Week 696 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 Muirlette #1 for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction server on Discord or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc.
Entries:
- Bill Engleson
- Siobhan Muir
- Katheryn J. Avila
- Joseph P. Garland
- Kelly Heinen
- K.R. Van Horn
- David A. Ludwig
- Silver James
Honorable Mention
Kelly Heinen | Website
Muirlette says: I genuinely love reading these scenes with Death. I enjoyed seeing the joy and love for an activity/dream carried even into the afterlife for Horace. It shows an endurance of the spirit and the joys that it carries. This was a lovely, heartwarming read. Nicely done.
winner announcement
Week 696 Winner
Muirlette says: I really liked the atmosphere of this tale. How, as the main character grew and learned, his answer to the same question became deeper and gained wisdom. The operator gave me the impression of being time personified – always there and ever patient. This was a great read, very well done.
– What Do You Know of Dreams? –
The first time he is fifteen wearing a t-shirt with dark armpits. Popcorn fills the summer air. His date is in line behind him looking up with wide eyes.
The roller coaster operator, a thin man with an old-fashioned cap, takes his ticket.
“What do you know of dreams?” the operator asks.
The boy answers too fast. “They’re fireworks!” he says. “They’re when your stomach drops.”
The operator nods and sends the young couple clattering into the sky.
###
The second time, the boy is twenty-three and single. He’s done with college, and now the world feels like a hallway of locked doors.
The same operator, unchanged by time, takes his ticket.
“What do you know of dreams?” he asks again.
The young man watches the cars above them crest and plunge. “They’re choosing someone,” he concludes in a tone that’s more like a question. “Even when the ride isn’t thrilling.”
The operator smiles and lifts the bar.
###
The last time, the boy is a man, graying at the temples. His daughter, who will marry tomorrow, loops her arm through his. The park seems smaller now.
The operator stands waiting, ageless as ever.
“What do you know of dreams?”
This time, the man contemplates decades. First dates, slammed doors, hospital rooms. Conversations at the kitchen table.
“They’re staying through every climb and fall,” he says.
The operator waits, expecting more.
“They’re letting go of the bar when it’s time.”
“And?”
“And trusting the tracks will hold.”
The operator tears the tickets.
~~~~~~~
Congratulations Fourteen Time Winner K.R., and Honorable Mention Kelly! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it!
Pass on the great news on Facebook, Discord, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂
