Welcome back to the home of #ThursThreads for Week 723. 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 Facebook.
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 723:
Dead Thing Specialist, Mining Geologist, and Gamer, George Varhalmi.
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And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.
The Prompt:
“We can make it look natural.”
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!
Expiry Date
It was a case way beyond my comfort level. And I almost balked when Kate Verity approached me about it.
“There is no mystery here,” she said. “Quite the contrary. Death is a familiar friend in our family.”
She was in her mid sixties, trim from a lifetime of jogging, and genes too, I suppose. Good diet had left her with a smoother complexion that many her age. I would certainly wrinkle up when I reached that plateau.
“He prefer no pills or injections. Just a slow loss of breath. He’s losing breath every moment now,” she added.
There it was. Her husband, John Verity, had been a mentor of mine. He had been a defence lawyer I’d met early on in my career. I handled numerous cases for him. I felt as close to him as the brother I never had. A much older brother. And far wiser than me.
“John was fairly sure you would agree to help. He knows your views on life…on death…on freedom.”
John and I had had many chats about death. We’d each seen quite a lot.
“He knows it’s a big ask. He said we can make it look..”
“Natural?” I threw in.
“Yes. Natural. He can barely talk and his breath is so faint. There’s no pain. And I…”
I understood. She could not bring herself to assist his exit. I would be a suitable substitute. Morally, I had no qualms.
I would do it.
What are friends for!
249 words
@billmelaterplea
@sterlings-son-2.bsky.social
“This is crazy. We should leave now.” She looked over her shoulder as he led her inexorably closer to the front doors.
“You can’t leave somewhere you haven’t even reached yet,” he grumbled.
“Even better, let’s not turn up!” The heel gave way under her foot and she rolled over onto her ankle making them stop. “Ow. I can’t walk in these things.” The panic was barely contained in her eyes. He took a deep breath, trying to look more soothing and faced her.
“Elena, it is going to be fine. We’ve done this before.”
“Last time, I didn’t have to pretend to be your date.”
“Is it such a distasteful prospect?” His face creased up into a frown as he pulled back a little.
Tears threatened to ruin the make-up she had begrudgingly put on. He could see she was fighting with her own breathing to try and keep control of her voice. “No one is going to believe it.” His irritation softened as he watched her rub warmth into her bare arms, trying to fold in on herself. Her gaze sank to the floor.
“Why on Earth not? We can make it look natural.” He smiled, hoping it reached his voice.
She laughed harshly, “Oh come on. Look at me. I make everything look unnatural.”
He pulled his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. “Just follow my lead.” He stared directly into her eyes. “And trust me.”
241 words
@lexikonical.bsky.social
“Uhhh, can I ask what you did that you have a dead body in your house?”
Kaitlyn glanced up at the man in her doorway and gave a small scowl before looking down at the matter at hand. “He’s the one who came at me with a knife. It’s not my fault I had been working and had the poker up in front of me. Not my fault he ran right onto it.”
“Right.” The man sighed and rubbed his face. “We can make it look natural.”
Kait squinted at him. “How? He has a hole in his chest? It’s not something most people would do on accident.”
A wave of a hand. “Trust me. It will work. Give me an hour and I’ll be back.” He walked in and knelt down, picking up the dead body with ease.
She put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowing. “And what exactly will I have to pay for this ‘favor’?”
A pause and he gave her a grin, exposing teeth that were pointed. “We can talk a deal later when I get back. Do you have any of that apple bourbon left?”
Kait rolled her eyes and put the poker back. “I’ll have a glass ready.”
205 Words
@solimond.bsky.social
Vampire looked at Werewolf who looked at Dragon who looked back at the vampire. “We can make it look natural.”
“That’s not funny.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to look at the woman standing in the doorway glaring at them.
“I wasn’t being funny,” Sinjen muttered.
“I heard that.” Sade snapped out the words, still scowling. She held up a hand staying both Caleb and Nikos. “Yes, I know the feeling. Yes, I have expressed—often and loudly—the same sentiment when it comes to Ariel. This is not the time to be joking around.” She extended her arm, pointing a deadly index finger at each man in turn. “Don’t even. Ariel is in trouble and the trouble he’s in will jump up and bite all of us in the ass if we don’t do something.”
Caleb called her name to get her attention and followed with a decent impersonation of her voice, “I am sooo going to kill that damn Fae.” The effort got him a sneer.
“Do any of you have the slightest clue what is happening here?”
All three of the men raised their hands, eliciting a growl from her. Caleb growled back and being a Werewolf, it carried far more menace.
