Week 390 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. I’m honored to see all the writers come to tie a tale half way through our eighth year. If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you. If you’ve just found us, welcome! May you come back again and write more great flash. Thousand thanks to Jaclyn Roche for judging this week. Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc.
Entries:
- Silver James | @SilverJames_
- Bill Engleson | @billmelaterplea
- Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
- Tina Glasneck | @TinaGlasneck
- Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
- Teresa Eccles | @TeresaMEccles
- Charlene Mertz | @rrats1231
- Richard Gibney | @ragtaggiggagon
- Catherine Derham | @catederham_
- Mark A. Morris
- David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
Jaclyn says: There were so many awesome tales this week I had a really hard time choosing a winner and two honorable mentions. I really thought all the tales were excellent and deserve a mention, but that’s not my task. The ones that resonated with me the most were:
Honorable Mentions
Silver James | @SilverJames_
Jaclyn says: Amazing story; I loved where you went with it. I’d be mad if my old man was thinking about giving out a second property patch too! And who doesn’t love cinnamon rolls! I don’t know if I could handle two of them either.
Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
Jaclyn says: Great piece! I think everyone could use a good salt lick now and again. Don’t know if I could handle two weeks of him either without getting all hot and bothered. I loved the dialogue exchange between your characters.
winner announcement
Week 390 Winner
Jaclyn says: You went there! I wasn’t sure that you were going to go so dark, but you did and kept the reader guessing until the end. Your piece left me thinking about the characters long after I finished reading. I want to know more, and I have so many questions. Awesome wordsmithing!
He threads another wire through the marionette’s flesh, pulling it tight. He attaches it to one of the crosspieces and raises them both, letting the puppet dangle below the control bars. It hangs heavily, more a model than the living creature that it’s meant to be. He hasn’t practiced enough, and I feel the need to reach out and take over the control of the subject myself. Give him direction. Teach by example.
But he needs to learn. I was like him once and my mentor exercised control over himself then, watching me fumbling with the articulations of my own doll, standing in silence as I struggled to make it look as though it was walking for itself. I can’t believe I was ever as clumsy as this boy is now, but I may have been. My perspective has changed and today I’m the one in the audience, witnessing his performance.
“I don’t know if I can handle two controllers. Are you sure you can’t operate one while I do the other? Let me perfect my coordination with one hand at a time before doing both together?”
I shake my head. The Puppeteers Credo forbids that I speak or do anything to assist. He must learn it for himself while I watch. Suffer the anxiety of knowing he is being judged and still succeed.
The marionette begins to bleed, fat drops spattering heavily onto the ground. The anaesthetic will wear off soon and his task will get much harder.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations Fifteen Time Winner Mark, and Honorable Mentions Silver and Cara! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it!
Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, MeWe, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂
