Sara Kjeldsen

A collection of flash fiction pieces written by Sara Kjeldsen. She explores themes such as living a life contrary to one's authentic self, death, depression, and fighting for one's life.

The Sea Hag's Song is a tale of a woman named Ella who has been sentenced to spend the rest of her life as a creature of the deep. She seeks out sailing men, lures them with her beautiful voice, and eats them once they are under her spell. Everything changes when she hears another beautiful voice stirring the air. She finds a young blonde woman on the beach who embodies Ella's idea of perfection. At first she longs to kill her like the rest of them, but there's something different about this one. Will this new connection be enough to reconnect Ella with her humanity, or will she give in to her violent urges and kill another?

Sally's plans to attend university in Cambridge are destroyed when a tornado hits the countryside. Her parents force her to marry the farmer who she hid in the root cellar with. His name is Jeremiah and he is the definition of simple. With her dreams burned away, Sally tries to adjust to married life only to face more disaster - a murder and a realization that no one in White Oaks is who they seem to be. As more truths are uncovered, more violence follows. Something changes inside of Sally. She becomes a new creature as she begins to think of herself as something more than her current station in life. Those who stand in her way will see the full capacity of her cruelty. Sally is a story about how a hopeful art student transforms into an outlaw.

The Red Coat and The Redhead is a historical short story set during the War for Independence in America. A young British officer, Jon, deserts the army after the shock of his best friend's death. He runs into a Colonial girl named Jill who nearly shoots him. Despite their opposing sides, they connect as she helps dress his wound. They long to escape from the terrible violence that has soaked the atmosphere in Boston and turn their misfortune into an adventure.But will the war catch up with them and quench the freedom that they long for?

Some outlaws kill for the rush. Mary just wants to survive.Nineteen-year-old Mary has had enough of the saloon girl life and her abusive boss, Max. She flees in the middle of the night to travel the open road and nearly loses her life several times as she encounters bullies, seasoned outlaws, and scoundrels. Longing for a reprieve from the outlawing life, she seeks refuge in The Ozarks. Finding both peace and danger while living in the beautiful wilderness, she realizes how much she misses her little sister, Becky. When she returns to civilization to seek Becky out, she discovers that something terrible has happened - Max has murdered her.Standing at the edge of a steep cliff, Mary vows to kill Max before killing herself. Her quest is interrupted when she meets Gabriel, a young farmer, while trespassing on his apple orchard. He is kinder than anyone she has ever met and he offers to be her guide on the journey to Kansas where Max resides. She hesitantly agrees. They form a bond while traveling together across the state, but will it be enough to stop her from seeking vengeance on her sister's dangerous killer?

It is 1892 and a disturbing number of young adults committed suicide in Sunny Harbour, New York. Alfred, a creative writer and student at Brown University, visits the eerie harbour town for the summer. He struggles with depression and is drawn to the story of Sunny Harbour's suicides.He discovers the mysterious place where all of the suicides' bodies were tossed. As he digs for more information, he is met with hostility from the townsfolk, especially from store owner Caleb McFarlane. Sarah, a closet writer, offers to help Alfred. The quest leads Alfred to a pistol duel with Caleb, who is Sarah's husband. As Alfred stares death in the face, he is left to wonder if his project was in vain. An unlikely ally steps in to end the showdown, but Alfred's salvation comes with a great cost that he may never recover from.