Katelynn Laird

“Newsposition ” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #210

“This just in… Yes, we can now confirm that the US Air Force does not control the unidentified air craft that recently landed on the roof of the Staples Center.” “Government officials and local law enforcement are scrambling to control the scene outside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles as thousands stop to observe a strange metallic flying ship.” “No one seems to know where this craft came from, how it operates, or why it has landed right on top of a major event center.” “Yes, that’s correct! Sentient life forms seem to b...

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“Treasure” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #94

“You’re going the wrong way!” I rolled my eyes. “You’ve been going the wrong way for the last century and a half!” “Well, I didn’t ask you to tag along,” my prickly companion grouched back. She may not have asked for my presence, but was nonetheless unsurprised when we ran into one another. Quite literally. I’d been trudging contently down the remote game trail, which ideally would have led me to the treasure we both sought, when suddenly something had rushed toward me, crashing through the underbrush. The next thing I knew, our bodies coll...

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“The Truth About Tales” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #88

        Many great storytellers have come and gone, each reimagining the classics and influencing entire generations’ perspectives on the “truth” of a tale, how a story should be spun. Each of these remarkable wordsmiths has managed to harness a subtle magic, introducing age-old epics to their latest audience. Walt Disney. Rick Riordan. Gregory McGuire. Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. These will live on as masters of their craft, remembered for their unique approaches to stories we all thought we knew...

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“The Fool's Con” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #87

Loki sneered around the large, crowded room with a mixture of amusement and a hint of pride. Where once fools were less than popular is the stories of man, many of their more charming characteristics now allured modern society. Suddenly prominent tricksters and mischief-makers were all the rage, an exclusive club that every side character, anti-hero, and walk-the-line rogue wanted to be a part of. He remembered back to the days when only select few were drawn to mischief. Most archaic mortals had quite enough going on in their brief lives w...

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“Waking up in Another World” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #86

A dim red glow shone through David’s eyelids as he regained consciousness. He lay flat on his back, the dense foliage soft beneath him. Finally, he pried his tired eyes open, blinking away the slight buzzing in his head. Sunlight filtered down through the green canopy above him and the quiet, familiar sounds of the jungle slowly reached his ears. It wasn’t quite where he expected to wake up. However, it was comforting recognize the colorful press of trees around him, to spot the far wall of his old hut peeking into the clearing. Since being...

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“Tell Me A Story” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #80

“Grandma, tell me a story,” the little girl pleaded. It was a familiar wish. At the age of six, she was insatiably curious. And her grandma always had the best stories. The best part, she insisted every one was true. The old woman nodded, settling down into the large easy chair in the living room and brushing her faded gray curls out of her face. “Alright, little one. Which story would you like to hear?” No matter how many times she told each story, her granddaughter insisted on hearing them again, enraptured upon each retelling. And so, th...

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“Newsposition ” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #80

 “This just in… Yes, we can now confirm that the US Air Force does not control the unidentified air craft that recently landed on the roof of the Staples Center.” “Government officials and local law enforcement are scrambling to control the scene outside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles as thousands stop to observe a strange metallic flying ship.” “No one seems to know where this craft came from, how it operates, or why it has landed right on top of a major event center.” “Yes, that’s correct! Sentient life forms seem to be e...

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“Lynn and the Dragon” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #79

        It takes twenty-seven minutes to travel from my house to the train station. The cab driver is quiet. Maybe he senses the mire of tension spiraling through my mind. Maybe he’s just as shy as I am. I’ve always wondered if my desire to avoid human interaction actually kept people from approaching, if it was somehow written clearly across my face or if I had an atmosphere around me that just felt really uncomfortable.              &...

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“Unstuck Together” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #79

      I tried not to shiver as cool air blew from the open car window across my bare shoulders. My companions in the back of the stretch limo all wore thick long sleeves beneath sharply tailored and secretly armored jackets. Black, of course. Did personal security wear any other color? Needless to say, sweat dripped from more than one brow. So, when the leader of the group, a young and maybe a little arrogant, man rolled down the window nearest to where he sat, I didn’t complain. Even if I sat between them weari...

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“A Door” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #77

Why did I even come in today? I think ruefully, staring out the front window into the rapidly disappearing parking lot. Evidently, I was the only one who thought blizzard was a slight exaggeration when I heard it on the radio this morning. We haven't had a bad snow storm in decades, so of course the one day the heavens decide to open up and dump icy white fury on our heads is the day I have the early shift. The library is of decent size, if not overly populated, even on a good day. We usually get a few visitors on average, with two or thre...

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“Top Ten Things to Try Before I Toss Off” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #74

1.     Have Fun Terminal cancer is probably the definition of not fun. So the first thing I have to try before I die is to have as much fun as possible. For me, that looks like doing all the things I held myself back from doing before, out of fear, out of embarrassment. Because now, what the hell do I have to lose? I’ve never played Twister before. Never with my cousins or classmates. Never with my friends. Never with boys…one boy in particular. I always looked exciting on TV. Sure, it’s a game for little kids, but I...

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“On the Fifth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to Me…” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #73

           The first time a guy got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, I was five years old. He was six. Max Wade, with his cherub dimples, encyclopedic knowledge of Saturday morning cartoons, and a slight lisp from an ironically missing set of two front teeth. He lived next door. Our families had been friends forever: backyard barbeques every summer, tandem camping trips or sledding excursions, and yes, and annual Christmas Eve party.        ...

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“Reunion (Part 3)” by Katelynn Laird

The next song was back to the same pop garbage we’d been listening to before. Still, I kept in character and grinded against Michael. Slowly the others rejoined us on the dance floor. It wasn’t quite as much fun with everyone around us, especially having to watch Hailey molded to Daniel. But many more watched me, and I could almost imagine Ariana waiting to pounce and drag me away for a light-hearted interrogation. Nervous butterflies assaulted my stomach, but it was an oddly pleasant sensation. I managed to fen...

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“Passion Amongst the Pastries ” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #71

Butterflies fluttered against the walls of my stomach like the last leaves still clinging to the trees standing along either side of Main Street before the wind caught a straggler and it spun to the ground. It wasn’t that the Mountainside Holiday Fun Fest was our biggest event of the year. Or that this was my first year running our bakery’s booth solo. Or even that our title for the Fest’s Best Christmas Cookies (for the seventh year in a row) was on the line. Well, okay. Maybe it was all those things. The more I tried not to think of how h...

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“Love is Love” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #68

I didn’t notice the sky lightening at first. One moment, the air was inky blue so dark it was almost black and the only sounds were crickets and the occasional night creature scurrying to its bed at last. Then the next, the horizon began to simmer and the sounds of dawn stirred. Birds sang and flying insects rose, accompanied by an almost audible sigh, as if the entire earth were stretching awake. An irrational part of me was drawn forward toward the intensifying light as the molten orange corona burned over the low mountains in the distan...

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