Aeris Walker

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2022

Stories (22)

22 Stories

3602 karma pts

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“Under a Dying Sun” by Aeris Walker

Smoke rose from the crackling fire and dissipated into the night sky. Stars dotted the black expanse, innumerable as the grains of sand in the Mojave desert where Connor McClain lay on his back, head cradled in his arms, thinking of Saralee.  I’m finally coming home, he willed his words across the dusty earth, through the mountain pass, and down the stretch of trail that would carry him back to the litt...

41 comments 41 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Some Kind of Goldilocks” by Aeris Walker

“Twenty on pump two and a pack of Newports.”Simpson Leary pulled a tangled wad of bills and receipts from his wallet, accidentally dropping an Olive Garden gift card on the counter. He glanced at the cashier, a bleary-eyed 30-something-year-old in a faded band t-shirt. “You got a girlfriend?” Simpson asked. The man squinted, “What?”“A girlfriend?” Simpson repeated, sliding the gift card over to him. “If not, go get you one, and take her out sometime.” He tapped the corner of the card where the number ...

49 comments 49 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“As Big as the Sky” by Aeris Walker

The mirror is no longer my friend. I can’t hide the grays, the lines, the weariness anymore–the signs that I am becoming what I always feared: old. I am not so shallow, so vain as to believe that without youth and beauty I am any less–if anything, I am more: stronger, wiser, braver. But you do not see me that way, and I can only hope someday you will. When you were young, my greatest fear ...

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“Do Not Lick the Glass” by Aeris Walker

“Who are we missing?” Mrs. Clogs looked over her bifocals and scanned the school bus full of third graders, wordlessly moving her thin, wrinkled lips. “We should have five chaperones and I’m only seeing four.”Then thirty children jumped, startled by a loud bang outside. Mrs. Clogs squinted through the fingerprint-smeared window; someone was running along the side of the bus, beating its metal belly—behaving in that uninhibited way one does when tardiness has subdued all sense of propriety.“Wait up! I’m coming!”“Oh, Je...

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“Strawberry Jam Under the Sea” by Aeris Walker

I am swimming, thrusting my arms through golden water—golden like oil. The water grows thick and syrupy, then it pulls me under. I’m in a bottle, glass sloping above me. Someone tilts and pours, and I slide onto a pan, palms burning from the heat. I slip and roll in the slick spill. Steam rises off my wet hair. Then I am smothered under the sticky weight of raw meat. “Mommy, can I sleep with you?”The voice startles me, a breathy whisper in the dark. Then it comes again.“Please? I had a bad dream.” ...

155 comments 155 WINNER 🏆
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“Keep Your Eyes Open” by Aeris Walker

Walk along the walls where the floors don’t creak. Get your bag and take just what you need. Don’t turn the lights on. Don’t use the toilet. Pad the stairs, silent as shadow. Look in the mirror; get a good look. Memorize your face: the cut above your brow, your swollen eyes, the gash on your lip.Now slip into Julia’s room. Fill a bag with diapers, pajamas, her favorite bunny—whatever fits. Scoop her from the crib. Take the blanket too. Rock and sway as you leave. Don’t trip over the blocks on the living room floor—the ones you didn...

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“Buried” by Aeris Walker

Familiar scenes flash by as I wind the rental car around the curve: there’s the cemetery on the left, the old tobacco barn on the right where I snuck my first kiss, and the little church on the corner where I sat daydreaming about it all through the service the next morning. It looks like someone’s finally put a fresh coat of paint on the steeple, and the downtown is buzzing with people filing in and out of shops and restaurants that didn’t exist ten years ago. I adjust the phone between my cheek and shoulder and click on my t...

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“Out of Place on the Appalachian Trail” by Aeris Walker

My backpack weighs 31 pounds, and it barely fit into the trunk of Jen and Steve’s Honda. I don’t think they believed I was actually going through with this until I called and asked for a ride up the mountain. Jen gave me that look, that pitying, tight-lipped smile, but she helped Steve and I load up my things, and then they bought me lunch before dropping me off at the trailhead. Jen cried, and Steve gave me a...

