Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked. Can you believe it's almost April? Me neither. But right now it's Thursday, so what should you be doing? Writing #FlashFiction, that's what! Welcome to Week 16 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Need the rules? Read on!
Here's how it works:
- The prompt is a line from the previous week's winning tale.
- The prompt can appear ANYWHERE in your story and is included in your word count.
Rules to the Game:
- This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250.
- Incorporate the prompt anywhere into your story (included in your word count).
- Post your story in the comments section of this post
- Include your word count (or be excluded from judging)
- Include your Twitter handle or email (so we know how to find you)
- The challenge is open 7 AM to 7 PM Pacific Time
- The winner will be announced on Friday, depending on how early the judge gets up. ;)
How it benefits you:
- You get a nifty cool badge to display on your blog or site (because we're all about promotion - you know you are!)
- You get instant recognition of your writing prowess on this blog!
- Your writing colleagues shall announce and proclaim your greatness on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus
Our Judge for Week 16:
The epic fantasy reading Aussie, Six Sentence Sunday and sci-fi author, Goran Zidar.
The Prompt:
"Oh yeah, it was that big."
Away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThread. Good luck! :)
I apologize in advance. My inner 12 year old would not be denied.
ReplyDeleteCrossing and uncrossing my legs I tried to seat myself in the most comfortable way possible. Being examined by fifty scrutinizing eyes didn’t help. Each held a brush and divided their attention between me and the canvas. Well, me, my fellow model, and the canvas.
I reclined, nude, against my partner, also nude. He posed with one leg bent, one stretched, just as I had been when we started. He just sat straighter and didn’t fidget the way I did.
I couldn’t help running one leg along the other. I’d never met the man beside me, and although neither of us was touching sensitive skin, my back on his arm, it seemed to intimate.
Oh, and he was big. Not like, wow, I need to get some of that. Like, ow, I don’t even want to think about it. I was trying very hard not to think about it, but well, it was right there, just below my elbow. If he thought about it, he could probably lift it and touch my elbow.
Oh yeah, it was that big.
Finally the instructor said that magic words. “Brushes down class.”
I ran to my robe.
191 words
@kimmydonn
Shadows shifted beneath the trees with unsettling motions as if more than just light darted within the forest. The hair on the back of Mack’s neck rose and his breathing stopped in an effort to listen harder.
ReplyDeleteWhen the wind kicked up, Mack thought he saw a horse separate itself from the far column of the ruins.
“Barnes, did you let that horse free?”
“No, sir, Major. He’s still tied.”
“Coolidge, are the other horses from the Senator’s stables allowed out here?”
“Not at all. They’re too valuable to be trusted where they could break a leg.”
The wind increased and the – sparkling? – dust became a choking torrent. Coughing and wiping at his streaming eyes, Mack staggered back toward the trees, seeking shelter.
He reached out and brushed the coat of the horse, crouching beside it to block the wind. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes and scanned the site again. His team had scattered, but the archaeological had become bathed in the light of three torches, burning at even intervals.
“Remove your hand from me, human, or I shall cut it off.”
Mack jumped back and drew his Yarborough knife, ready for anything.
Anything, except this.
He looked up, way, way up, along the baseball bat girthed shaft of a spear with a spearhead the length of his forearm.
Oh yeah, it was that big.
“Holy Mary, Mother of God.”
“No, Captain Yarren of the Tenth Cohort,” the Centaur snapped. “Who are you?”
245 ineligible #WIP500 words
@SiobhanMuir
Gino Kahyana stumbled into the bar, dragging his foot behind him like a bag of garbage. The sweat of a shitty day’s work clung to his face. He climbed up onto the stool and ordered a beer.
ReplyDelete“Oh yeah, it was that big,” said the man sitting next to him.
His companion answered, “I swear I ain’t never hope to see somethin’ like that.”
“You don’t want to neither. Scary as hell. I don’t mind sayin’ to you that I almost dropped a deuce when she pulled it out.” He turned to Gino. “Pal, you ever run into a lady with an extra part?”
