Week 419 of #ThursThreads had many fantastic tales. I’m honored to see all the writers come to tie a tale as we start our ninth year. If you’ve been doing it a while, thank you for sticking with us. If you’ve just found us, welcome! May you come back again and write more great flash. Thousand thanks to Mark Ethridge 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
- Teresa Eccles | @TeresaMEccles
- Mark A. Morris
- Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
- David A. Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
- Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
- Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
- Richard Gibney | @ragtaggiggagon
- Patty Dump | @pattydump1
- M.T. Decker | @mishmhem
Honorable Mentions
Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
Mark says: “Just one last trip, daddy.” And I was hooked. Magic words.
Teresa Eccles | @TeresaMEccles
Mark says: A trip to the lake, and childhood remembered.
winner announcement
Week 419 Winner
Mark says: “A grin spreads across Death’s face. “I can!” Oh, heavens, the trouble about to happen…
Decommissioned has such a harsh ring to it. Like putting a ship in the shipyard to become a monument. Deathers don’t become monuments; they reunite with their family in the afterlife.
Wrists puffy from typing, Death sits behind her desk, the opulence of the room dimmed. The gold doesn’t shine, the purples and greens accents have lost their sparkle.
“How does this sound: Margaret faithfully crossed over the souls of the departed for fifty years. Now Margaret retires with her husband, and infant daughter. We thank her for her tireless efforts to give the departed a dignified send off every night. And then I’ll introduce her family members, yada, yada, yada.”
“Sounds good to me. How will she cross over?”
“She requested ‘just one last trip’. What does she ride?” Death asks.
“A chestnut horse with silver wings. Let’s give her one last flight. Then her husband and daughter can walk her over,” I say.
Her horse will retire to a beautiful pasture with other retired horses.
Death nods. “Where is Margaret?”
I scroll down to her name. “She will be passing in the next five minutes and her body will be found when her oldest daughter comes to bring her supper.”
Death sighs. “Why can’t she keep working when she’s so happy?”
We walk into the main hallway, and I shrug.
“You could change that.”
A grin spreads across Death’s face. “I can!”
She walks away with an extra bounce in her step. I hope everyone appreciates the change.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations Thirteen Time Winner Kelly, and Honorable Mentions Sheilagh and Teresa! 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! 🙂
