Week 625 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 more than 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 M.L. Gammella 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
- Kelly Heinen
- Michelle
- Sarah Aisling
- Silver James
- Mark Ethridge
- Richard Gibney
- Siobhan Muir
- David A. Ludwig
- K.R. Van Horn
Honorable Mentions
Michelle | Website
M.L. says: Michelle’s story evokes longing and the sad ending of a life, of the soul seeing his family before him, seeing but unable to touch. That seems to be the worst – to see but not touch, to make that connection, before he travels where they cannot go. It can be hard to completely encapsulate a story in just 250 words, but Michelle does a great job of this. The reader wants to know more about what led to the MC’s passing (age, accident?) but the snippet still provides a satisfactory (if but sad) conclusion.
Sarah Aisling | Website
M.L. says: Oh what a chilling story! I had my reservations about Gerald right off the rip just conveniently having that blog post up as soon as it was published. Then as soon as she starts feeling weird, I was practically yelling in my seat, the bottom drops out. And the final word in the story is absolutely bone-chilling. So much angst in such a small amount of words.
winner announcement
Week 651 Winner
M.L. says: Immediately the reader is immersed in this world of Silver James’ where Shadows are to be wary of by the beings of this world. And so many questions for the reader: How or why were the Shadows created? What is Ariel’s role? What exactly is his job? And what is the significance of the girl? Who now appears a lot more important to Ariel. This reader wants to know MORE!
Shadows. Insubstantial as gossamer wings and not nearly so user friendly. They haunted. And hunted. The unwary, the profane, the innocent, and not-so-innocent all fell prey to them. They lurked, hunting in pairs, ready to pounce when chance provided them with a victim. Like the disenchanted urchins swarming around old Fagin, the Shadows plagued humans and Sidhe alike.
Ariel knew his job. For whatever reason, this woman had blipped on the King’s and Queen’s radar. When Oberon and Titania said jump, he didn’t pause to ask how high. She always walked home this way, at the end of her work day. He’d spent several nights watching, finding her rhythm. She wasn’t beautiful, at least not in the fairy tale princess sense. And she was human.
Movement in the gathering dusk jerked his attention from inward thoughts to defensive strategy. They were there. Across the street. Two Shadows. Waiting. Watching. For her. He watched their faces, noted the hunger and the cruelty.
What made her so special? He intended to find out. The Shadows stirred, their sharp faces turning to the north, noses high like blood hounds shifting the scent of their prey from the breeze. Ari heard laughter carried on that same breeze—hers—and the muscles in his gut clenched, even as something else tightened in anticipation. She swung into view, turning the corner as she all but skipped down the sidewalk, spreading her smile like sunshine and rainbows. That’s when he knew; that’s when it all made sense.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations SEVENTY-THREE TIME WINNER Silver, and Honorable Mentions Michelle and Sarah! 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! 
