Tag: Winners

Week 533 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Kris Norris 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: Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Gora Shade | @AngoraShade Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor Silver James | @SilverJames_ Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Eric Martell | @drmag00 Mark A. Morris Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila Kelly Heinen | @Aightball Honorable Mentions Eric Martell | @drmag00 Kris says: Another good one… a few typos and one sentence was just a bit too run-on… I love long ones but this pulled me out. But great concept. I would have like to have known what kind of monster the character was… otherwise good grammar. Good flow, etc. Silver James | @SilverJames_ Kris says: Well written. Missing some punctuation but… interesting. Again, doesn’t give that feeling of a complete segment, but I enjoyed it. winner announcement Week 533 Winners Gora Shade | @AngoraShade Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Kris says: For Gora Shade: Ohhh, I really liked this one. Great use of the prompt and while obviously just the start of a story, it feels like a complete segment. FYI it’s tsked, without an I… weird but true. For Mark Ethridge: Okay, nicely done. I really like this one, too. Very thought provoking. Nice full segment (that’s really what impresses me). Well written and good grammar. Nicely done. From Gora Shade: “You can’t actually believe this shit?” Erin glanced sideway at her older brother as she straightened the board and placed the planchette in the middle. “You’re going to back out now?” She tisked through her teeth. “Coward.” Bernie threw up his hands. “They aren’t real!” Erin cleared her throat. “Shut up and put your fingers on this thing. We’re gonna talk to ghosts.” Bernie shook his head, but reluctantly complied. “This is stupid.” Erin put enough pressure on the planchette to guide it in three counterclockwise circles, as the Ouija directions suggested. She stopped and waited, brow narrowing. This was going to be perfect: the board, candles, incense, and Marty’s plan to jump out and scare the crap out of Bernie! “Oh, dear sprits. Do you hear me?” Bernie chuckled. She shot him a dirty look, but his smirk remained. “Are there any spirits who would speak with us?” Somewhere outside, a wind chime rang, but the room was still. The planchette however, was not. “You’re moving it,” Bernie said. Lying. “I’m not.” The planchette traversed the board, moving in jittery slips to the upper left, where the magnified lens hovered above yes. “Um…” Bernie began. “Who is it?” The candle flickered and Marty jumped out from behind the kitchen door in his werewolf mask. Bernie was white as a sheet. “You assholes!” Erin gripped her sides in laughter until Marty took off his mask, obviously stunned. “What?” she asked. Marty’s jaw fell open as he pointed. “It’s still moving.” From Mark Ethridge: In the picture it was night, with the moon fighting to break through the clouds, and two black dragons illuminated in its white light. “Dragons.” I looked at my therapist. “They aren’t real. At least, that’s what everyone says.” She didn’t say anything, instead using her silence to urge me to say what I actually thought. “What if they’re not physical?” “What do you mean?” “What if we can’t see them, can’t touch them, can’t shoot them with our guns, can’t take pictures of them. And despite all that, what if they’re still real.” “What do you mean?” “What if they’re like demons, angels, spirits, or ghosts?” I scratched my chin. “What if they are real, but live in other dimensions, or don’t have physical forms, so we can’t prove they exist?” “Do you believe in demons and dragons?” “Not really. But I think they are good names for the parts of ourselves that haunt us. The voices in our heads. The nightmares in our sleep. The dark thoughts, the anger, the rage, we all have.” “But what do you think of those parts of ourselves?” “Those are real. I think we all have them.” I took a deep breath, “My father told me, the last time I visited him before he died, that there was darkness in me. That it was part of me.” “And?” “I don’t know. Maybe we’re both black dragons and white knights. Darkness and light. Maybe in some of us, darkness wins.” ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Eight Time Winner Gora and Fifteen Time Winner Mark, and Honorable Mentions Eric 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! 🙂

