Welcome back to the home of #ThursThreads for Week 702. 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 702:
When her eyes get tired from reading, she switches to audiobook, her ears don’t close, Mirra Allure.
Facebook |
And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.
The Prompt:
“Despite everything, there’s hope.”
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!
Two Guys Killing Time Talking Life Stuff
“Well, aren’t you a bundle of opulent optimism!”
“It’s always darkest before…”
“The Don? D O N?”
“Don’t twist my words.”
“Look who’s talking. Anyway, I’m not a complete cynic. I do wonder though about our civilization…”
“Ours?”
“Yeah, the entire planet we live on…putting aside what might be out there…up there…One way to look at us is that we are one gigantic civilization…you know, with component parts. One breaks, we should fix it.”
“Now you’re sounding like me.”
“I am you. You are me. Beatles had it right. Still, not everyone sees it that way.”
“No, that’s for sure. Look, despite everything, there’s hope, right. If we don’t have that, we might as well shuffle off to Buffalo.”
“Where’d you drag that old saw up from. And aren’t buffalos’ almost…extinct?”
“I don’t know. Let me ask A.!.”
“Right!”
“Exactly…here it is. American Bison doing okay. Near Threatened…that doesn’t sound all that good.”
“Anyway, forget Buffalo or buffalos, it’s the human animal I’m sorta worried about.”
“Lets get another round. Talk space…splashdown Friday.”
“That’ll be something.”
“Yup!”
184 Words
@billmelaterplea
@sterlings-son-2.bsky.social
I wanted to scream, “These guys are idiots!” Instead I shook my head and read the headline again. “Pastor declares women can’t vote responsibly, and should not be allowed to vote.”
I sighed. “There are reasons I don’t go to church anywhere.”
It was one of those times when I tried to read the article and failed. The level of stupidity was that deep and that thick. To read the entire article, I’d have to drown in its words.
I wasn’t going to do that.
“Dude never heard of Thatcher. Or Merkel.” I sighed again. “Men are stupid,” I said that even though I was a man.
I knew women were matches for men. I lived with my equal. Hell, in some areas, she was better than I would ever be. I might have more muscle and computer technology savvy than my wife, but I knew she was better in medical technology and investing, than I’d ever be.
“Despite everything, there’s hope.” I made myself think that. “There are other men out there like me, who know the truth, and are trying to change things.”
Hell, if truth be told, men were useless without women. Men couldn’t make other human beings. Without women, we’d all be wiped out in a generation. It took both men and women for humans to survive. That was simple biology. It said, “Both are required.” It said, “Both are equal”.
I could only hope enough men were not stupid that we’d all survive.
@mysoulstears.bsky.social
248 Words (Per Google Write).
Glass shattered against stone, silencing the royal bickering. Two pairs of eyes focused on the very angry human but neither Titania nor Oberon spoke. They simply stared.
“You two are freaking impossible!” Freaking was not the word FBI Agent Sade Marquis wanted to use. “Ariel could be dead. The woman he loves could be dead. And what are you two doing? You sit there on your gaw—” She broke off, censoring herself again. “On your royal asses arguing about which of you has the bigger stake in this. What happens in the human realm has no—” She choked off another curse. “I’m done. I can arrange to have you both banned from my realm.”
Titania pouted. Prettily. “No you can’t.”
Sade glared at the Fae king and queen, bottle-green eyes blazing. “You signed the Accords. I have the authority to ban you from humanity. No more Vegas showgirls.” This aimed at Oberon. “No more Cannes. No more New York or Paris fashion weeks.”
Titania gasped as the threat hit its mark.
Someone plucked at the sleeve of Sade’s jacket. She glanced at the young fae who’d crept up beside her. “What?”
Druic gulped, his gaze skittering around the room before coming to rest on the toes of Sade’s boots. He cleared his throat. “Despite everything, there’s hope.”
“Do you know something I don’t?”
The kid nodded. “There is one who coul help.”
Sade’s lips stretched into a scary smile. “Time to make a deal.”
“You can’t,” Oberon objected.
“Watch me.”
****
250 Penumbra Papers #6 WIP words
Silver James
https://silverjames.com
Mother lay dying, no chance of her getting better but my sister Becca insisted,“Despite everything, there’s hope.”
“Hope? Everyone dies is the way of life. Becca I am the finest healer and even I cannot heal what ails her. There are some things even magic cannot cure.”
“If you truly believed it would work we have the ability to give life.”
I examined my little sister hoping that I was wrong. Becca wouldn’t/couldn’t have used our families ‘ curse.
“Becca you must never use that ability! It requires a trade. A life for a life. It’s random it could be anyone who you have condemned this way!”
“It’s too late I’ve done it that’s why there’s hope. Mother is getting better.”
“Mother will live,” Becca cried looking happily at Mother. Whose breathing had improved.
I felt strange and suddenly my feet fell from below me.
“Oh no Gerrard. It’s my fault!,” Becca cried “You’ll die instead.”
“Do not grieve little sister but promise you’ll never curse anyone again.” I cried in my last breath,
As I felt life leave my body and I saw a beautiful light which I knew I wanted to join. That was my last thought until now Becca is older and she has decided to use our curse again to save her child, I must stop her or her other child will die. How does a ghost stop a living person? I didn’t know, but I knew it was my destiny to stop her.
248 Words
@sweetsheil.bsky.social
“I found their car. And their phone. No sign of Barrett.”
Hermione rubbed her chin. “That’s not good. What do the cops say?”
Lisa glanced away and bit her lip. “They know even less than we do. We had to wait 48 hours to call them, even though we found the car before that. They’re just now making inquiries to Barrett’s friends. The other drag queens were worried because the cops in this town take a fairly dim view of drag queens thanks to the bigoted propaganda spread in the community.”
“But you did call them?”
Lisa nodded. “I did. I also told them where to find the car. But we collected a few things from the car. We left the phone, wallet, keys, and the hair caught in the seatbelt clip, but kept the fingerprints, necklace, and the syringe.”
“Syringe?” Hermione’s expression sharpened. “What was in it?”
Lisa gritted her teeth. “According to Chester, it was a mixture of ketamine and rohypnol, which only confirms that Barrett was kidnapped.”
“You got Chester involved?”
“Captain, please. If it was Chester who’d been taken, you wouldn’t wait for the cops anymore than I have.” She gave Hermione a pleading look. “It’s Barrett, and they mean everything to me.”
When Hermoine didn’t look convinced, Lisa laid her file folder and the tablet on the desk. “It’s all here—where I’ve looked, security video and stills. Despite everything, there’s hope that we can find them. Please, Captain. Just take a look.”
248 ineligible #SirensInc words
@siobhanmuir.bsky.social
#ThursThreads Week 702 is now CLOSED. Thanks to everyone who wrote this week and I hope to catch you next week.