Welcome to the monthly round up of all my #ThursThreads tales. Well, we’ve made it to September, but it doesn’t feel like it. I live in Wyoming and we’re experiencing a massive heatwave (96 F at 6300 ft elevation in September?!). Something is definitely off and with no AC in the house, it’s not fun for us. I’m ready for Fall!
As usual, most of these bits are of upcoming tales, written to prompts from the #ThursThreads #flashfiction challenge I host each Thursday. We’re starting with Week 523 through Week 525 and I’ve collected them in one place.
August had four Thursdays, but I went on vacation in the middle and was traveling. So, here are three tales along with their dates and prompts. Happy reading!
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Week 523, August 4, 2022
Prompt: “All things considered.”
“I’ll do better next time.”
She looked at Brandon solemnly. “I think you believe that. I think you might try to change yourself. But I don’t think you’ll change if I stay here tonight. I’m pretty sure you’ll believe the matter settled and nothing will be different.” He opened his mouth to protest but she held up a hand. “No, you need time alone to think about this. It’s important to me that I have backup, that someone sees me as a full person, not just a pair of breasts and a pussy. I need someone in my life who has my back, who stands up for me when others tell stories, and who doesn’t doubt me when I bring up problems. You’re just not there yet, Brandon.”
Shaking her head, Iliana opened the suite door. “I’ll see you in the morning. Get some sleep. I’m sure tomorrow will be a trying day. Or it won’t. Either way, you need your rest. Good night.”
“Please, Iliana, stay.”
“No.” She shook her head and strode away from him down the hallway.
Her heart ached like someone had stabbed her. Hell, it felt worse than Ahmad’s strike against her side. She took a deep breath to keep the tears from gathering in her eyes and spilling over. Tears might be her release valve, but everyone else would see them as weakness and ‘womanly emotion.’ All things considered, even the tears probably wouldn’t be enough.
Misogyny and sexism suck.
247 #IvoryRoad words
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Week 524, August 11, 2022
Prompt: “How am I doing so far?”
Istvan nodded. “Truly. I’d rather be down here with the Necros and the flesh raiders. They tend to leave me alone once I kill a few of them off.”
“They come here?” Niklas gaped.
“Yeah. About every couple of months until winter gets going, then it’s weekly. They’re looking for shelter and food and shit they can trade, which doesn’t include my books, so they hope to use them for fire fuel.”
“Where did you get all the books?”
“I scrounged them from the various buildings in the ground cities I passed through and revisited. Once I found an entire library that still had most of its fiction section.” Istvan smirked. “Previous residents had burned most of the reference and textbook sections. Guess they had an issue with learning.” He shook his head. “Fools. Would’ve been nice to have that information now.” He shrugged as he pointed at the book in Niklas’s hands. “That was one of the most recent history books that talked about New Terra. It was truly a marvel of engineering and ingenuity. They had solar cells to help recharge the batteries so if you see it some nights with lights on, that’s why.”
Istvan pressed a hand to Niklas’s forehead. “It feels like the fever’s broken. All we need to do now is get your strength up.”
“How am I doing?”
“So far, I think you’re on the mend. We’ll start solid foods tomorrow. Right now, you need nutrients, water, and rest.”
247 #WIP500 words
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Week 525, August 18, 2022
Prompt: “No bones broken.”
“Right, let’s get to it.” Brandon collected his and Iliana’s plates and rose. “Give me a moment, Rory, and I’ll help you to the library or wherever you’d like to go.”
“Thank you, Master Crowe, but I’m sure I can hobble to the library on my own.” Iliana shifted in her chair as she prepared to get up.
He nodded. “I know you can, but I’d prefer there are no bones broken in the attempt, and I’d like to make sure you get there without incident.”
She wanted to ask if he also wanted to spend a little more time with her, but the rumor mill was already talking about him escorting her to breakfast. No need to add to it.
“All right. I’ll wait and finish my coffee.”
The other men nodded to her, though Jorden gave her a thoughtful look before everyone left for their respective tasks. Iliana did her best to keep her expression clear of her thoughts. She sipped her coffee as she waited for Brandon to return, feeling a little more relaxed than she had in weeks.
“Master Rory?”
She glanced up to find Naomi, William, and Esteban waiting beside the table.
“Good morning. What can I do for you all?”
William cleared his throat but didn’t say anything until Naomi nudged him. “Uh, well, we wanted to be sure you were okay, and…” He blushed.
“And to let you know the rumors about you and Master Crowe have returned,” Naomi added.
247 #IvoryRoad words