Week 677 of #ThursThreads was a success, a remarkable feat for 13 solid years. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this. I’m truly grateful for all y’all!
If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to K.R. Van Horn 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
- Joseph P. Garland
- Silver James
- Mark Ethridge
- Kelly Heinen
- Siobhan Muir
- David A. Ludwig
K.R. says: Had a great time reading this week! I’d like to encourage everyone to invite a friend to participate. Maybe you’re the spark that will ignite their new life as a writer!!
Now I’d like to share my favorite line from each story:
Time Travails by Bill Engleson: “Curious, I wandered in and there she was.”
Our Twentieth by Joseph P. Garland: “…we remained silent, gazing out our respective windows with our own thoughts and memories and our hands clutched together.”
Titania’s Test by Silver James: “Tall. Svelte. Beautiful. Almost painfully so.”
The Rains Will Come by Mark Ethridge: “The child had wild magic.”
The Reluctant Judge by Aightball: “If he misses the sarcasm, that is his fault.”
Mawhri’s Inheritance by Siobhan Muir: “Did Sabina know what she was thinking, even after her death?”
The Many Lives of Gemini by David A. Ludwig: “What if I’m the original?”
Honorable Mention
David A. Ludwig | Website
K.R. says: This piece stood out for its originality and what I read to be a thoughtful exploration of identity and morality. I liked how it blended speculative elements with a touching human moment. Unique. Intriguing. Moving. I really liked it!
winner announcement
Week 677 Winner
K.R. says: For me, this story captured a deeply relatable and emotionally immersive moment. I loved the attention to detail from the secret restaurant to the intimate homecoming. It all built toward a tender, resonant conclusion. Elegant. Polished. Cohesive. Well done.
Our Twentieth
We’d gone all out. Our twentieth. The kids were spending the night with friends. A car picked us up at our suburban colonial, to a small restaurant on a side street off Columbus Avenue. It was something of a secret among New York restaurantistas. We got a table thanks to a call from one of my partners.
It was magical. The food. The wine. The ambience. A sort of mystique flowed from the other tables. The dress wasn’t formal. But it fell just short of that mark.
The meal over, I signaled for the car to pick us up. With the help of the subtle doorman who stood on the sidewalk atop three steps that gave the place a speakeasy feel, we settled into the back seat of the Mercedes. As it drove north, we remained silent, gazing out our respective windows with our own thoughts and memories and our hands clutched together.
After some fumbling with the keys, we got inside and climbed straight to the master. She pushed me to sit on the side of the bed and locked her eyes on mine. Then she began to undress. Her three-inch heels kicked to the side. Her burgundy dress slipped to the floor. Piece after piece until she stood only in her matching burgundy La Perla lingerie. She displayed herself and the smile that had drawn me in over twenty years earlier, like a moth to a flame.
“Don’t stop,” I said. “Finish. Then you are perfect.”
~~~~~~~
Congratulations Three Time Winner Joseph, and Honorable Mention David! 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! 🙂
