Week 697 of #ThursThreads was a success, a remarkable feat for 13 solid years. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this. I’m truly grateful for all y’all!
If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Miranda Kate for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction server on Discord or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc.
Entries:
- Bill Engleson
- Silver James
- Joe Hesch
- K.R. Van Horn
- David A. Ludwig
- Siobhan Muir
Miranda says: It was tricky prompt this week, which might be why it only garnered 5 for this week’s ThursThreads and all great stories, so difficult to judge.
Everyone gets one an Honourable Mention this week because they were all so good. I’ve listed them in my preference, but don’t let that detract from the writing brilliance.
Mentions
David A. Ludwig
Miranda says: I wanted more of this one. I wanted to know more about them. Who are Zee and Boogie and what are their skills? Enticing and thrilling. I liked it.
Bill Engleson
Miranda says: A nice little tale giving us insight in the world of rock climbing. Flowed really well, like an interview. Well done.
K.R. Van Horn
Miranda says: A jaunty, amusing little tale about a wizard’s attempts to learn his craft and his trusty companions. Nice.
Silver James
Miranda says: I wanted to like this more, but it felt like a random snippet of something bigger and I didn’t really get a sense of who anyone was or what was going on, which marred an otherwise great piece of writing.
winner announcement
Week 697 Winner
Miranda says: I loved the thrill and excitement that was captured in this short tale of an air battle in wartime, with that last line delivering the truth of the situation – poignant. I saw it all in my mind’s eye. Great writing.
“They’re staying through every climb and fall,” I shouted over the roar of our smoking engine.
“I know, Jenkins. Keep them honest and let me take care of…Ahhh! Damn it!” Captain Bourke yelled behind me.
He put our F.E.2 pusher biplane into another dive and then a roll as I held onto my machine gun’s swivel. The F.E. stood for “Fighter Experimental,” but with three Albatros fighters peppering our birdcage tail, it felt more like “Forget England.”
I stood up and held onto the rear-firing over-wing gun, stitching twenty rounds into the red nose of one German fighter. Suddenly, my feet and his machine went straight up toward the French countryside, I hanging by my Lewis and he by a trail of flame I’d touched off in his engine. Captain had flipped us inverted and I wished I’d never left the trenches a mile below.
With a creak of wood and wire, he flipped us back upright and I crashed back into our two-man crew nacelle. A burst from my front gun caused a striped Albatros to jerk up into his wingman, snapping both their wings.
Then our engine made a deathly rattle and sighed its last.
Somehow, my pilot glided us to a swirling stop in the nearest swath of green on our side of the lines.
“Bloody miracle. Hope you never put us through another dead-stick landing, Skipper,” I said, turning to shake his hand, lifeless on the control stick.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations Ten Time Winner Joe, and all the mentions! Don’t forget to claim your badge and display it 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! 🙂
