Week 609 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 David A. Ludwig 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:
- Katheryn J. Avila
- A.J. Walker
- Bill Engleson
- Sheilagh Lee
- Miranda Gammella
- Mark Ethridge
- Alex Minns
- David A. Ludwig
- Siobhan Muir
- Cara Michaels
- Eric Martell
- Daelyn Morgana
David says: I was really glad to see so many participants this week and have such a difficult time choosing a winner and honorable mentions. It was great to see how deeply some writers integrated the prompt into their stories, or creative they got in spinning it away from the missing person it started as.
Honorable Mentions
Cara Michaels | Website
David says: I love inferences based on lack of evidence, so the well-timed “That is literally not how evidence works, jackass” made me laugh. I appreciated weaving the prompt into the analysis of the Jeep, rather than have it be about a person.
Eric Martell | Website
David says: I particularly liked the flow of this one, the way it meandered while building to the prompt as a climax, then settled back to meander again. It felt completely natural to me.
Daelyn Morgana | Website
David says: I appreciated having the “Twigger Warning” going into this one. I found it hauntingly powerful, relatable, and the prompt was the heart of the piece all the way through.
winner announcement
Week 609 Winner
David says: Using the prompt as the pivot point for an intense tone shift really stuck with me. Details, like playing the melancholy music on a Steinway specifically, or shattering a decanter of Macallan, grounded the piece powerfully for me. I was completely immersed by the emotion of the scene all the way through. The missing body and appearance on the balcony culminate in a particularly enticing mystery.
The preparations for her celebration of life continued around him. Calling it a celebration felt like a punch in the gut. He answered questions when they were posed to him robotically, barely remembering his responses as soon as he uttered them. Except when they asked about music. There would be no pre-recorded music played through speakers to fill the background noise. No, he would play one final time for his love.
Alone again, he sat at his beloved Steinway and let the music flow through him as his hands swept up and down the keyboard. He played familiar songs, some of her favorites, then segued into something new but never to be heard again. The music discordant and melancholy echoing his emotions.
His cell phone vibrated across the top of the piano, distracting him. He answered blindly, then stood abruptly, pushing the piano bench back with a screech. “What do you mean, she’s missing? How do you misplace a body!?”
The answer he received infuriated him more. “That’s my wife you lost, you incompetent imbecile! Find her!” He threw his phone across the room, not caring that it broke on impact.
Pent up full of fury, he roughly grabbed his bottle of whiskey. As he turned to the balcony, the decanter slipped from his fingers, shattering on the ground. The expensive Macallan whisky splashed over his shoes and pantlegs, but he paid it no mind.
She was staring back at him from the other side of the balcony door.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations Two Time Winner Miranda, and Honorable Mentions Cara, Eric, and Daelyn! 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! 🙂
