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Icy Sedgwick

Folklore & Fantasy Fiction

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Flash Fiction

Free Short Story – Abandon Hope

January 16, 2020 by Icy Sedgwick 10 Comments

Inspired by Daniel Defoe's Journal of a Plague Year, this short story investigates the practice of quaranting plague victims in their own homes...

The church bell stopped tolling two days ago. Mother thought it meant that the distemper had left us, and would plague our city no more. Father thought that the churches had become overwhelmed, and we would be left to rot in vast pits sunk into rotten ground. Father was right – even now, I can […]

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Filed Under: Flash Fiction Tagged With: free read, short fiction

The Foundling, a Short Creepy Tale

April 10, 2019 by Icy Sedgwick 11 Comments

This short story explores the Foundling Museum in London...and whether or not its former staff still linger from its days as a hospital...

I rise at 5am, as I do every day, and I make my rounds of the dormitories. They are empty now, and it has been many years since children laid their heads there. It never hurts to inspect them nonetheless. Glass cases now occupy the rooms, detailing the daily routines of the children. Printed text […]

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Filed Under: Flash Fiction Tagged With: foundling hospital, foundling museum, free fiction, friday flash, ghost story, london, matron, victorian

She (A Super Short Story)

November 4, 2018 by Icy Sedgwick 13 Comments

'She' is just 107 words long. A perfect length for a coffee break, quick smoke break, or a change in pace from your daily routine.

She stands beyond the doorway and watches through windows. Her breath fogs the pane at night. Her feet make the floorboards creak in the hall when you think you’re the only one home. She’s the smudge in the reflection, observing from the other side of the glass. And she’s the shadow that moves at the […]

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Filed Under: Flash Fiction Tagged With: drabble, friday flash, horror, reflections, short fiction

Weaving – A Short Fiction about Fate

September 7, 2018 by Icy Sedgwick 16 Comments

This tale of weaving and fate concerns the Three Fates of Greek mythology. What life will their nimble fingers weave? Click here to find out.

Flames blazed in the wall braziers around the stone courtyard. Ornate clocks lined the columns of the cloister, though the hands never moved around their faces. Time hung suspended over the citadel of the Fates, its momentous occasions twinkling like stars in a false firmament. The first sister sat on a stool, her eyes roving […]

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Filed Under: Flash Fiction Tagged With: fate, flash fiction, weaving

The Shadow Cabinet

August 6, 2018 by Icy Sedgwick

Ever wondered what the Shadow Cabinet is? This free fantasy tale by Icy Sedgwick explores a darker alternative meaning to their name.

Prime Minister Etherington sat at his desk, staring at the reports laid out before him. The words swam before his eyes, with particular phrases leering at him. “Possible conspiracy”…. “grave threat to the nation”…. “utmost importance”…. “imminent danger”… “I have no idea what to make of all of this. Can any of it be substantiated?” […]

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Filed Under: Flash Fiction Tagged With: flash fiction, politics

#FridayFlash – The Unsaid Warning

February 14, 2018 by Icy Sedgwick 13 Comments

A witch solves a problem of heartbreak, but her unsaid warning will weigh heavy on her client. Click her to read more and visit the Underground City.

The young man shuffles into the workroom wearing the familiar despondent look. He looks at the floor and fiddles with the cuffs of his frock coat. Delta looks him up and down while his attention is fixed on the rug. His fine clothes and tidy hair give him away as a visitor to the Underground […]

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Filed Under: Flash Fiction Tagged With: free story, the necromancer's apprentice, the underground city

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Who is Icy Sedgwick?

icy sedgwick

Icy is a folklore blogger and host of the Fabulous Folklore podcast. She is based in the north east of England, where she was born and raised amid the folk tales and legends of Tyneside and Northumberland. Icy is fascinated by history, cinema, art, and the occult, and griffins will always be her favourite mythical beast. She also writes dark fantasy novellas, Gothic short stories and the occasional weird Western, and she holds a PhD in Film Studies!

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