application. Thirteen spokes or slices in various colors, labeled as follows, clockwise from the top: Objects of Power (the “of Power” is not visible), Prompts, Definitions, Turn Again, Elements, Creatures, S.T.E.A.M., Wildcard, Revisitation, (alternating question marks and apostrophes), Challenge, (alternating questions marks and asterisks), (question marks). The title at top reads “The Wheel of Fiction” and below that the words “Spin the wheel.” Below that is the date of the spin, 12/18/21. At top left corner is a flag icon labeled with the letter “F.” This represents a function of the application which interferes with true randomness by reducing the probability of receiving the same choice twice in a row. The wheel turns and lands on CHALLENGE.]
Genre: Fantasy
Tags: BROTHER, CAKE, DREAD, GAME, INTOLERABLE, KAITO, LEVEL, LILAC, ORION, SIBLINGS, SOLSTICE, WINTER
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