Welcome back to the home of #ThursThreads. Wow. Year 10. A whole decade. I’m astounded.
Today is Thursday and that means it’s time to start flashing, like we have for 10 whole years. It’s amazing we’ve gone this long! This is Week 561 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook and the Group on MeWe.
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 Twitter handle or email in the post (so we don’t have to look for you)
- The challenge is open 7 AM to 8 PM Mountain Time
- 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 Facebook, Twitter, MeWe, and Google Plus, etc.
Our Judge for Week 561:
Uncaffeinated word witch writing daddies, bears, and paranormal beefcake, Kelex.
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And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.
The Prompt:
“Both went as far as she could see.”
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. Good luck!
The Ladies Next Door
I don’t have a buzzer on my front door. Took it out when I bought my house. Little house. Post-war construction. One level. Suits me.
Hate buzzers. Guess I thought not having one would stop drop-ins.
That was foolish.
Knockers. Anyone can knock.
That’s what I was hearing.
It wouldn’t stop. I crawled out of bed, grabbed my ratty blue dressing gown, went to my side of the door, opened it
The Lady from next door.
Marge?
Maybe.
“Marge?”
“Evelyn. I’m…”
“Sorry. Not good with names. What’s up?’
“Stupid kids,” she muttered.
I couldn’t help but agree, even though I didn’t have context.
“Two boys. Kept on ringing our doorbell. We’d answer. They’d run away.”
“Good. Glad they’re gone.”
“No,” she emphasized. “They kept coming back. My wife took after them the last time. Followed both. Went as far as she could see, but it was too dark, so she came home.”
“So,” I started to guess, knowing something was missing “It’s over?”
“They came back again. Julie followed them again like before. “
“Did she find them?”
“She hasn’t come back. It’s been over an hour.”
“Have you called the police?”
“You think I should?”
“She’s been gone an hour. I’m not saying something happened but yeah, call them.”
“Aren’t you…?” she began to ask.
“I’m private,” I said. “Use to be a cop. My advice, call the police.”
She came in, used my phone.
It was going to be a long night.
250 words
http://www.engleson.ca
There was a road to either side of her. Both went as far as she could see, ruler-straight, without any dips or rises to give anyone a chance to sneak up on her. But she still felt uneasy, as though she was missing something important.
Haven was that kind of place. You distrusted everything and everyone, even yourself.
“You wanna choose?”
“Nah,” said her second head, heaving up a gobbet, depositing it beside her boot. “I figure you’ve already made up your mind. If I can’t read your ‘tells’, nobody can. That’s why we can never play poker again.”
Evelyn’s lip curled in distaste. Her ‘sister-on-the-other-shoulder’ would never let that go. She’d been trying to get a little company that wouldn’t creep her out. The fact that he’d been built like a truck had been a bonus. When you were born with a conjoined twin, you can’t ever be too picky. But Ursula always had her own ideas. The two of them never saw eye to eye.
“Besides, he was more like a hog than a Mack semi. A rutting boar. A cube of muscle, lubricated with sweat and other bodily juices. And you expected me to keep quiet and succumb when he tried to kiss you. Not that you ever play hard to get. There’s no mystery when Missie left-hand head is in charge.”
That was how it always was. The only time they cooperated was when they were riding a motorcycle. And even then, not all the time.
250 words – twothirdzrasta.blogspot.com
Serving the queens of Latrodectus was the duty of my bloodline. Our abilities to know what was needed before it happened was the reason why; but that reasoning let me down after the wedding of our queen, simply, because she had never told me the secret of our bloodline. Coming upon the scene of the Queen’s consort in pieces of the bedroom floor as well as what I assumed was his former love. I watched as the Queen devoured the rest of them and licked her lips.
“Where is your husband and my sister?” Lord Gillam demanded, barging in after all traces had been abolished.
“Gerhard took her for walk this morning but they’ve disappeared. I sent my guards to find them,”.
“That is so my Lord Gillam,” the queen’s maid chimed in.
Both went as far as she could see is that not so, Sela”
“That is so,” I agreed.
The queen disappeared the next day, all were devastated. I being the last of the bloodline was appointed the new Queen, when she was declared dead.
We Gillam and I married on Tuesday. Oddly for him, Lord Gillam was never seen again, I gave birth to twins a boy and girl, nine months later. I pray that my children will never have to devour the ones they love, but I now know that’s impossible, our bloodline demands sacrifice for new birth; for we are Latrodectus Hesperus, the queens of the spiders and destiny will have it’s due.
248 Words
@SweetSheil
Cops at her door was not a good way to start her day. The living room was empty. Good. And bad. The doorbell jangled again followed by pounding hard enough to rattle the window next to the door.
“I’m comin’, already. For chrissakes hold your freakin’ horses.” She fumbled with the locks but left the security chain in place. She gave the two cops a jaundiced eye. One was a grizzled veteran. The other was just a puppy playing dress up. “Whaddya want?”
The puppy puffed out his chest. “Open the door.”
“You gotta a warrant?”
“Don’t need one.”
She looked down her nose at him even though he was taller. “You sure?”
