Welcome back to the home of #ThursThreads for Week 727. 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 Facebook.
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 Bluesky, MeWe, Discord, and Mastodon, etc.
Our Judge for Week 727:
Cat wrangler, master violinist, and Tea connoisseur, Muirlette #1.
And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.
The Prompt:
“There’d be a next time.”
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 Debt
“He’s not expecting much,” the caller had said. I was good with that. Clients with low expectations of my skills have been my bread and butter.
“You’re his nurse?” I asked.
“Night nurse,” the reply.
“It’s noon,” I mentioned.
“I said I’d call for him. I had a busy morning. Sleeping.”
“He can’t speak for himself?”
“Throat cancer. One of many deadly afflictions he’s collected. He hasn’t got much time.”
“And he wants me to find the family of someone run over in 1944?”
“That’s it.”
“And offer…?”
“He’s got a small estate. Available pretty soon, I figure…and apologies.”
“For his dead father?”
“Yup. His old man was a Canadian who joined the American army. Visiting Vancouver in the war, he plowed into a guy. Killed him dead. I gave you the name.”
“Yeah. Pretty common moniker. Why didn’t he just take care of it when he was younger?”
“You got me. No idea. I guess he thought there’d be a next time. We all think there’s gonna be that. Time to take care of unfinished business.”
I smiled at that. That defined most of the goobers who came to me to try and fix something that they hadn’t dealt with.
“His old man. He was arrested?”
“That’s what he said. Got off with a fine. It was wartime. I guess soldiers got extra consideration. Anyway. you’ll take the job?”
“Sure,” I said.
Guilt. He inherited his father’s generational guilt.
I’d play my part, pointless as it was.
250 words
@billmelaterplea
@sterlings-son-2.bsky.social