Kelsey Marlett

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2019

Stories (5)

5 Stories

270 karma pts

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“SEEDING” by Kelsey Marlett

Submitted to Contest #90

Someone is unplugging the trees. I got the call this morning. The voice was smeared over the phone, ice black and crawling with static, someone is unplugging the trees, it’s serious, really serious, we need you out there, now. I am standing in a sea of dark metal. The trees go on for miles, following the arch and pull of the mountains, softly humming. Or they’re supposed to be humming. They’re supposed to be flickering light and turning their engines, drinking through their cords, giving us oxygen. But the trees surrounding me are dark. S...

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“Mother” by Kelsey Marlett

Submitted to Contest #41

The deer buckled beneath the wheels. Em’s scream started, then stopped, then started again. She clutched her stomach like she was trying to keep it from escaping.“Oh my God pull over, pull over pull over –”Burnt rubber, seatbelt straining. The car stopped and I reached for her.“Oh my God oh my God ohmyGod –”“Hey. Hey, it’s okay. Em – I’ll –”Em kept sobbing. I undid my seatbelt, clambered out the door.“Did we kill it? Did we kill it?”“I don’t know.”I approached the deer. Its head twisted in the wrong direction, eyes reeling. No blood. I glanc...

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“Gift” by Kelsey Marlett

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #31

I saw an exorcism on T.V. once. I think I was seven or eight, sitting cross-legged on the carpet, and I was bathed in the shivery blue light of the television screen. The girl on the screen writhed and screamed. Her hands clawed at nothing, her spine arched and unlatched, and her eyes were black and draining, unspooling, emptying out as she screamed. I suppose this was like an exorcism. It had been four years now, but my body still didn’t belong to me. I drifted from place to place. Picked up groceries, sat in the garden, felt his ...

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“The Underwater Attic” by Kelsey Marlett

Submitted to Contest #24

The water made wraiths around her feet. Flightless, tightly knitted. She stood in the froth and watched the water chase her skin, marry her anklebones, scream in laughter. She wondered if the water would ever leave her alone. She wondered if she would ever leave the water alone – if she could ever fall asleep without visiting the ocean.She swept her foot over the surface, watched the current seize and leap to follow. It spun in triumphant circles around the rim of her ankle. The sand stumbled under her. The sky wouldn’t look at them. She sto...

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“Man-Eater” by Kelsey Marlett

🏆 Winner of Contest #19

It’s Man-Eater today — slick, metallic, with a scent like wet paint — and it’s twenty-five dollars and my brain is still trying to kill me. The clerk looks at me like I’m a stray dog. A mixture of pity and disgust. She isn’t wearing a nametag, but she looks like she could be an Ashley or Rebecca. My brain says, You’re useless. The clerk says, “Do you need any help?” I turn the lipstick over in my hands. The door bangs, making us both jump, and cold air blasts into the store. Ashley or Rebecca turns around and the new customer meets her at th...

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Author bio

hi! i'm kelsey, and i write things. i hope you like some of them. you can find more of my work here -- instagram: @kelseydays website: www.kelseydays.com

Winning 1 story 🏆

Contest #19

Man-Eater – read story

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #31

Gift – read story