295 comments 295 WINNER 🏆
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“The Bare Necessities of Humanity” by Aeris Walker

AugustThe foyer of St. Mary’s orphanage smells likes lye soap and freshly baked bread.“Professor Gray, bless you for coming.”The click of heels echoes through the hallway before I see her face—stoic and smooth, much like her black, unwrinkled dress.“Are you Sister Marie?”“Yes, that’s me.” She smiles and extends her hand.“I came as soon as I received your letter.”“And I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you’ve agreed to take this on, Profe...

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“Good and Wild and Wonderful” by Aeris Walker

This endless void has remained long enough. It is time to begin—time for the light. Let there be light.A watery orb is suspended in the dimness—shapeless, lifeless, so still, and dark—a murky drop in the void of the universe. Oh, the things I can do with this, what a wonder it will be, this liquid sphere of potentiality. It hovers, quiet, waiting, yearning for its beginning. Now, I will begin. I shall push the waters down, pour them away from the great beyond, and fill the gap with atmosphere

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“At the Mercy of Your Choices” by Aeris Walker

For the longest time, when I thought about who I was, I could only see you. When asked what I wanted, I would turn to ask you. Sometimes, I still do. I wouldn’t be where I am without you, and for that I am grateful, but those ties that once bound us have frayed and snapped and will never be what they were. I was your obsession, even before I had a heartbeat. My existence was pre-plotted by you—you who consulted th...

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“How I Came to Leave Hartfield Manor” by Aeris Walker

CW: Sensitive themes relating to pregnancy/childrenI never thought I’d leave Hartfield Manor, but the train is moving now, and there is no going back. Everything I hold dear is stowed beneath my seat or in a bundle on my lap; I took only what I needed to start over. I shall miss the staff and little Peter and the twins, but they’ll all forget me soon enough. Once they’ve hired a new nursery maid, I’ll become a distant memory. Lord Thorne will probably fabricate a tale to besmirch my good name—something about how I was a ...

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“Pants are Optional” by Aeris Walker

Be honest with yourself; you have a problem.  You spent all those years saving and planning and preparing for the moment when, come that first Monday morning, you could ignore the hour and roll over and sleep until only your aching bones could force you from your bed. Now, you have nowhere to be.  You can enjoy the sunrise from the patio chair on your back porch instead of squinting into it from the backed-...

64 comments 64 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“"William Raymond Lawson, Is That You?"” by Aeris Walker

Old Mr. Bill was long gone from this world when a neighbor finally found him, slumped in his chair with a cat curled at his feet. The poor woman didn’t expect to find him dead, though at his age, no one should've assumed he'd live much longer, but the shock of his death was nearly overshadowed by what she found in his home: an overwhelming and astonishing volume of artwork. Paintings hung on almost every square inch of the walls, some on simple canvases, others in gilded frames. They lined both sides of the hallway and the stairwell leadi...

60 comments 60 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“A Barren Wasteland ” by Aeris Walker

Content Warning: Mild foul languageThe paper product aisle is a barren wasteland. All of it, desecrated by desperate, panicked consumers. Every square of toilet paper, every sheet of facial tissue, every quilted fiber of paper towel has been snatched up and hoarded by greedy, overreacting defecators. Even the vehicle interior polishing wipes have vanished from the shelves. The absurdity is unparalleled; now I’ll have to try another store.I can think of no logical reason why there should be such a drought of toilet...

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Author bio

Reader. Writer. American. Wife. Mother. Student. Always. Caffeinated. Thanks for stopping by and reading my stories; I genuinely appreciate it! I've taken down many of my old stories to revise, recycle, or remove entirely from the digital world, but if you are interested in reading more, my favorites have all been published in a collection of short stories now available where books are sold! https://www.amazon.com/Song-Forest-Collection-Short-Stories/dp/B0C4NHR2W1/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1684860102&sr=1-1 Copyright Š 2023 Aeris Walker All Rights Reserved. Using content without permission is prohibited.

Winning 3 stories 🏆

Contest #192
Strawberry Jam Under the Sea – read story
Contest #181
Out of Place on the Appalachian Trail – read story
Contest #152
Foretold in Smoke – read story

Shortlisted 8 stories ⭐️

Contest #215
Under a Dying Sun – read story
Contest #209
Some Kind of Goldilocks – read story
Contest #166
Pants are Optional – read story
Contest #164
"William Raymond Lawson, Is That You?" – read story
Contest #159
If I Let You – read story