From the Archive: Locksp'rit
A fantasy flash fiction
It had got to the point where Faye owned more keyrings than keys - but people were simply determined to give her these presents.
There was the silent bell, the Highland cow, the glow-in-the-dark oversized sperm... when would it end? She didn’t want to be weighed down by them all, unable to fly.
She began to cut her own keys, to make up the balance. At first, she only copied those she had. Just in case.
But then, her neighbours started needing spares as well. Even the birch tree in next door’s garden placed an order, though Faye had no idea why. The birds needed access to their boxes - the foxes, to secure their earths. What door would a tree open?
Faye found out three days later, when a pool swirled up in the middle of her lawn. Peering into its silvery depths, the water revealed the next key she had to make, and the next, and the next…
She wears them now, portfolios of her particular art. The golden twins are earrings, one on either side, coated in a magic that keeps Faye airborne.
The jagged one up her sleeve? That is for night flights. Just in case.
And the tiny one, around her neck, which others only ever glimpsed? That one is the key to her heart.
Not bad going, for a newborn sprite.
This story was first published on 22/09/2025. It features in Volume 2, Issue 39 of Top in Fiction:
Still To Come
Feathers
Bees
Stars
KeysThe Land of Ice and Snow
Dragons
In the Pink
Fridge
Sun and Moon
Buffet Lunch
Service
Socks
Death and Rebirth
Serenade
Basket
Copyright © E.A. Colquitt 2025-26.
No AI was knowingly used in the creation of this work. No portion of this work may be used for training AI without written permission from the author.