Jul 17, 2026
The sleep-deprived parents of a
sleepless baby stumble upon a potential relief on their way to a
Martian superstore.
Genre: Science
Fiction
Excerpt:
A soft
beeping began to sound. The shuttle’s computer was calling for the
attention of a manual operator.
She saw the mapping system’s
failed attempts to reroute. She put her hand on the dashboard and
gave it a gentle rub. “I think we’re in the right place.” She
raised a brow theatrically. “But are we in the right
time?”
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: Zone of Eternal Sleep
This episode landed on a revealed mystery spoke,
MUSIC.
Find more music-inspired stories and
episodes: Search term -
MUSIC
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
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.)
FICTION-WRITING
ARTICLES & RESOURCES (New)
Come and explore the
Fictioneer’s Field Station.
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: “Zone
of Eternal Sleep” Copyright © 2022 by
Nila L. Patel
Narration,
Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel
Music:
“Fugue for One
Synthetic Heart” by ANDREA BARONI (Intro)
“Ground Control” by ANDREA BARONI
(Outro)
“Abstract Vision #5” by ANDREW
SITKOV (Outro)
Music by ANDREA BARONI
(Cyberleaf)
“Night Time (No
percussion)”
“Ground
Control”
“March of the Waking
Lights”
“Forest
Bathing”
“Fugue for One Synthetic
Heart”
Music by ANDREW SITKOV
(MuzStation Game Music)
“Abstract
Vision #6”
“Abstract Vision
#4”
All tracks are part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.
Music by Andrew Sitkov and Andrea Baroni 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 Andrea
Baroni and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net
Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com
Episode Art
Description:
Digital drawing.
Facing forward, sitting on the ground, a couple leaning towards
each other with their heads touching and their eyes closed. At
left, a woman, her right leg outstretched out of frame, and her
left leg bent. She loosely holds a baby or young toddler in her
arms. The baby’s hands grip her forearm. His eyes are open and
looking up and to the left (his right). At right, a man, sitting
cross-legged with his hands held loosely in his lap. Behind them,
centered, is a depiction of the planet Mars against a star-filled
space with a plume of glowing gases passing horizontally through
the center. Some element of each person’s clothing blends in with
the red hues of the planet. Watermark of “Storyfeather” along lower
leg pants of the man.