Week 629 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this, and why we’ve made it 12 YEARS!
If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Cara Michaels for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc.
Entries:
- Bill Engleson
- Silver James
- Kelly Heinen
- Mark Ethridge
- David A. Ludwig
- Mark A. Morris
- Siobhan Muir
Honorable Mention
Kelly Heinen | Website
Cara says: I have to say it was difficult to pick one here, because I enjoyed all of the entries. But Aightball won me over with the grim reaper world. I chuckled over Carla’s passive aggressive strategy to be the Wicked Witch for the Halloween work party, and Horace’s frustrated horror as Carla sends souls back to life is so cute.
winner announcement
Week 629 Winner
Cara says: This one grabbed me with its insidious build of Angelina’s situation—torment, exhaustion, weeks (or maybe months)—and then the horror of this: “Is freedom not a small price for (immortality)?” OMG, who would want immortality without the freedom to go and live and explore and do? And then we learn that Damian has essentially turned Angelina into some kind of emotion vampire, and she’s trapped and being fed by his decidedly less than good intentions? Ugh, it’s terrifying and I loved it.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Damian smiled darkly. Angelina looked up at her tormentor, exhausted. After weeks—or was it months—at his mercy, she had all but forgotten how she fell into his clutches in the first place. It felt like years.
“Thanks to me,” he continued, “you will live a long life and never age. Why, you’re practically immortal. Is freedom not a small price for such a blessing?”
What could she say? She had words when she came here, when he promised to help with her manuscript. No more. Four, maybe five feet separated her from her book on his desk. If he’d just go back to writing, maybe she could get it away from him.
Damian drank in Angelina’s desperation for her book, like he was the one who could only feed on feelings now. His cloying smugness made her gag. And it was among his more palatable emotions.
Angelina flinched as Damian’s hand moved toward her book. He paused. His expression softened and his mood shifted to her least favorite one. The one she swore she would never swallow. The one that terrified her with its soothing sweetness.
“Someday, you’ll love me in return.”
~~~~~~~
Congratulations TWENTY-FOUR TIME WINNER David, and Honorable Mention Kelly! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it!
Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂
