Welcome back to the home of #ThursThreads for Week 688. 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 Discord 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 688:
Scientist, Dad, and flash fiction author, Eric Martell.
And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.
The Prompt:
“What are you doing?”
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!
“What are you doing?”
I heard it. Offered no reply, simply continued to fold his blue cashmere sweater and place it into a suitcase that was open on the bed.
“I asked you a question. What are you doing?”
When I still did not respond, I felt his hand pull my arm away from what I was, in fact, doing. He pulled me hard enough so I could look him straight in the eye. I don’t know that I’d ever seen him so irate with a hint of confusion.
“You really don’t know?” I asked, my voice as hard as I could make it. “I’m packing your things. What does it look like?”
“You found out?” His tone was altered. I could practically hear his mind working through a wide array of possibilities.
I turned back to fold a cotton sweater, yellow, that fit him well and was prominent in pictures that had been taken at the beach on the Cape on our last vacation. The ones that he plastered all over Facebook and Instagram.
“You can take these to her place,” I said as I tidied the piles in the suitcase. “And the rest of your stuff.”
He saw that his suits were all gone from the closet and draped across an armchair.
“It was nothing,” he said.
“The problem,” I said, finally looking at him, “is that it was.”
I zipped the suitcase closed and hefted in onto the floor.
“That’s what I’m doing.” I left the room.
250 words @JPGarlandAuthor