Week 632 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, and why we’ve made it 12 YEARS!
If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Louisa Bacio 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.
Louisa says: Is it me or are the submissions exceptionally good this week? There may not be a ton, but they are mighty. Maybe because after all these years, our regular writers know how to cater their writing to this judge?
Selecting the winner was difficult because I thought, “Oh, this is the one,” and then I kept reading. So many tasty offerings.
Thank you Siobhan Muir for the continued inspiration.
Entries:
- Bill Engleson
- Siobhan Muir
- Kelly Heinen
- Mark A. Morris
- Silver James
- Mark Ethridge
- David A. Ludwig
- M.L. Gammella
- Sheilagh Lee
Honorable Mentions
David A. Ludwig | Website
Louisa says: At 186 words, Ludwig’s is the shortest piece, but it packs a punch. The added rhyme in the middle brings in another level of creativity. The serial killer element puts me in the Halloween mood (next week!).
Mark Ethridge | Website
Louisa says: Ethridge’s piece consists mostly of dialogue, and still successfully tells a story that slowly unravels. Honestly, he had me at “wild magic” and “white mage.”
Special Mention
Kelly Heinen | Website
Louisa says: The pacing in this piece keeps the reader engaged. I was intrigued by “the Death world.” (Perhaps it’s because I’m teaching the poetry and Emily Dickenson’s use of the uppercase Death.) The varied syntax and storytelling felt complete even though the prompt was wrong.
winner announcement
Week 632 Winner
Louisa says: There’s a point in every good story where the reader gets hooked. Gammella kicked it off strong with “You died.” Then the description of “‘Soul Sorting Center – like Hogwarts but without the magical hat and wizards.’” hit hard. Yes, tell me more.
The combination of narrative, description and dialogue stands out.
“I’ll make it brief,” Azrael explained, his voice bored. “You died.”
“What? How is that possible?” The man before Azrael glanced down at himself, looking for some logical explanation for his current predicament, a grievous injury or something obviously wrong. He looked as hale and hearty as one could, as much as a disembodied soul could.
“Your heart stopped. Brain function ended. You ceased to be. Hence: dead,” he replied sardonically, with a wave of his hand.
The man huffed before the Angel of Death. “Yes, but how?”
Azrael rolled his eyes. They always want to know the details. “Is that relevant now? It doesn’t matter how. You’re still dead and will continue to be dead. Neverending deadness.”
The soul sighed. “I guess not.” He looked around at the nondescript large warehouse they were in. There was a large queue of people in front of him. “Where are we?”
“Soul Sorting Center – like Hogwarts but without the magical hat and wizards.”
“What?”
Azrael unfurled his wings. “Look, I must go, more souls to collect. You humans never stop dying. Just get in line and once they call your number, you’ll find out where you’re headed.”
A deli ticker tape number appeared in the soul’s hand. “How many places are there?”
“You’ll find out. Enjoy your eternity. Hope it doesn’t get to hot for you.” Azrael disappears in a sweep of feathers.
The soul holds up his number: 65,352
A raspy voice calls over the PA system. “Now judging 7192.”
~~~~~~~
Congratulations Five Time Winner M.L., and Honorable Mentions David, Mark, and Kelly! 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! 🙂
