A man opens his new briefcase and discovers that something else lies beside his files, something…vast. Genre: Mystery, Mythology

Excerpt:"Once," she started, "the world was filled with different beings than the ones that now fill the world." They were just as wondrous. And just as terrible. But in different ways. For ways changed with time. As it would come be, it was so in those days as well, that some of these beings were short-lived but numerous, and some were long-lived but few. The longest lived of all were the firstborn. They were born when the world was born. And they would end when the world would end.

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: A Brief Case of Dread This episode landed on DEFINITIONS. The story was inspired by the definition of the word "anthropopathy." It's when human emotion is ascribed to an inanimate object. Find more stories and episodes about powerful objects here: Year of Definitions.

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

NEWSLETTERSThe 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

Music:"Negociation" by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Intro)"Infinite Land" by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Outro)"Abstract Vision #5" by ANDREW SITKOV (Outro)

Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)"The deal""Trojan horse""Men in black""Under the mask""In the shadows""Call of the wild""Seasons""Ancien stones (seamless)""Winter guild""Runes""On the way""The last stand""Infinite land""Negociation"

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 MarketSound effects from AudioJungle, GameDevMarket, and Soundly (through Hindenburg)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. A briefcase opening to the left, seen from an angle and tilted up. A tiny toy shaped like a green alien lies inside. The pocket on the inside of the top is decorated with symbols of a sun at center, and at top left and bottom corners, a five-pointed star within the curve of a crescent moon. The case floats in outer space. Nebulous clouds are visible at the corners, and distant clusters of stars. A hazy glowing light emanates from the briefcase and shifts color as it extends out of frame. Watermark of "Storyfeather" along bottom side of briefcase.