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Week 532 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Louisa Bacio 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: Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Silver James | @SilverJames_ Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Mark A. Morris David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Honorable Mentions Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Louisa says: Etheridge flash packs a strong punch. There’s a slow build-up, until the end: “She was totally blind to what she could not see with her eyes.” Ethridge, though, makes the reader feel the truth. David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Louisa says: The split of the prompt was cleverly done, and I had to read it a few times to catch it. The piece contains a strong nuance of providing information without telling it. Of particular note, the use of gender inclusivity (they/them) for the sibling. Nicely done.  winner announcement Week 532 Winner Silver James | @SilverJames_ Louisa says: James bared all her writing “teeth and claws” this week. The tight descriptions and dialogue drew me in. “We live in N’Awlins, cher. How can y’not believe?” Beau’s got something he’s hiding, and this secret is going to be a hairy one! I believe. “I’ve never understood why people enjoy getting scared silly.” Beau looked at her as if she’d sprouted a second head. His gaze was so intense she fought the urge to reach up to check. “Ah, cher. What’cha don’t know can hurt chu.” “I don’t believe so. Seriously, think about it. Monsters aren’t real.” At his narrow-eyed expression she hastened to explain. “Horror novel and movie monsters don’t exist. Human monsters? Well, yes. It seems like there’s one on every corner. My point is, why do people think it’s fun to get scared by stuff like haunted houses.” “We live in N’Awlins, cher. How can y’not believe?” Resisting the urge to roll her eyes because that was something only teen girls did and she was long past that stage in her life, she said, “In ghosts and things that go bump in the night? Of course I don’t. They aren’t real.” He studied her a long moment. “So you truly don’t believe in monsters?” “Not the kind you mean. All figments of the imagination.” “I wish that was true. As it happens, things that go bump in the night often have teeth and claws.” He would know, being one of the fanged and furry. She sputtered out a laugh. “Like rougarou? No such thing. Men don’t turn into wolves.” She realized he was serious. “Wait. You don’t really believe in that stuff. Do you?” He turned away. “I would tell you if I could,” he muttered. “But you aren’t ready.” ~~~~~~~ Congratulations FIFTY-NINE TIME WINNER Silver, and Honorable Mentions Mark and David! 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! 🙂

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Week 531 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Lexi Post 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: Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor Atticus Stryker | @TAFORU David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Mark A. Morris Silver James | @SilverJames_ Kelly Heinen | @Aightball Eric Martell | @drmag00 Honorable Mentions Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Lexi says: This film noir story with the humorous twist brings the reader full circle. Very complete. Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Lexi says: To have alien worldbuilding, backstory, and attitude in so few words was truly remarkable and fun! Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Lexi says: This was a powerful piece that set up the issue, pulled the reader in to champion the narrator, and end with a very satisfying image. winner announcement Week 523 Winner Eric Martell | @drmag00 Lexi says: The craft of this story is excellent. The otherworldliness of the piece is hinted at in the second sentence, sitting in the reader’s subconscious while being distracted by what, at first, appears to be a typical scene. The hints continue, building while the narrator’s complete love and trust are revealed. This flash fiction ends with a hope for happiness but leaves an eerie question hanging. I’d enjoy teaching this in a literature class and have students discussing it. She snuggled up to me, the glowing rectangle in her hand the only light on this overcast and moonless night. It still made her eyes sparkle as if there were a million stars beaming down upon us. I put an arm around her and held her close. Not only was it dark, but the October chill had come, and her warmth protected me from it, at least on one side. She kept poking at the thing I’d originally thought of as a phone, and numbers and symbols danced before my eyes. I understood very little of it, but whatever it said, it was making her happy, and that was all I needed. “There,” she said, and with one last tap the screen flashed and a countdown started. Five minutes. I didn’t know if that was a long time or a short time for this kind of thing. “How does it work again?” I’d asked once before, and she’d just kissed me until I forgot why I’d ever been curious. She kissed me again, but this time I pushed her away. “Please?” “I would tell you if I could. I really would. But I promised I would be the only one on Earth who understood this thing.” She kissed me again, but quickly. “And does it really matter how? You and I will be together. Isn’t that enough?” This time, I kissed her. The timer was somehow down to thirty seconds. She was right. It was enough. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Nineteen Time Winner Eric, and Honorable Mentions Bill, Miya, and Mark! 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! 🙂

