Welcome back to the home of #ThursThreads for Week 676. Year Lucky 13! The last year of the cycle, the Moon Year. To those who keep coming back, I’m delighted to see you again!
Today is Thursday and that means it’s time to start flashing on #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Discord and the Group on MeWe.
Need the rules? Read on.
Here’s how it works:
- The prompt is a line from the previous week’s winning tale.
- The prompt can appear ANYWHERE in your story and is included in your word count.
- The prompt must be used as is. It can be split, but no intervening words can be inserted or tenses changed.
Rules to the Game:
- This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250.
- The story must be new writing, not a snippet from something published elsewhere with the prompt added.
- Incorporate the prompt anywhere into your story (included in your word count).
- Post your story in the comments section of this post
- Include your word count in the post (or be excluded from judging)
- Include your social media handle or email in the post (so we easily notify you)
- The challenge is open 7 AM to 8 PM Mountain Time US.
- The winner will be announced on Friday, depending on how early the judge gets up.
How it benefits you:
- You get a nifty cool badge to display on your blog or site (because we’re all about promotion – you know you are!)
- You get instant recognition of your writing prowess on this blog!
- Your writing colleagues shall announce and proclaim your greatness on Facebook, Bluesky, MeWe, and Mastodon, etc.
Our Judge for Week 687:
Writer at Arms, Writer with Arms, and Pre-Published Romantasy Author, Jacob Summers.
And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.
The Prompt:
“You look a bit suspicious.”
All stories written herein are the property (both intellectual and physical) of the authors. Comments do not represent the views of the host and the host reserves the right to remove any content. Now, away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThreads in the Moon Year. Good luck!
The Weary Dick
She’d seen better days. A little skin-scrunched around the eyes, the blonde dye job now infiltrated by a natural grey, but, all in all, she’d held together better than me.
I was a wreck.
It probably showed.
“Its been a few years,” she said. “Have they been kind to you?”
It was a sweet question. The answer was obvious to my mirror, the odd window I’d occasionally stare into Christmas ogling.
“Kind enough,” I droned. “And for you?”
“Technology has helped. But enough chitchat. Are you still for hire?”
Given that it was my office and the sign on the door said DISCREET ENQUIRES, I thought the answer obvious…so I nodded.
“Good. He’s at it again?”
Thirty-two years earlier I’d traced her hubby, the honorable Gaylord P. Dobbs, down a series of after-hours joints and back-alley dives. He clearly then had a taste for the forbidden.
“He’s what, eighty-nine years old now?”
“Ninety next week,” she answered. Theirs had been one of those May-or-May-Not-December liaisons that I’d thought had gone off the rails permanently after my investigation.
“You stayed together?”
“Seemed practical,” she said.
“But now…?”
She smiled, perhaps a little sadly, “His mind has been on hold for a couple of years.“
Mine too, I thought. I was struggling for the next question.
“You look a bit suspicious?” she broke my silence.
That gave me an opening. “You really want to find him?”
“Good question,” she said, and up and left.
I went back to sleep.
250 Words
@billmelaterplea
@sterlings-son-2.bsky.social
Should they have told his dad about the tiefling wizard living in the ruined cult compound? Obviously not. That would have definitely involved admitting they went to the ruins. But should they have told him anyway?
Connor watched Mourn study her spellbook from across the fire. Its stitched cover and mismatched pages appeared ghoulishly cobbled together. The tiefling raised her gaze to the paladin’s son, the flames in her eyes unsettlingly out of sync with the camp fire.
When Mourn didn’t immediately say anything, Connor cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry to keep harping on this; but why do you want to travel with us?”
“It’s much safer than traveling alone.” Mourn cocked her head to study Connor’s face. “You look a bit suspicious.”
Connor looked away.
“Well, yeah! My dad’s party killed your family. I don’t understand how you can be okay with that.”
“I don’t blame him.” Mourn closed her book. “So, I certainly don’t blame you.”
“Why not? I’m pretty sure I would in your position.”
“I’m sure he was just doing what he believed was right. I know my family was. It’s funny, and too often sad, what people will do in this life if they believe it will get them a better afterlife.”