“What kind?” Gino asked. “Women got all sorts of extra parts.”
“This’un had a tiny little blob of flesh growin’ out of her belly. It had eyes, a nose, and a little head of hair. She said it were her . . . well, I can’t rightly remember what she said. I pulled up my pants and hightailed it out of there.”
The other guy hooted. “Leave it to you, Karl. Leave it to you.”
Gino rolled his eyes and shoved his foot up onto the bar. Karl and his friend wrinkled up their faces but stayed up while Gino yanked off his boot. That is, until his sock came off. A small rug of hair topped his big toe, and underneath that was a tiny mouth that opened to let loose a terrifying wail.
249 words
@nicolewolverton
"Oh yeah, it was that big." Margot said.
ReplyDelete"You're kidding right?" Carrie looked doubtful.
"I'm deadly serious. I have never seen anything like it in my life. When I first saw it I thought I was going to die."
"I guess you did. So did it hurt?"
"Actually, it was a lot better than I expected."
"I guess I helps that he knows what he's doing."
"No doubt, I'm ruined for anyone else now."
Carrie rolled her eyes. "Now you've got me curious. I want to find out for myself."
Margot grinned. "Go for it, I guess. I mean if that's really what you want to do."
"I 'm not saying I want to do it, I'm just saying I'm curious."
"Sometimes your logic and curiosity collide in the strangest ways, Carrie. It is not the kind of thing you should do simply because you're curious. I didn't have a choice, I had to do it."
"You always have a choice. You just wanted to have fun."
Luke walked in and Margot giggled.
"What are you two giggling about?"
"Margot had to get a shot before her trip to Fiji."
"Oh really? You should go to Doctor Brown. When I was behind on my vaccinations, I got a shot from a humongous needle and I didn't feel a thing."
Carrie pouted. "You went to him too? Now I'm really curious!"
@WakefieldMahon
Delete230 WIP words
“I thought you said this meeting was going to be in private?” I asked Sam as we pushed through the open doors. The dining room of the inn had five or ten other people in it, but given its small size, being overheard was a virtual guarantee.
ReplyDeleteSam gave the stubbly wattle at his neck a thoughtful scratch. “’Annah, luv?”
“Sam?” she answered. The three of us sat down at the end of the main table.
“When you ‘elped me clean out that carbuncle on me leg last night, what did ya think? I forgot to ask once I got me trous back on.”
Never skipping a beat, she see-sawed a slender hand. “I still say we should sew a button on it and use it to hide your coins in.” Around us, I heard conversations die. Not slowly either, more like a shotgun-blast-to-the-chest sort of death.
“Surely not for all me pocket change?”
“Oh yeah, it was that big. Of course, it was already occupied.” Hannah paused, letting the imaginations around her run wild. “I thought for a second it was a pearl – heaven only knows how that sort of thing would have happened, but no. Only pus. Are you taking care of it?”
“Well, I wash it a couple times a day. Don’ shake after, y’know… that’s what they say right? ‘A little dribble cure ya.’”
Around us, the seats emptied in a hurry. Even Hannah looked a tad nauseous.
“Please tell me you’re both kidding,” I croaked.
(250 Words)
@ModernBard1024
Nancy P
As You Wish
ReplyDelete“…I can see by the whites of your forearms that you don’t have the Brand of the Ancients. You have no hope of defeating me without it!”
Alexander smiled as he opened his fingers. The Brand was not upon his forearms, but engraved in gold along the shaft of his wand. “It would seem that you should have read the texts also, Hellgroth! The Brand need only be in my possession to strike you down and claim what is rightfully mine.”
The green demon let out a growl so deep that it shook sand from the cracks in the ceiling. He leaned low and touched his hands to the floor as he readied his attack, but Alexander stood firm.
Alexander gritted his teeth together as he raised his wand…
“Daddy.”
“Yes, Lilly?”
“How big was the Demon? Was he really big?”
“He was as big as a house!”
“A house like ours, with two floors?”
"Oh yeah, it was that big."
“Daddy.”
“Yes, Sweetness?”
“Could you tell me a different story. This one is getting way to scary for me to hear before bedtime.”
“As you wish. Once upon a time there was a fairy Princess...”
- - La Fin- -
@acenance - 196 Words
“How did your third date go with the toff, Melanie? I haven’t seen you since last week.”
ReplyDelete“I wish you wouldn’t call him that. His name is Jerrod.”
“He’s rich isn’t he? So you went to dinner and?”
“We had a nice dinner and some pleasant conversation.”
“That’s all?... Well?”
“We talked about his job Karen.”
“It’s like pulling teeth asking you questions. What are you hiding?”
“We walked back to his apartment and then we hopped a plane to Vegas.”
“Decided to play some slots and blackjack?”
Melanie blushed.
“I never thought you had it in you. You had a naughty weekend or should I say week?”
Melanie shook her head.
“So you didn’t sleep with him?”
Melanie flushed again.
“What else would you call it then Mel? You slept with him.”
“We were married in Las Vegas.”
“But you always wanted a big wedding with a brass band and all the finery Was he?...”
"Oh yeah, it was that big."
“Really?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter. I was talking about the wedding. Jerrod invited almost everyone at the hotel to our wedding.” Melanie answered
“But not me.” Karen said
“He doesn’t know about you.”
“I’m afraid he does or did.” Karen exclaimed.
“Not another one, dead.”
“Afraid so. I share this body too and when he grabbed me naked and wet...”
“You evil...”
“We’re two halves of whole Mel.”
“So we move again?”
“All packed. Let's go Melanie.”
“Just once I’d like an anniversary.”
248 words
@SweetSheil
“He reached into his pants and just pulled it out,” I told Nancy, the phone pressed to my ear as I sorted mail at my desk.
ReplyDelete“Just like that?” Her voice breathless, she was eager to know ALL the details.
“Yep. It was so big and beautiful lying in his hand. I was dying to touch it.”
“I always figured it’d be huge.”
“Oh yeah, it was THAT big,”
Nancy squealed with vicarious delight. “And?”
“I told him 'yes, let’s do this' and when we tried … A perfect fit!” I squealed so loud, heads popped up around the office. Ducking down, I whispered. “It was so right, so comfortable. Charles is such a perfect fit for me. He kissed me for what seemed like hours, while I kept sliding in and out. Just loving the feel of it, you know. Then disaster struck.”
“What?”
“It got stuck. Mom said it happened to her and she knew what to do.”
“Your mom was there?”
“You know Mom’s cool. She took us to the ER.” My voice cracked. I couldn’t believe it had ended so badly. “They had to cut it.”
“Cut it?”
“He’s going to get it fixed, of course, but I felt terrible for ruining the moment.”
“It’s not ruined, silly. You’re getting married!” We squealed together like teenagers one more time.
“Oh and I’m going to the jewelers tomorrow to pick it up if you want come.”
239 words
@Rowanwolf66
Reluctantly Out Of Retirement
ReplyDeleteYou don’t spend as many years as I have on the shadowy side of respectability without friends. Out her on the Rim, it’s a matter of survival to have people you can reach out to when you need a hand. Yeah, technically, we’re still under the flag of the Republic, but we try to maintain a healthy “don’t call us and we won’t call you” relationship. To say we travel in our own circles, and like it that way, would be a fair assessment. But it’s just never really that simple, is it?
My implant bleeped a transmission from an…acquaintance I’d hoped was long gone from my life. He wasn’t. If Philo Storm, Director of Republic Intelligence, was calling, it had to be something unpleasant. I was quite sure I didn’t want to know what it was about, but ignoring it wasn’t an option.
The bar was about as busy as we get and I, reluctantly, told Rhina to keep an eye on things. Rhina steals from me, so I endeavor to not leave her in charge very often. It didn’t have to be something all that big did it? Storm was on an unencrypted link, after all.
When I came out of the office and told her to clear out the place NOW, Rhina knew things were bad. A Republic cutter would be picking me up in two hours. Mission undetermined…destination unspecified. Oh yeah, it was that big. Apparently, I wasn’t quite as retired as I’d thought I was.