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Week 530 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to David Ludwig 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: Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Daniel Swensen | @mxdshipwreck Silver James | @SilverJames_ Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor Mark A. Morris Teresa Eccles | @TeresaMEccles David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Louisa Bacio | @Louisabacio M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Eric Martell | @drmag00 Kelly Heinen | @Aightball David says: I enjoyed every entry this week. I really appreciate when judging is this hard, and everyone should be proud of their work. Honorable Mentions Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila David says: Great hook with the immediate introduction of the conflict. I also thought you integrated the prompt very smoothly into its scene. Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea David says: I love the pacing of your detective musing his way through his cases. Though it’s clear things happen before and after this piece, the story felt nicely complete. Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor David says: I loved the flow of this one and the repetition of the prompt in the middle. In a tight field, the choice to write poetry instead of prose stood out. Kelly Heinen | @Aightball David says: The way you used the prompt in Stan’s rebuke of Callum resonated with me. I also love the rich intricacies of your death setting. winner announcement Week 530 Winner Daniel Swensen | @mxdshipwreck David says: This one gets the win because it never left my mind after I read it. I’m right there with Derek, feeling that this notebook for only $20 is too good to be true, and the seller isn’t even trying to hide it. Like our protagonist, I’d probably buy the notebook, all the while knowing I probably shouldn’t. Haunting stuff. “Twenty dollars,” the man said. He didn’t look like a pusher. Nice suit, perfectly coiffed hair, manicured fingernails. He pushed the little notebook across the table. Compact, smaller than a cahier notebook, with a leather cover. Derek eyed it cautiously. “That seems awfully low.” The man shrugged. “How does it work again?” “You write what you want on the paper. Tear it out. Eat it. Then you’ll experience what you wished for. It lasts about an hour in real time. About twelve in your fantasy of choice.” “And then what?” “You wake up and go back to your life. Or not, if you prefer.” The man’s smile was both gentle and cold. Derek touched the little notebook, turned it over in his hands. “Anything I wish for?” “Anything. A harem of beautiful women. A career as an astronaut. Permission to murder without consequence. The paper doesn’t judge.” Derek swallowed hard. His thoughts were already flowing. “Is it addictive?” The man folded his hands. “Not physically. No deleterious effects. The paper can sting a little going down, but no permanent damage. However…” Derek looked up, locking eyes with the man. “However, what?” That cold and gentle smile again. “Psychologically, it can be very compelling. There’s a certain continuity to the fantasies. You may find yourself wanting to live in them forever. And that can be dangerous. if you get hooked.” The man chuckled. “It’s a long way down.” “And I can find you if I need more?” “Always.” Derek slid a twenty across the table. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Ten Time Winner Daniel, and Honorable Mentions Katheryn, Bill, Joseph, and Kelly! 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! 🙂

