Elisa T-K

“Carry It With You” by Elisa T-K

Submitted to Contest #137

Jess blinks, and the bright light starts fading, and then he’s standing in a hallway he hasn’t seen in a very long time. Floral wallpaper is in the process of peeling from the walls, and there are bits of ceiling on the floor. Jess is staring down the large double doors at the far end of the hallway that he knows lead to a vast library. To his right is the top of a grand winding staircase surrounded on three sides by enormous windows, covered in weeds and ivy that have begun to force their way through cracks in the glass. To his left, which...

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“Long Before Dawn” by Elisa T-K

Submitted to Contest #130

[CW: non-graphic discussions of kidnapping, attempted murder, and implied suicide (it's pretty light-hearted, but better safe than sorry)] Isaac does not have enough time to knock before the door swings open, and he is quickly swept inside. The door snaps shut behind him, and suddenly he has an armful of Cass. She hasn’t grown any taller than when he’d last seen her, and she has to stand on her toes to press her face against his neck. He drops his bag with a solid thunk, and wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly as he press...

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“The World is Far Too Cold” by Elisa T-K

 Mesi kicks his legs against the brick of the building he’s perched on, tilting his head up to look at the stars. The wind rustles his hair, lifting soft brown curls gently away from his head. The sound almost covers the shuffling of footsteps as they slowly approach. Mesi doesn’t bother moving as Lai walks slowly up behind him. They drape a patched denim jacket across his shoulders while they join him on the edge of the roof. Mesi looks up at them, tilting his head neatly to one side. “Oh? What’s with the sudden chivalry?” Lai repli...

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“Sunset” by Elisa T-K

Submitted to Contest #125

[CW: Character death (not particularly graphic, but still)] “You took,” says the young person in the garden, looking up through the fronds of the willow tree without any particular expression on aer face, “A very long time.” The lady stands on the outskirts of the tree’s branches, lit up by the fading sun. The shadows from the willow smothered her face, but ae know she is beautiful.  “Better late than never, I suppose.” Ae continue. “I have always preferred sunset over sunrise, anyway.” “You…” The lady clears her throat, and tries ...

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“The Gift of Roots and Wings” by Elisa T-K

Submitted to Contest #121

[The First Gift]There is a boy behind the wall. It isn’t a very tall wall, maybe waist height and made of cobble and moss, so it isn’t a very good hiding place. Erin would know. He tried that one ages ago, and the matrons found him very quickly. He places his book to the side, tucking a leaf between the pages to hold his place, and stands from the porch of the Ol’ Vic. He turns around, craning his neck to see into the kitchen, where the matrons and some of the other children were busy practicing their spellwork. Erin was not invited to ...

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“Memory Lane Is Best Walked With Hot Chocolate” by Elisa T-K

Submitted to Contest #120

“Oh, I remember this one,” Jess whispers, pressing his cheek into Mayven’s hair, still curly from when she was asleep some twenty minutes before. “That,” he reaches around his daughter to point at the picture, “is where your papa and I met.”“Really?” The five year old said in an awed whisper. The picture in question, held safely in plastic in the photo album spread open on the counter, was taken in a small diner known as Vera’s. It features Jess, with a cardigan pulled over a button up shirt. His hair is a bit longer, but just as fluffy...

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