250 words @klingorengi
Lunchtime boredom
ReplyDelete“So, tell me about this person you saw.” I lean my chin in my palm and stare blankly at my coworker from across the table.
“Listen, man, it was a demon!” He yells excitedly.
“Of course, of course.” My eyes start wandering through the cafeteria, pausing briefly at a familiar face every so often.
“I’m telling you, this time it was real…” He sounds dejected at my dismissive attitude.
“Sorry, I almost envy you if you are, in fact, seeing these things. It would certainly make life more interesting…” He grabs my arm fiercely and shushes me.
“Shh! Don’t say that, man, you crazy? Once you let them in, that’s how they get you!” He speaks with hushed yelling. I peel his fingers from my arm and devote (most) of my attention to him.
“So are you going to tell me about it or not? What makes you sure this one was real?” I fold my arms on the table and lean on them.
“Okay, okay, look. I was taking a dump, right…”
“Well, that’s a great start.” I roll my eyes and facepalm.
“Anyway, it was huge.”
“I don’t need to know about it.”
“No, not that, the demon!”
“Why did you bring up taking a dump, then?”
“Because that’s when I saw it… It was at least ten feet tall!” I stare blankly at him.
“Oh yeah, it was that big.” He nods, agreeing with himself.
“You mean like that?” I point at the shadow manifesting behind him.
250 words
@phoenixlavan
Spencer just gave me the largest chocolate bar I've ever seen! Oh yeah, it was that big! And now my butt's going to be that big, but you know what? I don't flippin' care! We had a bit of an argument last night and I was going to admit it was all my fault, but when I got back to my desk after lunch, he'd been here already and left me the “forgive me” gift! There's no way in Hell I'm going to apologize after that, because he might say I don't deserve it. Now I have to devise a way to have an argument tonight to see what he brings me tomorrow…
ReplyDelete@tinaofborg
word count 113
He stood with his back to the door panting. The run up hill had wiped him out and he knew that his physical exertion was not over. How was it possible? The Grimm’s tales did not prepare him for what he saw out there. He hated the woods and this was another reason to hate them. She came from the kitchen of the ultra-modern house in the woods. She looked him over, standing at the door, obviously filled with terror.
ReplyDelete“What’s wrong,” she asked a mix of bewilderment and amusement on her face at seeing him look so frail.
“I…i…it wa..was horrible,” he stammered. “A beast…a monster…I ran up the hill.”
“A monster? Really?”
“Yeah, it was covered in grey hair. It had huge teeth and claws.”
“You probably just saw a wolf,” she smiled. “Nothing really to worry about, they tend to keep away.”
“This was like no wolf I’ve seen before.”
He released his firm lean on the door and stepped to peer out the window. Her ears and nose twitched. Why was he out there? She told him not to go outside after dark. Her skin prickled as the heavy hair of her coat grew in. Her head swayed from side-to-side and her snout elongated. Bright-white glistening teeth jutted from her jaw. He muttered something but she did not understand his words as her transformation completed. Her nails clacked on the polished hardwood floors. He turned from the window.
“Oh yeah, it was that big.”
@ChuckWes
250 Words
EQUAL OF HEAVEN
ReplyDeleteThe plague fiends arrived on the planet five days ago. In less than a week the entire world was brought to its knees, cowering in quarantined isolation. Minky had arrived around the same time and a lot of people blamed her for the plague. Maybe they were right. She didn’t remember.
Still, the priestess who found Minky defended her innocence unquestioningly. The scrawny girl who wasn’t exactly human wouldn’t disappoint her benefactor. Minky stretched and swallowed a yawn.
Time to show those plague fiends who they were messing with. She drew the small metal cylinder from behind her ear and let it grow back to its full size. Minky grinned now that she had the attention of the fiend army. Twisted purple figures were charging up the hill at her, but all she had to do was drop the cylinder and let gravity do its work.