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Week 529 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Bill Engleson 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: Nicola M. Cameron | @YesItsNicolaC Richard Gibney | @ragtaggiggagon Mark A. Morris Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Silver James | @SilverJames_ Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Bill says: It’s late September and, in my neck of the woods, it is still reasonably warm. We have had very few rainy days in the past two months. The earth is as dry as a word-parched writer. However, we are known as the “wet” coast of Canada, and the rain is a regular feature. It will come. I had hoped that there would be an epidemic of noirish contributions for me to judge. That would have kept me smack dab in my literary comfort zone.  Alas, that was not to be. There were however a plethora of relatively unfamiliar world views that I was happy to enter and visualise. So many thanks for that. Onward to my decisions… Honorable Mentions David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Bill says: Love in universes I am unversed in are challenging. In David’s snapshot of love and risk, I found that while I didn’t need to fully understand the turf, whether it was fantasy or real, the emotions of the two ‘lovers,’ Mukuro and Karasu, were lovingly depicted. “She looked away bashfully but didn’t let go. Her heart raced. His matched hers. Unlike Karasu, Mukuro didn’t have a pseudodragon to let her know what he was feeling.“   I am still working on the notion of pseudodragon…just can’t picture it. Silver James | @SilverJames_ Bill says: Silver is a skilled writer who creates complex emotional scenes with a few deft strokes of the pen. In the aftermath of a SEAL Team Atlantis operation, the survivors reflect on fallen comrades. She incorporates the prompt as a vessel to take us to memory. And a promise to protect as she wraps up her entry: “I can’t let you fall alone.” The words came back to haunt him. He’d let his brother down. He’d let him fall. Alone. Warm lips touched the skin of his face. He blinked. Focused. All eyes watched him. He shifted, put his arm across Meg’s shoulders. “A brother,” he said. “Who fell into darkness.” “I’ll never let you fall,” Meg promised. I figure this is something a hard-boiled Sam Spade could easily get behind. winner announcement Week 529 Winner Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Bill says: I like humour. I easily ‘fell” for Mark’s jaunty tale of Donna’s ‘fall from grace’ on Miranda. Mostly though I felt that he used the prompt, a quite unwieldly phrase, with slightly more ease than the other contributors…“Damn-it, woman! You know damn well I can’t let you fall alone! It’s a long damn walk back!” I will acknowledge, however, that Siobhan handled it quite adeptly. I do have to wonder why Miranda sounds like the old Canadian Mining company, Noranda? I don’t know, just as I didn’t know Miranda was one of the moons of Uranus. Uranus is always hilarious though…in the right sort of company. As are Uranus moonings! When we were growing up, we’d always wanted to be astronauts, exploring the planets and their moons. That’s how we wound up walking on Miranda, working on a detailed mineral inventory for one of SpaceX’s mining companies. “It’s a pretty view, isn’t it?” Donna paused and looked over the edge of the Verona Rupes. “Yep. 20 kilometers. It’s a long way down.” She laughed. “I want a better view.” I watched as she walked right along the edge of the cliff. “Not a great idea, you know. There could be loose rock.” “I’ll be careful.” She continued walking along the edge. Until she found the loose rock, which gave way under her foot, and I watched as she pitched forward, over the edge of the cliff. “Well, damn…” That’s all I could say. If she’d fallen on any Earth, or Mars, I’d have waved bye to her, and called for a team to come fetch her remains. But this was Miranda. I walked off the cliff after her. “Damn-it, woman! You know damn well I can’t let you fall alone! It’s a long damn walk back!” I wondered how long it would take to reach the bottom. I’d never fallen in such weak gravity before. All Donna could say was, “Oops. Sorry. Good thing the suits recycle the air.” “Maybe we can try to catch something on the cliff, and stop our falls?” Donna laughed. “Where’s the fun in that?” ~~~~~~~ Congratulations Fourteen Time Winner Mark, and Honorable Mentions David, 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! 🙂

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Week 528 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Mary Decker 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: Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Mark A. Morris Silver James | @SilverJames_ Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Mary says: Once again, I am delighted and honored to sit here reading your stories. I have learned so much over the years reading and writing flash, seeing so many talented writers’ work week after week- watching it grow— and shrink to fit the confines of Flash. Y’all are inspiring, and you never make my job easy. Thank you!  Honorable Mention Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor Mary says: This story is short, sweet and one— I’m pretty sure each of us have lived at one point in our lives. Well done. winner announcement Week 528 Winner Miya Kressin | @miya_kressin Mary says: This story is amazing – the way it conveys not only the images, but the depths of emotion. Each time I read it – I see something more. Layers are hard enough – but within the constraints of Flash, it means so much more. “Your wing— what is wrong with it?” I unfurl my wings so that I can see them, and even knowing exactly what I’m going to see doesn’t brace me for the mottled appearance. Where pristine white feathers had been, hints of gray and black have begun, and I can feel the fire burning deeper toward the muscles that control them. “I need to pack what I can take with me,” is what I say instead. It’s easier than to say that I’m transitioning… falling. Maybe I was falling for her, but most likely I was falling for me. I could have denied her, could have done anything except put what she needed above my duty. Instead, I gave in to the need she kindled in my flesh. “You’re falling.” I turn away before I can see the tears in my best friend’s eyes. “Are you falling to Earth or deeper?” Given what I’ve done, the work the other angels will have ahead of them… “Definitely deeper. There’s a chance of a Nephilim.” His curse booms off my chamber walls and cracks the plaster. “I’ll help you fly down. I don’t think you can manage it, not with as far as the hellfire has eaten your wings.” “You’ll be punished. They might make you fall.” He reaches out and hesitantly runs a finger over an unblemished feather. “You’re my best friend. I can’t let you fall alone.”~~~~~~~ Congratulations Eight Time Winner Miya, and Honorable Mention Joseph! 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! 🙂

