Week 630 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 Eric Martell 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:
- Kelly Heinen
- Siobhan Muir
- Bill Engleson
- Silver James
- Mark Ethridge
- Sheilagh Lee
- Wollfgang
- Mark A. Morris
- Louisa Bacio
- David A. Ludwig
Honorable Mentions
Louisa Bacio | Website
Eric says: Get out of my head!!! (complimentary)
Wollfgang | Website
Eric says: A nice tale to introduce yourself to our corner of the storyverse. Chronotelepathy is a cool word, conjuring up visions of experiences I’d rather avoid.
winner announcement
Week 630 Winner
Eric says: This was a strong contender all the way through, doing a great job painting a picture (you saw what the man looked like, didn’t you, under that crisp white pillow), and that was before a perfect gut-punch of an ending.
He thrashed about a bit, his body convulsing, elbows and knees bony and angular. I’d surprised him when plumping up his pillow, pressing it down onto his face. He’d had a thing about hospital equipment, dissatisfied by anything but the best – I’d smuggled in a duck down one to optimise his comfort. I’d not been able to swap over his sheets for higher thread count ones, though; he’d had to make do with utilitarian linen.
It only took him a couple of minutes to die. I was heavier than him; Rubenesque he’d liked to call me when he was pimping me out, his face contorted into a leer. Even before then, I never liked him; he was too handsy and sly, his fingers straying where they shouldn’t have gone. Every second we spent together, it felt like years of subliminal torture, knowing the way his mind worked and how he’d describe me to his ‘gentlemen’ friends.
So that was how he ended his life. Or rather, how I did him in. I considered myself a saint, ridding the world of a parasite, careful not to leave to leave the bed in disarray. I expected that a nurse would discover him first, laid out with his arms crossed neatly across his chest.
He didn’t deserve an ounce of dignity, not at all. But I was always trying to better myself and eliminating that streak of slime was the only sure way I could ever get ahead.
Good night, Daddy dearest. Farewell.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations FORTY TIME WINNER Mark, and Honorable Mentions Louisa, and Wollfgang! 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! 🙂