Oh yeah, it was that big. And any fiends who survived would have to deal with Minky herself.
164 words
@DavidALudwig
I Spy with my Little Eye
ReplyDeleteGiggles.
More giggles.
“Shh! They’ll hear us!” someone whispered fiercely.
Jack heard female voices filtering into the boys locker room. Following the sound, he spied an opening in the wall just above a bank of lockers. He tucked himself in the corner, out of view of what he now suspected to be a peep hole.
More giggling and shrieking. He glanced over and noticed they had a bird’s eye view of the entrance to the showers and the main changing area.
Dirk was walking around naked as he always did. This time, Jack had to cover his own mouth to hold the laughter in.
“Dude, what’s your damage?” Dirk shot him a dirty look. “Perv.”
Jack slipped out of the locker room and into the one next door, determined to catch the voyeurs. The room was dark, but it wasn’t hard to find the culprits amid all the muffled laughter. He snuck up behind the gaggle of girls silently.
“You have to see Jack’s! He takes the prize for hotness and . . . you know. I wonder why he’s not in there yet.”
“Jack?”
“Really?”
“You’ve seen it?”
"Oh yeah, it was that big."
And everyone thought guys were bad.
Drawing closer, he crouched between two of the girls, draping his arms over their shoulders.
“That big, huh, ladies?”
Jack plugged his ears then covered eyes against the ensuing screaming girls and influx of naked boys rushing to the rescue.
@SarahAisling
250 #WIP500 words
I don’t like knives. I’ve carried a few. It’s part of doing business these days. Sometimes when you have to make a point, a blade can make a statement…if you know what you’re doing.
ReplyDeleteThat’s why I was sharing a bottle of vodka with the eight inch gash on my ribcage. That’s why I spoke through clenched teeth while Rudy stitched me up, again.
“It’s deep. When are you going to give this gig up? You already look like a poster from a butcher shop.”
“I’ll quit when guys pay on time. It’s a cause and effect relationship.”
“I’ve seen the effect. Did it fit the cause?” Rudy snipped off the last length of thread and tossed the bloody needle in the alcohol-filled metal tray, now cranberry red.
“I pulled my stiletto and explained the facts. He pulled out a friggin’ machete and presented a counter-proposal.”
“A machete? You’re jackin’ me.” Rudy grabbed the bottle from my hand a slugged down a shot.
“Oh yeah, it was that big.” I shrugged and winced.
“Did he pay?”
“They all pay, one way or the other. He just paid a little more than he expected.”
I pulled out the severed ear from my shirt pocket and tossed it onto the table. “Add this to the collection”
Rudy then slid it into the black box, now almost full. In a fair fight against a big blade I shouldn’t have stood a chance…if I fought fair. I don’t.
Now he knows better.
@RevoBoulanger
248 words
“Man, you should have seen it. This massive flying circle, flying saucer I guess. Black with a rainbow shine, like an oil slick.” I peered up at the crisp blue sky where I’d seen the ship hovering above the skyscrapers. I knew I sounded crazy, but I had to tell someone what I’d seen. “It cast a shadow on this entire city block. Oh yeah, it was that big."
ReplyDelete“That’s what she said,” Damon replied, nonplussed. He ran his fingers through his dyed green bangs, then scratched his nose just to the left of his piercing.
“Really? You’re going there?” I punched his shoulder. “Did hear what I said? Aliens, man. Immature humour is not an appropriate response.”
“Appropriate response? You sound like my English teacher. Here’s an appropriate response: There are no aliens. You had a bad drug trip or something.”
“You’re the one who does drugs.”
Damon shrugged and put his hands in his pockets.
I stared down at the gum on the pavement. I expected people to not believe me, but Damon? The guy turned Wiccan for a summer after reading Wikipedia. He’s seen all six Star Wars movies eight times. Damon doesn’t believe in aliens?
Unbelievable.
_______
200 words
@SuperHappyJen
"Oh yeah, it was THAT big."
ReplyDelete"And it got away."
"Of course it got away! It was huge! I tried to pull it in, but the line broke and I lost it."