The veteran tossed his partner a side-eye. “We’re looking for two men. Witnesses placed them here last night.”
“What witnesses?” No one in this neighborhood would voluntarily talk to the police.
“Look, ma’am—”
“I don’t gotta look. They ain’t here. Both went.” As far as she could see, the matter was over and done with. She lifted a shoulder in a negligent shrug, her expression bored. “What’s the big deal.”
The older one gave her a hard-eyed once over. She knew what he thought he saw—slept-in mascara giving her raccoon eyes, bed-head hair, ratty shorts and tank top. Wasn’t her fault she’d had all of two hours’ sleep.
“Do you know where they went?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care.” And wouldn’t tell even if she knew. Still, she’d kill her brother when she saw him again.
****
250 totally random words
@SilverJames_
They’d stalked each other for weeks, played this game of cat and mouse. Assassins didn’t like to be the mouse.
Now Desnain stood in unfamiliar territory with a fork in the road before her. Two separate paths split her normally sure decisiveness. One deeply wagon-rutted and the other infringed with overgrown brush. Both went as far as she could see. Both may lead her toward sanctuary, or both may lead her toward death.
There wasn’t time to waste. Surely the Twelve Point on her heels was not far behind. Yet there she stood, transfixed at the next point of no return. The forks in the road felt much like the one in her heart. Split between what had been duty and what had been emotion.
The two were never supposed to mingle in the same space.
Yet here they were.
She touched at the tiny sword pendant fastened around her neck, made of the finest silver, and looked to the treetops. “Rolen, forgive me.”
The tell-tale twang of a bow startled her from her misery. A sharp kiss of metal grazed her cheek, the blur of feathers in her vision as she turned her head, followed by the thud of contact with a tree.
“There ain’t no forgiveness where you’re going, traitor.”
Desnain turned toward the voice and swiped the little bead of blood from her cheek. No point choosing a path now. They both led to death after all.
~*~*~*~*~
240 #CirclesofRevenge words
@DaelynMorgana
“A Prehistoric female has a purse?” Dry amusement oozed from Persia’s voice.
Maya snorted. “Oh hell yeah. I’m not a kangaroo—I don’t have my own pouch to carry stuff. Just be glad I said no to the Gucci crocodile skin purse someone once tried to give me. It felt too creepy carrying around a suchus relative.”
“Ew, yeah. That would be creepy. Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for dinner and the hike again. I’m so glad I got to meet you and spend some time with you. Can I call you tomorrow?”
Maya nodded. “Sure. Call or text. Either is fine.”
She reached out to grasp Maya’s arm. “I’m serious about not screwing this up. You’re worth all the extra effort even though we’ve just met. I’m not going home tonight because I don’t want to be with you. I’m going home so I can get my home in order in case you drop by.” She grinned. “Can’t have you thinking I’m a slob.”
Maya laughed, though it sounded a little sad. “We wouldn’t want that. Please let me know via text when you make it home, okay? Otherwise I’ll worry.”
“Done. Drive safely home yourself.”
Maya nodded and waited for Persia to get to her truck and unlock the doors. Then she waved and headed back out to her B&B. Persia stood and watched her taillights pull away into the darkness. Both went as far as she could see before winking out behind the trees.
249 ineligible #WIP500 words
@SiobhanMuir
“Cylinders.” It was the name of the world. Seeing the mountains, and the ocean, Sunshine finally understood the name. She looked at the mountains, and at the ocean. She looked Eastward, “There should be land that way.” But all she saw was the ocean and the mountains. Both went as far as she could see.
She thought of the Black Mountains near the forest she called home. How those mountains made a line that went as far as she could see in both directions.
That’s when it all fit together for her. “Cylinders.”
A world with plate tectonics. But the plates wrapped around the world, except for the two at the poles, which resembled caps. She headed East, following the mountains. “I should reach land this way.” A world where the plates moved in opposite directions. One went East. One went West. And the mountains formed along their edges, and went completely around the world.
A world of cylinders.
She stopped to rest at night, along the rocky shore of the mountains by the sea. It was a dangerous place to be. The rocks were hot. There were streams of lava scattered across the landscape. “Just like the Black Mountains.”
“Only Merlin could live in such a place as this.”
She spoke to the machines, “I’ll need a safe place to sleep at night.”
They made a boat for her. She would spend the night safely out at sea, where the lava couldn’t reach her.
245 Words
@mysoulstears
No one had warned her about the fork in the road. No, they’d just said, “Follow this road until you reach your destination.” Now, she had to make a decision, a blind one at that, because some joker had destroyed the sign, so unless a person knew the area, they wouldn’t know which direction to head.
She nibbled a fingernail and studied each road. Sunlight glinted warmly on the yellow stones to the right. A forest of giant trees lined the road. The one to the left had the same yellow stones and also cut through the forest. Both went as far as she could see, disappearing into the trees.
Her dog wiggled impatiently in her arms. His presence brought her comfort, and she tightened her hold on him. He whined.
Setting him gently on the ground, she said, “Now you be good and don’t—”
As soon as she let go, the little, brindled dog darted off down the path to the right, barking.
“No, you don’t. Come back here, you little scamp,” she yelled and chased after him.