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Week 527 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Nicola Cameron 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: Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Silver James | @SilverJames_ Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Mark A. Morris Eric Martell | @drmag00 David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Louisa Bacio | @Louisabacio Thalia Echoes | @EchoTheCall M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Honorable Mentions Mark A. Morris Nicola says: Awwww. This made me smile. Joseph P Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor Nicola says: funny, engaging, and a nice comeuppance piece perfectly encapsulated into the word length. Well done! winner announcement Week 527 Winner Eric Martell | @drmag00 Nicola says: Beautifully evocative piece that pulled me right in. Well done! “You’re going to pay for that.” “That” was the touching she’d done earlier in the day. She hadn’t come close (well, not *that* close) to touching, y’know, there, but her hands on my legs, my arms, my shoulders was enough. Just being with her was a turn-on. Being touched was a dream. But there were appointments and obligations. Other people to see. People we hadn’t told yet, people we didn’t want to know, not yet. What we had was too new, too undefined, to share, even with friends. Besides, it’s a thrill, isn’t it, when only the two of you know? When it’s a secret that ties you together in a world all your own? Everyone else had gone home, eventually, their extended departures a slow torture. I hoped no one noticed how excited I was for them to leave. Maybe it was the touching she’d done earlier. Maybe it was the alcohol consumed with friends. Maybe it was her smile or her hair or the way she looked at me when no one else was around. Maybe I was falling for her, fast and deeply, over my head from the word go. She sat on the floor in front of me, her hair brushed to the left, exposing the curve of her neck and her ear. I traced a finger down the back of her neck, the air crackling and her moan escaping without thought. I wanted to do this all night. Just this. She’d pay, alright.~~~~~~~ Congratulations Eighteen Time Winner Eric, and Honorable Mentions Mark and Joseph! 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! 🙂

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Week 526 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to George Varhalmi 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: Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Mark A. Morris Silver James | @SilverJames_ David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Mark Ethridge | @mysoulstears Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Honorable Mentions Katheryn J. Avila | @katheryn_avila George says: I liked the edginess of it. It packed a punch in the gut with the uncertainty between the characters. I liked where it was going and want to read more. Mark A. Morris George says: I liked that someone isn’t quite with it – waking up will do that to a guy – but suddenly his friend is a Tooth Fairy and smacks him with a shoulder bag full of molars. It was funny. Special Mention: Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir George says: For the birthday woman, she too, deserves a mention. Because she wrote a strong, sensitive, and tearful tale. It was sincere, sad, and heartbreaking. All the feels. winner announcement Week 526 Winner M.T. Decker | @mishmhem George says: This was snarky, funny, and the last line just nailed it for me – “Kids these days.” You have an old sold looking out for the younger and less experienced. And he takes no one’s crap. Great story. Who Hunts the Hungry? Cal pulled his army jacket a little tighter around him as the caravan pulled into the parking lot near the bridge and unpacked their gear. Some of it he recognized, and some he didn’t but he knew what they were the minute one of them started talkin’ about Madame Laveau, ghosts, and vampires. He also saw a small group of neo-goths targeting the group. He sighed. He could just let the two groups duke it out, but it wasn’t in the best interest of the neighborhood. With a sigh, he pulled his collar up and approached the ghost hunters. He knew that warning them away would only make them want to stay so he smiled and drew closer. “Y’all know why I’m here,” he said in a long-suffering voice as he reached the group. “That’ll be fifty dollars.” “What?” Their leader demanded. Cal nodded pointing to the parking sign. “Fifty dollars.” “But, we have a permit.” “Permit don’t cover parkin’, son.” He smiled as they briefly discussed the merits of paying before packing up and leaving. They were long gone by the time the hunters were in position. “You’re going to pay for that, old man,” one of the neogoths growled He turned, towards them his eyes, glowing in the dark, “You know why I’m here,” he answered. “Ain’t no prey here— just put dem fangs back inside your head an’ keep moving.” He shook his head as they walked away. Kids these days. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations TWENTY-THREE TIME WINNER M.T., and Honorable Mentions Katheryn and Mark! 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! 🙂

