Welcome back to the home of #ThursThreads for Week 695. 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 Bluesky, MeWe, Discord, and Mastodon, etc.
Our Judge for Week 695:
Jolly cynic and Transcendentalist groupie, K.R. Van Horn.
Bluesky |
And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.
The Prompt:
“You know what I mean?”
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!
Bar None
It was early in the day, not even ten in the blessed morning but I had a yen to wet my whistle. I’d called in sick, not a thing to be proud of and I ain’t a malingerer in case you were wondering.
It was just one of those morning when the world goes all wonky.
When you start the day watching the news, you’re asking for it, right? Lots of people just shutdown the outside world but not me.
First off, Trump has his Cabal of Peace. I know, I made that up. Whatever it is, the Pope ain’t playing.
Points for him in my book.
But then, Randy Andy, ex-Prince of all he Betrayed, arrested.
Cuffed I hope. You know what I mean? Treated like any crim. Sure, all that innocent until proven crapola but guilt is guilt, right? That’s what we, the common folk know. You better know what I mean…sure you do.
What gets in my craw is that I am a friggin’ Royalist. Love the various Monarchies….Old Liz, my God, she must be turning in her Royal Crypt or wherever she’s planted.
So, feeling happy and depressed at the same time, which ain’t as easy as you might think, you can see why I needed a drink so here I am, walking to the Bar None, my favourite watering hole, talking to myself on the street, hoping I don’t get picked up an sent to the loony bin.
It’s just that kinda morning.
250 Words
@billmelaterplea
@sterlings-son-2.bsky.social
Ariel neatly sliced his French toast into exact squares. He had not doused the plate with syrup and three link sausages lined up with military precision next to a perfectly round fried egg, the yolk almost orange in color staring at him like the sun through a white cloud. He ignored Druic, regretting the fact he’d told the kid of his dream.
Druic looked everywhere but at the man sitting across the table from him. He poked at the pile of scrambled eggs on his plate then chased a piece of bacon across it. He sipped his coffee, drank his orange juice. And he fretted. Fae did not dream and the fact that not only had Ariel dreamed vividly, but that he was willing to discuss it put him on alert. In the back of his mind, he knew he should make note of this occurrence and notify Queen Titania but dreams were…bad. The were often the precursor to madness in his people. He didn’t want Ariel to be crazy. He jerked when Ariel spoke.
“I know what you’re thinking, Druic.”
He forced himself to look at the other fae. “I don’t want you to be mad!” He blurted the words without thinking.
Ariel nodded. “What do you know of dreams?”
The boy floundered so Ariel continued. “We don’t dream. But we can enter other’s dreams. Do you know what I mean?”
Shocked, Druic could only ask, “Who?”
“My guess is Titania.”
“But why?”
“Because she can.”
****
250 Penuymbra Papers #6 WIP words
Silver James
https://silverjames.com
*reposted to correct a missing space between two words and to add my name*
Frank stared at a snagged thread on his cubical wall. With one good pull, the thread would be free. He reached forward to give the thread the freedom he wished he had.
“Frank, are you listening to me?”
He jerked, his hand mere inches from his goal. With a resigned sigh, he dropped his hand in his lap and glared at the woman standing in the entryway of his cubical.
“Frank!”
He had no idea what she had been talking about. Frank usually avoided her by slipping his headset on and faking a phone call with a vendor. She caught him unawares and now he was paying the price.
“What do you want, Kathy?”
Kathy took that as an invitation and began airing her litany of grievances anew. Today, it was her neighbor who refused to adhere to the HOA by-laws and dared to park their car in the driveway overnight and not in their garage again. The audacity.
“It’s just such an eyesore. I just don’t understand how people cannot follow simple rules. You know what I mean?”
“No, Kathy, I don’t know what you mean, nor do I care.”
Kathy gasped, turning apoplectic. “Well, I never!”
“Perhaps if you had, we wouldn’t have to listen to you day in and day out.”
Her mouth gaped like a fish. “You are a very uncouth man,” she hissed before stomping away to her cubicle on the other side of the office.
