Elise Volkman

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2020

Stories (9)

9 Stories

399 karma pts

?

“The Pipe Mage” by Elise Volkman

Submitted to Contest #176

Gran Marion would have made a perfect healing mage because she cried all the time. Everyone knew healing magic only worked with the power of tears. She’d told the story of the boy who fell in the well dozens of times, and every time she got to the part where the farmer saved him, she’d choke on her words and get teary-eyed. And yet, when Grand-Da died, she didn’t cry at all. She came into Ming’s room to tell her she’d found him on the porch. He’d been smoking. Gran said he probably froze to death. She tossed his pipe onto Ming’s bed and le...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Secret Ingredient” by Elise Volkman

Submitted to Contest #88

At the edge of the wood in the province of Jade, a crooked little house leaned over the edge of the Ravine of Eid. A field of grass lay between the house and the woods, and in that field, a single cherry tree stood like a sentinel. It was early spring. Cherry blossoms fluttered through an open window and drifted lazily onto a wooden counter dusted with flour. The pink petals settled into Zahra’s mixing bowl and landed on her forearms like polka dots. She dropped the petals onto the counter and dug her hands back into the sticky mess of d...

8 comments 8
Read story

“Wind Whisperer” by Elise Volkman

Submitted to Contest #86

The cool morning air burned Tessa’s throat. Wyvern never offered to slow down for her, but then again, she never actually fell behind. She panted for breath as she trotted after him under the dancing, waving branches of trees full of bright green leaves, bleeding the golden light of the rising sun through the cracks in the canopy. Tessa pulled in a breath and skipped over a root. “Wyvern…” She wore the breeches and tunic he had sewn for her and he always tied her flowing locks of auburn hair with a length of string, so that her long pony...

6 comments 6
Read story

“Capuccino Cups” by Elise Volkman

Submitted to Contest #79

cw: mental health, traumaWhen I tell Doc about it, I tell her nothing dramatic or out of the ordinary happened that day. Nothing at all. One moment, I was sweeping the floor in front of the till during a lull. Next thing I knew, I was rocking back and forth on the ground, sobbing. I don’t remember why. I just remember Claude, holding me and rubbing my back, helping me calm down. I don’t think we even knew each other’s names. I remember his well now. I remember writing it in Sharpie on a white paper cup. Claude had walked in that day expectin...

8 comments 8
Read story

“The Assembly Line” by Elise Volkman

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #77

The boss never mentioned that the fingerprint scanners weren’t tied to the back-up generator. I suppose that made sense. A security flaw that big wasn’t something to advertise. I wouldn’t even have noticed either, except that I forgot my keys in my office when I left for the day. Six hours of overtime… If I didn’t get these projects under control, they’d nitpick my time management skills at my next performance review. Management never wanted to hear that they were overworking their employees. The convenient excuse was to blame the employee...

29 comments 29
Read story

“Pulling the Plug” by Elise Volkman

Submitted to Contest #76

All the other kids in the classroom stared at me like I was the antelope. I leaned on the back legs of my chair, the chair back propped against the wall behind me like always, and I froze. There were at least sixteen pairs of hungry eyes pointed my way. I didn’t want to be the antelope. I wanted to be the armadillo. We’d watched a documentary before lunch — Planet Earth, since every teacher in school had run out of creative juices this close to the end of the school year. Thanks to Mrs. Otts, I was now the antelope and my classmates were a ...

10 comments 10
Read story

“The Devil’s in the Details” by Elise Volkman

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #75

Danny V. Luce sits back in his sleek, leather chair and kicks his feet up on his desk like the world is a pea-sized speck in the middle of it and he’s here for its reckoning.“Look, Darlene. I know this is how you’re used to doing things, but you’ve just gotta let it go.”He’s actually here for my reckoning. I keep forgetting — that’s what happens when you come out from a minor car accident with major head trauma.“Mr. Lewis—”“Luce.” He corrects me quickly, as though he expects the slip.“Mr. Luce.” I blink, wondering how I forgot that already. ...

26 comments 26
Read story

“A Decade on a Train” by Elise Volkman

Submitted to Contest #74

10Our eyes meet across the train car. I see the timer counting down over his shoulder on the screen above the door. It’s now or never. If he doesn’t forgive me, it’s over.I think he turned his back on the timer on purpose. His eyes are hard. They look almost grey in the dim light, but I know them better than my own. Soft, hazel irises flecked with gold. Outside the train car, the wheels shudder over the tracks. The lights from a passing station flash like strobe lights over the sharp lines of his face. I blink.9As my eyes flutter open, the d...

3 comments 3
Read story

“Five Golden Rings” by Elise Volkman

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #73

I took two more steps on the snowy sidewalk and somehow felt like I hadn’t moved at all. I’d been in line for at least fifteen minutes. I was out of time. I craned my neck and glared down the line at the bright windows of the chocolate shop. Christmas lights glittered behind the glass. The long line of people ahead of me, all spaced six feet apart, were transfixed, at the chocolate delights under the twinkling glow. I glanced down at my phone. Less than fifteen minutes. I wasn’t even at the bus stop yet. I looked up, groaned, and stepped ou...

26 comments 26
Read story

Author bio

Author of The Nymph Keepers trilogy, editor of speculative fiction, and co-host of The Tea Grannies Podcast.

Shortlisted 3 stories ⭐️

Contest #77
The Assembly Line – read story
Contest #75
The Devil’s in the Details – read story
Contest #73
Five Golden Rings – read story