Week 577 of #ThursThreads, and y’all never disappoint. We’ve made it 11 years! Well done and thank you to everyone who writes each week. You made this happen. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! You’re in good company. May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Mary Decker for judging this week. Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc.
There will be no #ThursThreads next week as the host will be at a conference. See y’all in two weeks.
Entries:
- Bill Engleson
- Mark Ethridge
- Silver James
- Mark A. Morris
- Siobhan Muir
- David A. Ludwig
- Daelyn Morgana
Mary says: Y’all don’t make this easy, but you also never disappoint.
Honorable Mention
Mark Ethridge | Website
Mary says: All too true – in therapy, as in life, the answer isn’t always as important as the question, and very often what you really are looking for is context.
winner announcement
Week 577 Winner
Mary says: Parody is not an easy thing, and in flash, you also have to connect to the reader for them to recognize what you are parodying (making a parody of?) and then there is the homage to Scheherazade – one of my all-time storytelling heroines. Well played!
“You can stand at ease,” Ryland said, buffing the wall panel. He studied his reflection, producing a comb from the pocket he’d had sewn into his sleeve, rearranging his quiff so it stood up like meringue. Its peak was known to have remained unruffled after a watch in a hot zone, the Lieutenant Commander effortlessly dodging blistering hostile fire, then rolling with aplomb behind the wall-sized boulders that were always available when you wore a gold jersey. He gave McAdam a self-satisfied smile, well aware that the crew thought he was vain.
Ensign McAdam wasn’t impressed. He wore the accursed red jersey of security, having already been assigned to the next landing party – there being a better than even chance he wouldn’t return. The officers were reputed to have a pool on who the next fatality would be, favouring the Tellurian with the gravity-defying bust who’d already survived three patrols while also successfully evading the Lieutenant Commander’s charm. That was another thing that skewed an ensign’s chances for longevity. The only romances that persisted were between similar ranks, any other relationships rarely lasting.
“You must really think you’re blessed,” McAdam said. “If you only knew what people say…”
“Why do you say that?” Ryland said, slipping his comb away. “Have you heard something about a plot twist?” He gifted McAdam with a brief fraction of his attention, his smile fading momentarily.
“I’ll tell you later,” said McAdam, suddenly getting an idea. “When I get back up from the planet.”
~~~~~~~
Congratulations THIRTY-SIX TIME WINNER Mark, and Honorable Mention Mark! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it!
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