"Yeah, you lost it, all right. How many times have I heard you tell these stories? You never HAVE caught one."
"Hey! If I ALWAYS managed to bring them in, there'd be no sport in it."
"Well, that could be, but after all these times, you have NOTHING to show for it?"
"Wait a minute! I DO have something to show for it. See?"
"That's nothing. Just because you show me a piece of broken line doesn't mean there was something as big as you say on the other end. For all I know, that could have snapped after getting caught on a rock."
"Just wait. You'll see. One of these days, when those things come back in their lake-top floaters and those lines come back into the water, I swear I'm going to pull one of them in!"
172 Words
@LupusAnthropos
Title: Clash of the Clichés
ReplyDeleteMarissa typed furiously on her laptop, determined to make the scene really pop. She had deleted and re-written the same scene so many times, it was like Groundhog Day in the bedroom of her book.
She tried picturing the scene in her head like a movie. She tried reading the scene out loud. She even tried posing herself in her own bed to see if the positions she was describing were even possible (they were).
Yet, Marissa was at a loss.
With a frustrated sigh, she pushed her computer away from her and turned on the TV. She flipped through several channels before giving up and shutting the TV off again.
Opening her laptop back up, she queued up the scene and read aloud.
“Lindsey, the innocent and virginal blushing bride, trembled before her new husband nervous and unsure. Her husband wasn’t nearly as shy or nervous. He waltzed brazenly around their chamber, as nude as the day he was born. His manly sword stood out and swung in all its glory as he moved.
She couldn’t keep her eyes away from it. Oh yeah, it was that big. Lindsey wasn’t sure exactly where Harold had planned on putting it; at least not where she thought it was supposed to go.”
“Ugh! Curse you clichés!” Marissa yelled, deleting not only the section but the entire story. “I don’t think I’m cut out for bodice rippers. Time to try science fiction.”
@MLGammella
240 words
With a prompt like this, I could not NOT go there. LOL
I was doubly inspired today and had another little nugget pop in my head while I was working on my first. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteTitle: The Life and Times of Socks
Hands and fingers began flying left and right as Sarah and Michael finally gave into their building attraction to one another. They fumbled and bumped into one another as they tried as quickly as they could to remove each other’s clothing. Unfortunately, they were both uncoordinated and awkward so a process that normally would only take a matter of moments took much longer, and not without some pain and suffering.
Sarah’s shirt got caught up around her glasses that she forgot to remove. Michael’s adult braces got caught in her hair as he tried to untangle her. After Michael successfully managed to get her hair out of his braces, his fingers got caught up in the mysterious catches of Sarah’s bra. Sarah couldn’t figure out the button strap on his dress pants.
Yet, they persevered; they had a goal in mind after all.
Finally, they were both divested of all their cumbersome clothing, except their socks. Sarah and Michael discussed the sock issue beforehand and agreed that the socks must stay on. It was a major deal breaker for both. Oh yeah, it was that big. Nothing could blow the mood like fugly, nasty feet. So, in consideration of their night of passion, they opted to keep any potential funky feet display from happening and kept their toes firmly ensconced in their socks, argyle dress socks for him and ladies cotton socks for her.
The things their socks saw that night ... it’s enough to write a book about.
@MLGammella
249 words
There was no halting ambivalence or trepid insecurity in Earl. His humongous feet would tote his massive frame, into even a delicate situation, in the most confident gait. Whatever air not displaced by his immensity would be sucked out of the room by his enormous ego. Oh yeah, it was that big. I guess it would have been easy to imagine arrogance as the root cause of his present predicament.
ReplyDeleteEarl was bound by four chains, spread eagle and on display, in the great hall of the Vicor. He had strode right up to the elders, denouncing any intellectual heft in their recent decisions, and accusing them of caring more for the appearance of governing than actual governance. This had not been the first time that Earl had berated the council. But, it would be his last.