“We are not clueless, Sade.” Nikos lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “Oberon and Titania obviously know what is afoot. That means this is Fae trouble and Fae businss. The Concilium Magicae will not want others involved.”
“Fae murdered humans. That means I’m involved.”
****
250 Penumbra Papers #6 WIP words
Silver James
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSilverJames/
“I don’t know about this, guys,” Paul squeaked.
“You’re the one who kicked it over the fence,” Bobby declared. “Come on, we can make it…”
“Look natural!” Jimmy elbowed Bobby.
The boys turned to face the adult approaching on the footpath. His tank top and gym shorts unsubtly showed off his muscles, and the contours of a medal were clear under his top. There was also something wild about the broad-shouldered blonde. He grinned at the trio.
“Hey there, boys! Nice day, isn’t it?”
The boys nodded noncommittally. The man frowned.
“Unless there’s something wrong?”
Paul’s quick glance alerted the man to their soccer ball on the mansion lawn.
“That’s yours?”
“Yeah… But the fence is electrified!”
Bobby glanced at the trees he’d proposed jumping between. The man grinned without following Bobby’s glance.
“No problem! I’ll get your ball.”
The man crouched down, pressing the fingers of his left hand to the medal under his shirt.
“Spirit of the Great Stag, grant me strength.”
The boys’ jaws dropped as the man made a standing leap over the eight-foot fence to land directly next to their ball. Picking up the ball, he tossed it back directly between the trio. Then a circle of skeletal humanoids appeared around the man.
“What kind of security is that!?”
The man brushed his nose with a thumb before sinking into a fighting stance.
“These Gaunts aren’t here for security. You boys better run.”
238 words
@davidaludwig.bsky.social
“We can make it look natural.” That’s what he said. Like I was ordering a kid’s birthday cake.
“Do you have a specific date and time for…delivery?” He said, as if he needed to know if I wanted sprinkles or some going-away sentiment written in butter cream on top.
I was distracted by a red-haired Asian girl who’d bopped into the coffee shop, which I thought incongruous, but no more than the fact he’d picked this place to discuss our “transaction.”
“Sir? I’m sorry, but I have another appointment this morning. I usually like to have this part wrapped up before my chai latte gets cold. You understand.”
The red-haired girl walked past the booth where we sat. He, with his back to the wall, with a view of the whole shop. I faced the door. She smiled as she went past us toward the counter. She smelled of citrus and winter.
“Oh, sorry. Doesn’t matter. No one’ll care. Only child, both parents dead, new in town. Cancer, ya know? We’ll be doing her a favor,” I said, wondering if it was twenty ago what’d happen if I paid for the red-haired girl’s order.
“Yes, sir. We’ll get right on it. And now…” He swooped up the envelope and headed for the door.
As she walked toward the tallboys by the window, the girl dropped her napkin next to my booth. I reached for it just as she did. Never did feel the needle.
It was all quite natural.
250 Words
@jahesch.bsky.social
Ann took a deep breath and met Chandra’s gaze in the rearview mirror of the fancy town car they’d rented for this op.
“You got this, Thunder, and we got your six. I’ll be waiting at exfil.”
“Copy that. Sirens, comms check.” Hermione tapped her ear above the real diamond drop earrings dangling nearly to her shoulder.
“Siren Seven, copy.” Ann nodded to Hermione as the others chimed in.
“Copy that. Siren One and Siren Seven moving in.”
The captain shoved the passenger door of the town car open and stepped gracefully out in her variegated orange and gold silk sheath dress with the asymmetric hem and spaghetti straps. Ann followed, her maxi dress in teal with the matching silver and turquoise belt bunched at her knees as she scooted out. She dragged the marbled cotton down her legs and adjusted her purse strap across her body, trying to blend in with the other socialites attending the party.
“Guards at ten, twelve, and two o’clock, Captain.”
Hermione nodded as she looked back at Ann and smiled her patented socialite smile.
“Noted. We can make it. Look natural and remember to smile. Shall we?”
Ann tried to match her smile as they headed up the walkway, large concrete steps with solar lamps lining them, to the door. Hermione kept her plastic smile in place as she dug out the invitation she’d secured through her ridiculously wealthy parents and handed it to the guard at the door.
“Welcome, Ms. Wilcox, plus one.”
250 ineligible #SirensInc words
@siobhanmuir.bsky.social
#ThursThreads Week 723 is now CLOSED. Thanks to everyone who wrote this week and I hope to catch you next week.