“I guess so…”
“That’s why I’m going to rid this world of death. With no afterlife to come, people will have to learn to get along in this life.”
236 words
@davidaludwig.bsky.social
“You look a bit suspicious, anyone can see you if they pass by.” Joffrey was up a wooden ladder peeping over the wall. Annafried didn’t like it.
“Shhh, there’s someone coming,” he hissed, ducking down as he teetered at the top.
She hid behind a nearby oak, grateful the ancient trees hadn’t been taken down when the new Lord of the manor had built the wall. She heard a rustling. Whatever it was, it sounded big.
She watched Joffrey carefully rise back up and peak over the top of the wall. What he saw caused him to cry out. She heard a creature release a raucous snarl and throw itself at the wall, which shuddered under the impact, making the ladder jump. And along with Joffrey’s fright, it wobbled, sliding to the left, falling towards her.
She came running out of her covered position to try and stop it, but instead was caught under it and Joffrey. It took the wind out of her and she felt something snap. When she tried to move pain shot through her right side, and there was the taste of blood in her mouth.
Joffrey untangled himself, and pulled the ladder off her.
“Annafried? Are you alright?”
His anxious face became a blur.
“I don’t think so, Joffrey. Just make sure you get my mother’s diadum back, will you? Don’t let that brute keep it.”
Joffrey was crying, and stroking her hair. “Of course I will my love.”
244 Words
@purplequeenpub.bsky.social
The pendant rested on Barrett’s chest through the open collar of their shirt. “It’s perfect, thank you.”
They rose and leaned over the table to kiss Lisa. She grinned and switched chairs to sit next to them to make it easier, then fell into their kiss. They kept it short and sweet given the public venue, but Lisa made a note to make sure she allowed them to thank her properly when they were alone.
Before she could change say anything, movement beyond Barrett across the street caught her eye. She raised her gaze but didn’t move her head so she didn’t give the person any indication that she’d seen them. But Eddie Farnsworth shifted out from behind the big pickup truck parked on the street and stared at them. He was a fair distance away, but she could still accurately see his expression.
Rage twisted his features and his hands tightened into fists at his sides. Her gut told her he was a threat and she stiffened, narrowing her eyes. She shifted just enough to meet Eddie’s gaze and raised her chin, warning him off. The man sneered and ducked out of sight, but a dark premonition slid down her spine.
“Hey, you look a bit suspicious. Everything okay?” Barrett shot a look over their shoulder, but Eddie had already disappeared. “What were you looking at?”
Lisa shook her head. “I thought I saw someone watching us, but they’re gone now.”
242 ineligible #SirensInc words
@siobhanmuir.bsky.social
Sade eyed Caleb. “What are you doing?”
Her werewolf partner offered a smile she automatically cataloged as his nothing to see here, just move along expression.
She knew that look. “You look a bit suspicious there, cowboy.”
“Just reading the file.”
“You’ve already read the file.”
“I’m refreshing my memory.”
She leveled her patented you are so full of shit look on him.
“No, really. There’s something about this case and I’m looking for what we might have missed.”
“Five women have been murdered. We’ve picked the files apart. I don’t think we’ve missed anything.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’ve heard of looking at the fact from all angles but since when did you start reading upside down.”
Caleb turned shifty eyed and he wouldn’t quite meet her gaze. Before she could press him harder, the clearing of a very familiar throat had her whirling.
“Am I interrupting anything important?”
Tall, dark and vampire smiled at her and she barely resisted the urge to punch him in the nose. She glowered at him before turning her ire on her partner. “Really? You called Sinjen?”
Caleb opened his mouth to speak but Sinjen beat him to a response. “Actually, love, I called Caleb. Since you were dodging my calls, I became concerned.”
“I wasn’t dodging.” That was only a little lie. “Not exactly. We’ve got five dead girls, Sinjen.”
“Yes. Seems we’ve come full circle since we met under similiar circumstances.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t guilty. Ariel might be.”
****
248 Penumbra Papers #6 WIP words
Silver James
https://silverjames.com
#ThursThreads is now CLOSED. Thanks to everyone who wrote this week and I hope to catch you next week.