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Week 525 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Eric Martell 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: Silver James | @SilverJames_ Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea T.M. Eccles | @TeresaMEccles Mark A. Morris Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Honorable Mention Joseph P. Garland | @JPGarlandAuthor Eric says: A secret tryst (a French secret tryst, no less) in a room with a Christmas dinosaur? That could go so many ways, most of them fun. I can see the room, the door, smell the wood and the boxes, and see her smile. Good stuff. winner announcement Week 525 Winner Mark A. Morris Eric says: This one had me from the line “Its eyes were featureless and red, like holes in a lantern.” Just painting such a vivid picture with few words – always a key in a good flash fiction story. And it made me want to know more about the machine. Who made it? What kind of civilization is this? I love when a simple line opens a world. Payment: The mechanoid appeared by degrees. It was a vague shadow at first, one I’d overlooked, my eyes finding nothing specific to focus on. And then it opened his eyes. Its eyes were featureless and red, like holes in a lantern. There was nothing to be seen in them: they were optical equipment, nothing more. There was a mind behind them, but it was purely analytical. It had already decided what it was going to do. “You’re awake,” it growled, already knowing it as a fact. “I prefer it when people are conscious for the whole of the proceedings.” Its voice had enough grit to be a synthetic analogue, a close approximation of Earl Jones or Fishburne. It was a voice you couldn’t help but pay attention to. Especially when you woke up in the middle of the night to hear it. “You’ll know why I’m here,” it said, rising from my chair. “There’s an imbalance to be addressed. An overdue debt.” At its full height, it was tall enough for it to have needed to stoop when it had come through the doorway into my room. But I’d not heard it coming in. It was as stealthy as it was dominant. Not that I’d ever think of challenging it. It clicked its fingers, and the lights came on. That’s always a neat trick if you can manage it. Getting the money from me would be more difficult. I’d not see this night through and still have no bones broken. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations THIRTY-ONE TIME WINNER Mark, and Honorable Mention Joseph! 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! 🙂

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Week 524 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’re in Year 10 and that’s an accomplishment in itself! Thank you to all y’all for coming back to write for all these years. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Daniel Swensen 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: Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir Silver James | @SilverJames_ Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil Teresa Eccles | @TeresaMEccles Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Mark A. Morris Thalia Echoes | @EchoTheCall David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig Eric Martell | @drmag00 M.T. Decker | @mishmhem Daniel says: As always, it was a great pleasure to read everyone’s stories. There wasn’t a bad one in the bunch and it was tough to choose from them all. Honorable Mentions Teresa Eccles | @TeresaMEccles Daniel says: Teresa Eccles for the story of music and magic. I’m a big fan of that sort of thing and love the idea of the inherent wildness of both music and magic blending together. Eric Martell | @drmag00 Daniel says: Eric Martell for the compelling take on the “what would you say if” question that floats around social media every couple of weeks. It’s tough to make this concept work, but I think he nailed it. winner announcement Week 524 Winner Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea Daniel says: Bill Engleson for the story of the stand-up comedian with a bad idea. It was brisk, witty, and kept me engaged from the first word to the last — not much more I can ask of a piece of flash fiction. The Comic Stage presence. That’s the key I’ve been told. You can have the best material in the business but if you implode on stage, if you’re a flat tire on a lonely highway with no cell service, no spare, no can of inflatable air, you might as well wander off in the desert and marry a cactus. I’d been warming up for weeks, coming into THE LAUGH RIOT before sunrise, trying out all the new material I could muster. Solo. To an empty house. I needed a test audience. You’d be surprised how many people are out in the streets before the sun comes up. I know. Mostly homeless. I figured I’d hire a few each morning and that way they would be indoors, get a bit of entertainment, offer some constructive feedback, and bobs your funny old uncle—Robert, who hit the road back in the sixties. Yeah, that Bob. My audience of three sat in the darkness but I could tell they were suspicious. “Twenty bucks each just to sit here and maybe laugh?” one, Louie, asked. “Yup, I said. “You’re nuts, buddy…but, fire away.” So, with Louie’s permission, I told my first joke. “An old comic went on a trip. He picked himself up pretty fast though. No bones broken.” I waited for something. A snicker. A guffaw. Breathing, even. Then I asked into the darkness, “Guys, how am I doing so far?” Nothing. Then I heard the back door slam. “Guys?” But they were gone. ~~~~~~~ Congratulations THIRTY-ONE TIME WINNER Bill, and Honorable Mentions Teresa, and Eric! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! There will be NO #THURSTHREADS on August 18th as I’ll be on vacation for the first time since 2019. 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! 🙂

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