Earl’s impassioned oratory and gestures had been made illegal in less publicized edicts of the elders. That’s right, Earl had been trapped. Although the current elders lacked the cognitive abilities of their predecessors, their authority was absolute. They would make an example of this overbearing man. Ironically, the source of his greatest strength would work to precipitate his demise. Earl had to die.
200 words
@Computilizer
The ship—did I call something that size a ship? It blotted out space, replacing the stars with dark metals and the glimmer of lights, and we weren’t even close. A ship like ours raced by, shrinking to a speck before vanishing from sight. The thing before us seemed to grow ever larger. It reminded me of my first return to Earth, feeling so insignificant in a shuttle that could as easily shatter into nothing as land safely.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah. It was that big.
We crowded against the observation glass. Me, Gemma, Tegan, and Kat, all straining to see where it began. Where it possibly ended. I chuckled to myself. Our curiosity, our drive to explore, to leap before looking—they’d gotten us chosen for the Gaea Project, and we’d be probably be dead before we changed.
“What is this thing?” Tegan whispered.
“This is the Malcontent. More man-made planet than ship. This is smuggler, slaver, and all-around scumbag central.” Gemma exhaled and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Shit.”
“Gemma,” I scolded.
“Sorry, Frannie,” she sighed. “But this is bad.”
“On a scale of one-to-ten?” Kat asked.
“Forty-two.”
We looked at one another. They all looked to me and I knew I was the weakest link here. I’d never known the battle or even the field. I inventoried, organized, requisitioned.
Time to man up, Francesca.
I swallowed hard and acknowledged their unspoken question with a nod.
“Sounds like our kind of odds,” I said.
Gemma grinned. “That’s my girl.”
@caramichaels
250 #WIP500 words
I stood in the doorway of my home, trying to remember the living room as it had been before I left for work that morning: modest couch, flat screen tv, my beloved bookshelves. I couldn’t see any of those things beyond the monstrosity that now dominated the room. I remembered vaguely my husband’s talk about a man cave; I hadn’t imagined a pool table that could serve as a pirate ship as the room’s showcase piece. Oh yeah, it was that big.
ReplyDelete“Steve,” I called, trying to keep the panic at bay.
My husband came skipping through the dining room in bare feet, each step causing a loud report from the bubble wrap that was strewn on the ground. His blue eyes were dancing above his wide smile. To his credit, his lips faltered a bit after seeing my pained expression.
“Honey, look!” He pointed at the enormous table sitting in the center of my once-peaceful living room. “It’s here.”
“I can see that. When is it going?”
Steve’s face fell further. “Going? What do you mean?”
“Well…” I threw my hands up in frustration. “It can’t stay here.”
“Oh.” He looked around at the dining room table, cocking his head to the side.
“Uh-uh. You’re pool table is not trumping my dining room table.”
“I don’t think it’ll fit down the steps,” Steve murmured.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I want a divorce,” I said softly, before turning around and walking out the door.
@JenD_Author
247 words
“So, what have we learned?” her comrade asked, leaning down into the engine bay. The runner was silent: the exact opposite of its natural state.
ReplyDeleteThe sun, though setting, threw dangerous slivers of light across the barren land. Diana pulled her goggles down. “I learned not to bring you the next time.”
“Not bring me?” Wes’ voice echoed through the metal. The distant sound of rumbling diffused into the whoosh of constant wind. “Wouldn’t survive without me.”
Diana stared at the horizon. It warbled up and down, a mix of dunes and flatland. She balked as a shape developed across a dune, blotching out an amount of sun that was monstrous in size. “You need to get us moving now.”
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“Yeah, I understand that,” she said, voice wavering. “But there’s a Behemoth coming.”
He looked up. “That big?”
“Oh, yeah, it was that big.”
The engine gave a choke. “Hold on.”
“I can’t.” The sand kicked up, parting in gargantuan waves, creating spray that she knew would peel her skin away.
“Hold on.”
“Wes.” The engine thundered to life. She slammed the lever for acceleration and they lurched toward what she hoped was survival.
@J_M_Blackman
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#ThusThreads is now CLOSED. Thank you to everyone who wrote and we'll see you next week!
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