Well, it looked like her dog had made the decision for her. She just hoped she caught him before he got both of them in trouble. He was always getting her in trouble.
At least she wasn’t in Kansas anymore, and they wouldn’t run into Miss Gulch. But the witch . . . She caught her breath. Oh, no, the witch!
“Toto, come back here!”
241 words
@marcibaun
Maybe it was a metaphor. My kid standing alone in the dark between her mother and me.
Maybe not. I’ve said it before, what do I know about magic?
From where I sat, it seemed we could reach out and touch her if she took even a step in either of our directions. Only, I couldn’t move, and no matter how much I meowed, Spooky didn’t notice me. At least she didn’t seem to see her witch of a mother either.
A path of red light connected her to her mother and a blue one to me. Based on the distant, lost look in Spooky’s eyes, both went as far as she could see. Also, was the witch uphill from us?
No! Kid, don’t go that way! That woman’s evil!
I was ready to pull myself out of my skin if that’s what it took to get between Spooky and Malain. But I couldn’t do anything as my daughter took another step away from me.
“Remember your objective,” the voice of the elf teaching Spooky magic broke through the darkness like a ray of emerald light. “Anything else will be a trap.”
Spooky stopped and placed a small fist over her heart.
“Blackie…”
My kid turned back to me, and suddenly her mother was almost too far away to see.
“Blackie!”
And she saw me! Spooky ran and wrapped her arms around me.
I hugged my daughter back. Wait, was I bigger than her? With arms?
Was I human again?
250 words
@DavidALudwig
A sea of metal stretched down the highway into the sunset. Vehicles packed the roadway bumper to bumper. They walked on the sidewalk, Serena with her arm slung under Peder’s armpit, and him leaning heavily into her. The sun beat down so steadily that steam rose from the ground.
The highway and traffic: Both went as far as she could see. She longed for the welcoming sight of the sand meeting the ocean in a stunning horizon and the cool breezes of the beach. She’d taken for granted the milder climate in her hometown of Long Beach.
A car belched; a dark gray smoke puffed out of the exhaust and coated them in visible and invisible particle gunk. Peder stumbled, sputtering, his breathing growing shallower.
“You gotta keep going,” Serena said, taking on even more of his walking dead weight. “As soon as we get closer to the beach, the more this shit will dissipate.”
“If I live until then.”
“Knock that out. You’re not going anywhere on me. We’re getting out of this Eighties wasteland and going back to our own time.”
Small rivulets of sweat pooled down his forehead, and she watched one hang off the tip of his nose before dropping. How the hell did he have any more moisture in his body to lose?
“Gaw. Gaw.” A seagull glided above their heads, landing on top of a light pole. If the scavenger was close, it meant the ocean had to be.
“Hold on, a bit longer.”
@LouisaBacio
250 words
That Which is Debateable
She watched and waited, her will, a splinter, twisting in the wind as she tried to understand what was happening around her.
The space between them, a moment; a microsecond; a nanometer. They came like thoughts, one after the other, revolving, evolving-marching in lockstep yet counter to the other. There was no reason– it was the only reason
She paused, trying to understand as the other two members of the team spoke. They agreed in thought and counter-thought, but it meant nothing.
It was everything, but it meant nothing.
She closed her eyes, but it only seemed to make things worse. She finally let go of conscious thoughts and stopped trying to understand. She floated from thought to thought, and in the drift she felt warmth and understanding.
She could feel the need, the desire to understand and be understood, but which was which and whose need was more, it was impossible to tell.
The thought flickered as she watched them. In her mind they both went. As far as she could see, there was no difference between one thought and the next, there was no difference between them– and yet there was every difference in the world.
She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I need an aspirin,” she groaned.
The warring parties looked at each other, and the debate continued.
“Point Two.”
Only three hundred to go. She hated debates between dimensions.
233 words not including title
@mishmhem
Marie stood in the center of her living room and wept. To her left was the laundry she’d washed and folded, strewn about like the remnants of a very localized EF-5 tornado. To her right was an intertwined network of red, purple, and black crayons, roughly two feet above the floor (what you could see of it under the clothing) marking a journey from the kitchen to the hall. Both went as far as she could see, rounding the corner and heading towards the bedrooms.
It wasn’t supposed to be this hard, she told herself over and over again. Other parents did this – sometimes alone. Marie had a partner who did everything they could possibly do and more, but even between the two of them, sometimes it just got out of control.
Wiping the tears from her face and trying, but failing, to have hope that the disaster ended just beyond what she could see, Marie took a step forward. And then another.
That’s when she started to hear the giggling; Anna’s high-pitched glee a counterpoint to Caleb’s rumbles.
And *that’s* when Marie knew exactly what she would see.
The main bedroom was a maelstrom of color and fabric, of sparkles and glitter, of music and magic.
And sitting on her bed in the middle were two of the happiest dragons you ever did see.
Marie loved her chaos beasts, but she’d learned right quick that being a Mother of Dragons wasn’t quite what they’d showed on the TV.
249 words
@drmag00
#ThursThreads is now CLOSED. Thanks to everyone who wrote this week and I hope to catch you next week.