Welcome back to the home of #ThursThreads for Week 681. 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 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 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 Facebook, Bluesky, MeWe, and Mastodon, etc.
Our Judge for Week 681:
College professor, equality enthusiast, and romance author, Louisa Bacio.
Facebook | Bluesky | Instagram |
And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.
The Prompt:
“I don’t need to belong.”
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 Darkened Window
I wait here in the shadows, the moon sneaking through a sliver of glass not covered by the blinds. Meant to fix that gap when things mattered, when I was on a roll, when making an impression was worth something to me.
It ain’t worth bupkis now. Nothing is. Wish it did. I mean, no one wants to see their light start to flicker and then burn out. It’s always the other guy in the crosshairs of failure.
Never you!
Never me!
I had plans, big plans. Expand the agency, move into insurance work. Meaningful labour. High paying. The insurance investigation racket’s a gold mine. I don’t need to belong to the hoity toity upper crust. Never wanted to be that rich.
But I did want more.
That was my Achilles heal.
I wanted more.
It’s the little steps along the way that always you up. I had bits of intel, embarrassing details that I figured certain people would pay to keep on the q. t. So I made my pitch. Wasn’t greedy. Wasn’t looking for a massive score, just enough to finance the next step along the way.
The Senator seemed a safe mark. Guys like him are always rolling in dough and can’t let their weird peccadillos become public knowledge.
I should’ve known he was connected.
They’ll be here soon. Whoever they are.
Sure, I could take it on the lamb but they’d find me.
I’ll just wait here.
Pay the piper my death duties.
250 Words
@billmelaterplea
@sterlings-son-2.bsky.social