Keri Dyck

“Soul Strings” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #251

It is the 14,000th epoch since the breaking apart of the lands. My name is Ava. I was born in Calton to a family of coal miners, but I have been sent away to study because of my gift.  There is a string, no thicker than a line of chalk, connecting each person’s heart to somewhere high above. One holiday, when the sky was free of sooty clouds, I could have sworn they pointed in the direction of the Imminent One’s tower. (The strings were so vertical that the tower must be high indeed!)  When I was younger, I thought everyone could s...

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“to fight with god” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #186

why did you leave me here? god, i miss you why do i miss you? i thought i could do this i thought i was fine with me but now you’re gone and i don’t know don’t know what to do; you were my all i was wrapped up in what you said of me can’t you see that what i’ve done was all for you? my time, my worth, my love, i gave them free and when you left, you took them with you you left me here, this world to rot it’s like you made the sun shine now the wind knots my hair ...

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“Danae's Curse” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #183

Once there was a queer little village where curses went backward—well, some of the time. Occasionally they went sideways or upside down. The point is, a few turned out to be blessings. Some were twists of fate. Others were just plain curses. None were the same.  Take Tyson, for example. He was the first of six brothers. They descended from a purebred line of blacksmiths and were exceptionally strong. It was a sight to go to the smithy with, say, a horse that needed shoeing. They would all drop their work and come running. Tyson woul...

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“Accident” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #170

Rated M/A for pregnancy references.“You’re kidding.” Dr. Bruce Scofield looked up at his wife, his shoelace half untied. He stood up and loosened his tie. “Come on, Gina. This is a prank, right? You’re fooling with me?”Dr. Regina Scofield pursed her lips. She held the little white stick out to him. He took the tester and stared at the two blue lines, then slowly sat back down onto the bench. He set it down and methodically finished unlacing his shoes. The oven beeped, and she walked back into the kitchen. A frozen casserole sat on ...

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“Like the Sunrise” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #152

Amos threw his weight on the bellows one last time, then wiped the sweat from his forehead. He grabbed a poker and shoved it into the fire. One of the logs broke apart into a hundred scintillating embers; the other resisted. He jabbed it harder, and a spark landed on his arm, right where his glove ended. He hissed and dropped the poker. It clanged to the floor.  He rubbed at the tiny burn, then picked the poker up and placed it back on its hook. He returned to the bellows.  The shop was sleeping. No matter how much noise he mad...

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“Daddy's Chair” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #147

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. Her name was Rana, and she lived on a farm. Her family was made of a dad, a mom, six brothers, eleven cows (Bessie died last fall), two dogs, and three cats. This day started off quite ordinary. Her brothers were milking the cows.Rana took her little bucket and walked carefully to the first milking stall. Annabelle, the biggest cow, looked at her with big, solemn eyes. Randy, her brother who was leaning against the cow’s side with his hands working the teats, looked at her with sleepy eyes. “Go...

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“The Many Cloaks of a Librarian ” by Keri Dyck

Tiffany re-adjusted her shawl and smoothed her hair in the reflection of the library door, then pushed it open and walked inside. The aroma of books surrounded her. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in. “Can I help you?”The voice startled her, and she turned toward the desk. The guy behind it had his feet, boots and all, up on the table. One of his hands held a book while the other swiped a lock of greasy hair away from his eyes as he stared at her. He repeated his question, slower.“Can…I…help…you?”“Oh, um, not really. My na...

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“it is what you make it” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thank you. Thanks a lot.” Dione swallowed and blinked, but a few tears dripped down her cheek anyway. She drew in a sharp breath to quell a sob and grasped the hand of the man in front of her. “I promise to repay you, I will.”“Take your time, Dione. I’m glad I could help. It’s the least I could do for—for Arne.” He patted her hand and dropped it, then turned away. He glanced through the observation window once before walking down the hall and out the door. Dione faced the window, set her shoulders, and opened the door. The boy’s e...

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“Star-Shaped Pieces” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #92

I am an astronaut. I have just flicked the last in a well-practiced dance of buttons and levers while the voice counted off in my helmet. I am acutely aware of the scores of technicians doing the same thing in the office below. Some of them have fingers shaking and damp with sweat, while others are firm and cold in concentration. Mine are neither. I am prepared. But then the countdown ends, and I feel the shift in pressure. My body threatens to leave my innards behind as the shuttle begins to shake. I grip the arm rests of my chair, growing ...

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“Keeper of the Creatures' Books” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #91

The hard spine tickled the tip of Rinetta’s ear as she took aim, then fired. The book hit the soft spot of the gremlin’s head: just below the flap of an ear. It squeaked and crumpled on the floor. The gnome behind him halted mid-punch, staring at the angered librarian.  “Look at this mess!” She threw her arm toward the tiny bookcases that had been knocked over during the scuffle. The whole section was scattered on the floor like confetti. Two sprites—Flit and Xinnia, regulars—came in through the window just then, their giggles turn...

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“Adrenaline” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #90

Sam couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he read the notification on his phone. A shadow fell across him. He hurriedly turned it off, tucked it in his pocket, and glanced up. It was just a fellow passenger returning from the washroom. His heart pounded. Adrenaline. His head whirled with the possibilities. How was he going to do this one? Kidnapping, the text had said. Well, that was simple enough. Sam stood up, holding the headrest of the seat in front of him until his stiff muscles allowed his legs to straigh...

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“Mama's Special Blessings” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #83

The immensity of the sea rolled against her eardrums, resonating somewhere in her soul. The sky pulled her up, up, back into the air her lungs craved, but she pulled herself farther below the surface. Wren opened her eyes. The brine stung at first, but it was always worth it.  Streaks of light pierced the greenish-brown water, always flickering and moving; but the focal point in her view, as it had been for the last four-and-a-half years, was her daughter.  Eleanor had her eyes clenched tightly. Her little legs were wrapped a...

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“Mother” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #79

Shayne twitched. His body ached all over, and his head was throbbing. His left foot was cold. Where was he? The smell of herbs, the sound of humming, the soft something he was sitting against… this wasn’t the camp. Where were the jests, the laughter, the smell of stale liquor?His eyelids were crusty, but he pried them open. He was in a large stone building. The humming was coming from his right. He turned his head carefully, and something wet fell off his forehead. Liquid dripped down through his eyebrows. He raised a hand to wipe it aw...

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“The Fallen” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #78

“You’re got a good swing, boy.”Teo’s head whipped around as his axe continued its plunge. The log in front of him cracked exactly in half. Three soldiers at the edge of the tree line dismounted and approached. The one in front spoke again. “Lieutenant Calum, on the orders of King Frederick the Third. I’m here to inform you of the changing of your weapon.”Teo straightened and motioned for his brother, Jax, to put another log on the stump while their youngest brother, Don, picked up a broken piece and brought it to the stack. “Sir, if thi...

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“Books and Maps” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #77

Renae’s head jerked up, and she dropped her dog-eared copy of The Hobbit to the floor. What was that? The window was behind her, and she’d have to get out of her comfy spot to check it out.  She untangled herself from her blanket, which had somehow wound its way around the end table’s leg, and her tea cup clattered to the floor. Her book was instantly soaked in Earl Grey. She gave a cry and picked it up, then placed it carefully above a heating vent. “Please dry out nicely.”  The frost on the window made the outside invisible, ...

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