Week 458 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. I’m honored to see all the writers come to tie a tale as we head toward the end of our ninth year. If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for sticking with us. If you’ve just found us, welcome! May you come back again and write more great flash. Thousand thanks to Isabella Muetzel for judging this week. Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc.
Entries:
- Mark A. Morris
- Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea
- Silver James | @SilverJames_
- Charlene Mertz | @rrats1231
- Richard Gibney | @ragtaggiggagon
- Catherine Verdier | @CatheVerdier
- Joe Hesch | @JAHesch
- Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
- Teresa Eccles| @TeresaMEccles
- Stephanie Backus | @stephaniebackus
- David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
- Marci Baun | @MarciBaun
- Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
- Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
- M.T. Decker | @mishmhem
Honorable Mentions
Charlene Mertz | @rrats1231
Isabella says: This piece was so wholesome and cute! It melted my heart!
Marci Baun | @MarciBaun
Isabella says: Where can I find one of those magical swords?
Silver James | @SilverJames_
Isabella says: Her character interactions and descriptions always get me. They’re so fun!
winner announcement
Week 458 Winner
Isabella says: Truth be told, I hate present tense. However, while I read this, I hardly noticed and genuinely enjoyed the short. It was well written and flowed well throughout the piece. I absolutely loved those sensory descriptions!
Banish Misfortune
“I imagine too much.”
Sometimes it feels like the therapist wants me to fill in her blanks. I was never good at that. I prefer multiple choice it gives me guidelines— a clue as to what is acceptable.
How do I tell her that the sound of branches brushing against the house become demons dragging their nails against the clapboard; that the wind blowing through the trees is the hot breath of the enemy closing in?
How do I make her understand that these are images but memories? How do I tell her that I have seen that glint in her eyes as she writes, binding my fate to her words?
Her word is the power keeping me here— binding me to this place, and I’m not sure if the 36 psychiatric hold will stand. It’s up to her and she knows when I’m lying.
“Can you give me an example?” she asks, her thumb strokes the ring in her middle finger.”
The demon in my dream had done the same thing, and I’m not sure which side of the dream is real now.
I calm my breathing, trying to reach the images, and she smiles at me.
“Imagine,” she prompts. “Imagine the power you hold; imagine what you could do with it.”
I let out a trembling breath and nod as I see the greed in her eyes.
“Three wishes,” I agree, and the deal is struck.
When she releases the circle, all bets are off. Imagine.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations Seventeen Time Winner M.T., and Honorable Mentions Charlene, Marci, and Silver! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it!
Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, MeWe, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂
