Longpocket

A young boy seeks to make his mother proud by picking the pocket of a man whose fortunes no one has ever managed to steal, not even the master thieves. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt: In the town of Pennyhaven, there was honor among thieves. For thieving was allowed, but only if done according to the strictest of rules, which were set by the Union of Thieves. The Union had a truce with the local constabulary to deal with any thief in town who did not abide by those rules. Their highest and foremost rule, for example, was that no living creature could be harmed by thieving. Their next highest rule was that only non-living objects may be stolen. And so on. Any aspiring thieves who broke the rules of the Union would never see membership, and would indeed be dealt with by the Union before the constabulary ever need step in. What's the Word (that inspired the story)? I'm not sure. My notes are unclear. But it might be the name of the main character, "Eridanus." It is the name of a constellation and a river god, and the river itself. The name is of Greek origin and means "early burnt." This is for its connection to the mythical story of Phaethon, the son of the sun god, Helios. Phaethon stole his father's chariot—the sun—and recklessly rode it, causing mayhem until Zeus threw a thunderbolt at him, striking him down. Phaethon fell to his death, into the river Eridanus. (Source: Theoi Entry on Eridanos) Follow my Fictioneering Mischief The Storyfeather Gazette is a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more sent by email. Follow the link to look through old issues and to Sign Up: STORYFEATHER GAZETTE Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITS Story: "Longpocket" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by CHRIS LOGSDON* "Shady Town" "Port Town" "Mystical Town" "Mystical Town (Loop)" "Desert Town" "Mining Town" Music by BENJAMIN CARR (Scythuz)* "Ice Cavern" "Ghost Town" "Crystal Caves" "Fire Dungeon" "Underwater Temple" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Chris Logsdon and Benjamin Carr is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Benjamin Carr and Chris Logsdon at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At left, lying on a surface, a top hat with a slim feather sticking out from the band. At right, hanging in front of the hat, obscuring part of the hat's rim, is a pocket watch with an ornate cover and in colors matching the hat. The pendant and bow parts are visible at the top of the clock.