Frank grabbed the thread and tugged. It fluttered free.
@mlgammella.bsky.social
250 words
“You want to assault the Forlorn Tower?!”
Headmaster Penn slammed his hands down on his regal desk. Luger picked wax out of his ear. The old man was so excitable.
“Like I said, these adventurers needed a wizard for their party.”
The headmaster dragged a hand over his face and down his white beard.
“And they asked you?”
“They said I’m the Chosen One,” Luger shrugged.
“I shudder to imagine the intelligence of anyone who said that.”
“Hey, you and my mom met as adventurers. Maybe this is something I’ll finally be good at.”
“And I promised your mother that you would be educated. If it were beasts, bandits, or raiders that would be one thing. But what use will you be against the Arch-Lich with what you know?”
“What I mean is this classroom stuff isn’t working for me. Maybe if I get out there and actually use my magic, something will click. The lands around the Forlorn Tower are dangerous enough, I should have plenty of chances to get up to speed before the Arch-Lich.”
Headmaster Penn fell heavily back into his armchair.
“Your mind is already made up.”
“Yep.”
The old man sighed.
“Very well. Make sure you continue your studies while you’re out there. I’ll teleport your exams to you on the regular schedule.”
“Wait! What?”
Luger bolted upright. The headmaster smiled dangerously.
“I will not tolerate these extracurriculars interfering with your education.”
237 words
@davidaludwig.bsky.social
Emmett walked over to the body; shaking his head, this couldn’t be happening again. They changed the name of their town to escape; but here they were again another day, another murder, a possible serial killer again. What attracted a killer or killers, to their small town? Their evidence was miniscule, and there were no conclusions to be made. Young adults were losing their lives and to whom? Did there have to be more bodies to find the evidence to put this murderer away. What if he came after Rose? She was the right age; she fit the profile a university age girl. He wouldn’t let anything happen to his step- daughter she’d been through so much already and so had his wife, Lily and their younger daughter, Clover. He would keep his own family safe first, but Emmett hoped and prayed that no more murders would happen.
“Are you okay Chief?” Kendall asked.
“It’s just this case. You know what I mean?” Emmett sighed.
“Yes, it reminds me of the Beyer Case.”
“That seemed easier than this one.”
“That was historical, at least we could search the victim’s identities, easier.”
“You’d think someone would be missing these girls. Do their families even know they are missing, or do they consider them throwaways?”
“We’ll catch them, especially with your hands on approach”
“Partners again for the duration, chief?” Kendall asked,
“Call me Emmett when were alone partner and bring your trainee, Geoff Hanson! He’ll learn from the both of us.”
250 Words
@sweetsheil.bsky.social
“Oh my glory, give me something!” Lisa threw herself out of her chair and kicked the trash can across the office.
“Are we storming the castle or taking down Oscar the Grouch?”
Lisa whipped around and found Ann leaning against the doorway of the office.
“Neither. We can’t fucking do anything because we don’t have any clues or data as to where the hell that mudfucker took Barrett!” She kicked the trash can again, and it skittered across the floor to hit the bookcase, spilling chip bags and used tissues over the wood.
“Oscar the Grouch it is.” Ann nodded slowly. “When was the last time you ate something?”
Lisa shook her head. “Barrett is missing! I don’t have time to eat. I gotta find them.”
“You’re not gonna find shit if you don’t keep your mind sharp and your body fed.” Ann stood back and gestured toward the kitchen. “Get your ass in the chow hall before you collapse from exhaustion.”
“Hey, I’m Delta, I’ve never collapsed from exhaustion.” Lisa scowled.
“You know what I mean. You’re not gonna think straight if you don’t get some chow into you. Move it, Delta! On the double.” Ann grabbed Lisa by the arm and dragged her out of the office.
“Hey, I outrank you. This is insubordination.”
“You can write me up with Captain Wilcox after you’ve had a decent meal. Let’s go.”
232 ineligible #SirensInc words
@siobhanmuir.bsky.social
#ThursThreads is now CLOSED. Thanks to everyone who wrote this week and I hope to catch you next week.