Week 642 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 Patty Dump 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:
- Siobhan Muir
- Bill Engleson
- Kelly Heinen
- Sheilagh Lee
- Silver James
- Eric Martell
- Mark Ethridge
- Sandra Penrod
- David A. Ludwig
- K.R. Van Horn
- M.L. Gammella
Honorable Mentions
M.L. Gammella | Website
Patty says: All elements of the piece work together to show the magnetism of the narrator’s love. This was a good use of the idea of magnetism — even the narrator drawn to him, just like the pins.
Silver James | Website
Patty says: Great dialogue. The pace of this story was perfect. The ending was a checkmate. The beginning sets the setting up and the events follow from that. The two men are obviously planning a takeover. That makes me want to read more to see if they succeed.
Mark Ethridge | Website
Patty says: This is a well written monologue. Every word was a crystal clear description of the frustration of growing elderly. I see myself in this scene, having had life-altering back surgery (almost a year and a half ago). Yesterday, I was only able to shovel about four feet of a thirty-six foot sidewalk. (Two years ago I shoveled it all.) Then we had four more inches of snow that completely hid my efforts. Today, someone else finished it for me.
winner announcement
Week 642 Winner
Patty says: This is a tight flash, Words, dialogue, plot, setting, and theme work perfectly. I found it a refreshing, hopeful, expansive cycle. It’s what every mother wishes for her child. I like that the father was there to accompany the fledgling during the learning process.
**Casey’s Cycle**
Down, down, little Casey peered over the edge, mist swirling. The earth stood below, distant.
“You’re scared to fall,” his mother said gently.
“Were you, your first time?” he asked. A stiff breeze blew, and Casey backed away from the edge. “And Daddy? Was he scared?” he added.
Casey had never known his father, but all his life he’d heard stories of the great Bernard. “He’d been a force of nature, a hero,” they always said.
“Everyone is scared,” she replied, moving closer to meet his eyes. “But we have a role. We give balance. We nourish.”
“Can we go together?” he pleaded.
“We’ll meet again soon, you’ll see,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.
Casey stepped to the edge, terrified.
Memories whipped by with the wind as he plunged. Fear became freedom. And before he knew it, he’d changed. He was no longer just a raindrop.
He was the progression of time and the substance of space. And in it all, he felt his father with him.
First, he was a lake, and he felt the urge—the necessity—to flow.
The lake that was Casey became a stream that moved to the roots of a mighty oak, flowing through its branches and leaves. Casey felt time and space collapse.
The oak sighed, and he became the air, breaking into countless pieces, and drifting into a dream that was both infinite and…
He condensed. He was himself again, on the cloud with his mother.
He was the cycle. Unafraid to fall.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations Two Time Winner K.R., and Honorable Mentions M.L., Silver, and Mark! 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! 🙂
