Week 608 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this.
If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Daelyn Morgana for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc.
Entries:
- Bill Engleson
- Mark Ethridge
- Miranda Gammella
- David A. Ludwig
- Nellie Batz
- Siobhan Muir
Daelyn said: Tough choices this week, real tough. I had ties for the winner and HM going for a long time before I picked just one each. It was a close call. All the tales had aspects that I loved and lines that were perfection.
Honorable Mention
Miranda Gammella | Website
Daelyn says: There is something so profound in this piece that it makes my heart hurt. So many lines were like a sucker punch to my gut. I especially loved: “She wasn’t sure if she envied them such a connection or pitied them.” The only piece of dialogue in this being part of the prompt was a fitting touch to end on, leaving us with a lingering sensation I’m sure we’ve all felt before at one time or another. Beautifully done. I could absolutely see this being accepted into a flash fiction lit mag.
winner announcement
Week 608 Winner
Daelyn says: There is something about this tale that just flows perfectly, like a well-oiled machine. I can picture the scene vividly with spot on descriptions, hear the character’s voices clearly with each dialogue tag. Plus it’s just plain fun to read and humorous despite the stakes/backstory. I’m not a big superhero, sci-fi girl, but this makes me want more. Major props for achieving that, well done. Also, the touch of adding Gemini to the title is gold. I hope it stays even if the title changes overtime.
“Have you duplicated?” the other Helen Harper asked.
Helen in gym warmups nodded, but couldn’t help grimacing at the other’s sickeningly frilly pink dress. Other Helen noticed and smiled wanly.
“Yeah, pretty ridiculous, huh?”
“Why are you wearing that?”
Frills sat with a sigh and patted the couch next to her.
“We were still pretty new to the superhero thing when we first faced the Dixons. We cut a deal with them to leave one of us to be their living doll every year in exchange for the release of their other hostages and promise to stop taking people against their will. This is far from the worst thing they’ve had me wear.”
Helen’s mouth opened and closed in mute horror. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
“It’s not all bad,” Frills continued. “This is kind of a perfect way to store a backup in case something happens to the hero. Which I’m guessing it has.”
“She, she’s missing.”
Frills took a bracing breath.
“Okay. Absorb me. Then you’ll know everything she knew a year ago, can leave a new duplicate for the Dixons, and decide what you want to do from there.”
“Absorb you?” Helen squeaked.
“Yeah, the duplicates you made aren’t still out there, are they?”
“No, but they only lasted a few seconds! This feels different.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“I don’t know! But there has to be some other option.”
“We haven’t found a better one in the last ten years.”
~~~~~~~
Congratulations TWENTY-THREE TIME WINNER David, and Honorable Mention Miranda! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it!
Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂
