Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked. It's Thursday again, so what should you be doing? Writing #FlashFiction, that's what! Welcome to Week 29 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 29:
The multi-published, paranormal and western erotic romance author, Gem Sivad.
The Prompt:
"They
take this seriously."
All stories written herein are the property (both intellectual and physical) of the authors. Now, away with you, Flash Fiction Fanatics, and show us your #ThursThreads. Good luck! :)
Rules Must Be Obeyed
ReplyDelete“Around here, they take this seriously.”
Candice shivered at Molly’s tone. She hadn’t wanted to come to Chivers Boarding School in the first place, but her mother had insisted, and her father had gone along with it like he always did. The school had turned out better in some ways than she had expected, but worse in so many others. The rules were stricter than she could ever have imagined. Apparently making friends with someone from their rival school, Albemarle School for Girls, was the worst thing a student could do.
“What…what will they do to me?”
Molly shrugged coldly. “It’s your first Offense, so you might end up with a lighter punishment. Still, this is huge, Candace. We don’t associate with those…people.”
Miss Rogers appeared at the girl’s door. “Come with me, Candace. They’re waiting for you.”
Glancing at Molly a final time, Candace followed the teacher to the office. She was ushered into the inner sanctum. The room was cloaked in shadow, and she could only see the silhouettes of the three figures before her.
“You have broken our most sacred rule.” The voice was furious.
“I..I’m sorry…”
“Too late for apologies. Now you must be…trained.”
Two figures came toward her, hands outstretched. Candace tried to scream to no avail. Her last thought was of her new friend, Amy.
In a few days, Candace was back in class smiling brightly, but with a new hairstyle. It was very fetching on her and hid the lobotomy scar quite well.
250 words {without title}
@Angelique_Rider
Cassie Tucker pulled on the bonds securing her wrists and ankles to the chair, but they wouldn’t budge. She looked around the room for any inspiration to escape, but the only light came from the crack under the broom closet’s door, and it barely penetrated more than a few inches.
ReplyDelete“Jack?” Her voice was no more than a croak and she cleared her throat. “Jack?”
A groan from behind her made her twist her head over her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Anger and pain radiated from his voice.
“Are Melissa and Heather with you?”
“No.” More anger. “They took them.”
“Dammit!” Cassie tried to calm herself down. “What happened?”
“Uh, they caught me trying to get the ladies out, and beat the hell out of me? What do you think happened?” Cassie waited, though it damn near killed her to do so. “They were expecting us.”
“How? I thought your ‘inside man’ had all the bases covered.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Dammit, Jack. This isn’t a joke! They take this seriously, and we don’t have backup.”
“You don’t think I know that?”
“Tell me again why we couldn’t go to the other cops.”
“Because the Captain is in on the deal.”
“Do you have proof of that?” Captain Sorenson had been her friend since she’d graduated from the Academy. Could he really be working with Sebastian Leech and his child sex slave ring?
“Why won’t you believe me?”
“Do you have proof!”
“No. Not anymore.”
245 ineligible #WIP500 words
@SiobhanMuir
Ritual Observance
ReplyDeleteJeremiah’s mount crested the hill and he pulled up short. He spoke in hushed tones to those he was guiding. “They’re down there somewhere close. I can’t make it clear enough how important it is this go off without a hitch. They control every route through these woods for two day’s ride in any direction. If we’re going to re-establish trade with the other human survivors, we need a treaty with these folks first. There’s no two ways about it.”
Ambassador Elizander Kreel snorted derisively, “I can’t believe we rode clear out here for a salad bar run by a bunch of damned rodents! This is ridiculous.”
Jeremiah fought to keep his voice calm, “Mr. Ambassador, they’re not rodents. They’re, officially, the envoys of the Leporidae Confederation. I’d advise very strongly against calling the Sharing of Vegetables ritual ‘visiting a salad bar’. It’s a sacred ceremony to these folks and they take this seriously…real seriously. Wait….shhh….listen up!”
The warrior stepped from the cover of the treeline. He was over seven feet tall and dressed in elaborate armor. He bristled with assorted weapons and conveyed a sense of alert caution. From the tips of his long ears to the claw-tips of his enormous feet, he was every inch a warrior to be reckoned with. One forepaw gripped the hilt of his longsword while he motioned them forward with the other.
“Well, Ambassador, I think that means it’s show time. Single file everybody and do NOT make any sudden moves. Let’s go.”
250 Words @klingorengi
“They take this seriously—the game that I put together—very seriously. I find it all too interesting, watching them toil and mess with each other, to shut it down. The ones that intrigue me the most are the ones that think of ways to advance themselves with monstrous creations. They build, what are they called?”
ReplyDelete“ Gadgets?”
“ Yes, that’s the word. Gadgets; they build these gadgets and convince others that they need them, cannot live without them and that is when they have them.”
“ It’s quite ingenious actually.”
He looked at the other with a bemused expression. His sparkling blues gave the other permission to continue.
“I think they’ve out your game. Isn’t it the goal to be the one on top at the end?”
He placed his index finger to his lips, considering what the other said. Was that the intent of the game? At first, it was just an experiment to see what would happen if this and what would happen if that. Now, it had become so much more. He glanced around at the players.
“Maybe it is. I didn’t, of course, plan it that way but it is what it has become.”
“Understood, I remember all the things you did early on. Now they’ve learned many things and continue on without you.”
He glanced at the other with a devious smirk. “I think it’s time I become more involved again. Shake things up a bit for them. They’ll never know what hit them.”
@ChuckWesJ
250 Words
“They take this seriously—the game that I put together—very seriously. I find it all too interesting, watching them toil and mess with each other, to shut it down. The ones that intrigue me the most are the ones that think of ways to advance themselves with monstrous creations. They build, what are they called?”
ReplyDelete“ Gadgets?”
“ Yes, that’s the word. Gadgets; they build these gadgets and convince others that they need them, cannot live without them and that is when they have them.”
“ It’s quite ingenious actually.”
He looked at the other with a bemused expression. His sparkling blues gave the other permission to continue.
“I think they figured out your game. Isn’t the objective to be the one on top at the end?”
He placed his index finger to his lips, considering what the other said. Was that the intent of the game? At first, it was just an experiment to see what would happen if this and what would happen if that. Now, it had become so much more. He glanced around at the players.
“Maybe it is. I didn’t, of course, plan it that way but it is what it has become.”
“Understood, I remember all the things you did early on. Now they’ve learned many things and continue on without you.”
He glanced at the other with a devious smirk. “I think it’s time I become more involved again. Shake things up a bit for them. They’ll never know what hit them.”
@ChuckWesJ
250 Words
A voice reached through the darkness and I closed my eyes at the sound of my name.
ReplyDelete“I’m not in the mood for company right now,” I said.
From this vantage, I could just watch. I didn’t have to participate, didn’t have to smile when every laugh and cheer ripped away something vital. Their joy would never be mine and I hated them for it.
“I know I should leave,” he said.
I didn’t want to be drawn in, especially by him.
Firm hands settled on my shoulders and drew me back against an equally firm chest. A weaker woman might have softened, might have leaned.
I wanted to lean.
Instead, I blessed my stringent military life and stubborn pride for keeping my back straight and tall.
“Tell me they take this seriously.”
Below us, people partied with conviction. I needed to know my path mattered to them. To someone. Acid burned in my gut.
“Of course they—”
I cut him off. “Tell me I’m not giving my life away for nothing.”
The hands on my shoulders clenched, hard enough to bruise. I welcomed the ache, letting it chase away friendlier sensations. Like the warmth of his touch, the scent of his skin, the tease of his breath at my temple.
“He will love you.”
“For all the good it will do,” I said.
“You will love him, too.”
I turned and faced eyes burning with jealousy.
“No.” I pulled away, making the necessary break between us. “I won’t.”
@caramichaels
250 words
Homonin opened his pack, dumping the contents on the table. “I found many things this time.”
ReplyDeleteI looked at the piles of objects he’d collected. There were books of all kinds. But there were two that stood out from the rest. I examined the gold cursive script drawn on the fronts of them. We’d learned the languages of the beings on this planet. They had potential. If they didn’t kill themselves. Or abandon the path of progress they were on.
The books were titled, “The Baptist Hymnal” and “The Holy Bible King James Version”. “Homonin, these two books appear to be different from the rest. Where did you find them?”
“They were in what the hoomahns call a church. One of thousands that is named First Church Of God. Althought I fail to understand how they can all be the first church of God.” Homonin saw the questioning look in my eyes. “The hoomahns are still primitive enough to believe in religion. They have many variants of the same basic religion. And they have different religions that are in conflict.”
“Homonin, do the hoomahns take this religion of theirs seriously?”
“Yes. They take this seriously. They go to war over details in their religions all the time.”
Homonin knew, as did I, this meant one thing. We had to abandon the planet, for history had shown us primitive life forms always destroyed themselves in some stupid religious conflict after they developed religions.
245 Words
@LurchMunster
Vixie noticed her toe start tapping in time to pin it down with her other foot. They take this seriously, she reminded herself. Patting down her dove-white dress caused slight air currents reminding Vixie of her small act of defiance. That’s right, you prudes, I’m not wearing anything under this!
ReplyDeleteThe tanned red-head allowed herself a sharp-toothed grin as she wondered if anyone else in the assembly was going commando. Everyone politely ignored the flatulent outburst from the old man in the row behind her, except Vixie who had to bite her lip to keep from guffawing.
“Vixie, are you okay?”
She felt her husband’s strong grip around her free hand. The priest was invoking the holy words and the whole congregation seemed to hold their breath. Vixie nodded in response to her husband’s question, eyes watering.
“Yeah, we should pay attention. We’re up soon.”
Cen’s calloused grip tightened on her hand, “This is important, Vixie! We want to make a good impression.”
Vixie shifted the baby in her other arm so the infant was looking at her father, “After this is over want to get started on another one?”
Cen squeezed his wife’s hand tighter and she had to bite her lip again to keep from laughing. Then the priest called them up in front of the congregation.
Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Someone in Vixie’s family was finally getting baptized.
235 words
@DavidALudwig
Alien Convention
ReplyDeleteBy Lisa McCourt Hollar
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Thinking he had stepped into some weird version of The Twilight Zone Johnny Walker surveyed the room. Red, the color of crimson was splattered across the walls, mixed with a rainbow of green, blue and orange.
“I told you, they take this seriously.” Sean Franco shook his head, trying not to chuckle at his partners dazed look. It was his first year in town.
Before him, an alien with a large lobed head and sharp teeth sputtered indignantly.
“I want them arrested! This is NEVER going to come clean.” He gestured to his suit, an already gaudy color that even the most hardened pimp wouldn’t be caught dead in. A large collar rose up in the back, covering the back of his bald head. Johnny assumed he was referring to the red paintball splotches that were soaking into the fabric. Behind him a bevy of women, dressed in costumes befitting Star Trek characters, giggled.
“You should thank me, Ferengi. I improved the look.” The woman leering down at the offended ‘Ferengi’, pointed a paint ball gun at him, shoving it into his chest.
“Did you see that officers, she threatened me.”
“Threatened you?” The woman laughed. “Ferengi, wait until tonight. You’ll see what threatened is.”
“Let’s go,” Sean said, turning towards the brothel door.
“Aren’t we going to arrest her? She did threaten him…I think.”
“Foreplay,” Sean said. “Get used to it. You should see Vegas when the Beany Baby convention comes to town.”
Word Count: 250
@jezri1
Right before we got to the door I grabbed his arm.
ReplyDelete“Aaron, I just, well…please remember that I never wanted you to have to know the things that you are about to find out.”
“Whatever I find out, I promise it won’t change the way I feel about you, Lauren,” he said.
I clasped his hand as we walked through the house and down the hall toward the basement steps where the meeting room was.
“I can’t believe I’m walking through Camp David,” he murmured as we passed framed photos of past Presidents on the wall.
I knocked on the door, waited for it to buzz, and then pushed it open. The room was empty, so we slid into two chairs in the back row.
A few moments later, the door on the other side of the room opened and Dad came in.
David stood and saluted him, “Mr. President.”
“Please, it’s just Gerald here.” He shook Aaron’s hand and patted his shoulder.
I imagined all the things Aaron might be thinking. I was sure his mind was whirling with every possible scenario except the right one.
The door opened again, and Victor came in, carrying a cardboard box. He was followed by two guards, one whom we had seen earlier on the path to the garden. They looked human enough, unless one was to accidently touch their icy cold skin.
Victor wore a Coca-Cola logo t-shit.
“They take this seriously?” Aaron whispered.
“Oh yes. Very.”
246 words
@KayPhoenix_
We met down by the creek.
ReplyDeleteIt looked the same as when we were kids. Same dirty water, same dry grass, same crumbling stone bridge.
I took my time getting down to where Jimbo was waiting for me. I knew I hadn't been followed. I wasn't as sure about Jimbo.
He sat on the ledge and chain-smoked through his story.
“I thought it was my lucky day,” he said. “You think I meant to kill him? How the fuck was I supposed to know whose shit it was?”
“Where's it at now?”
He told me and I ran the numbers. No dice. I couldn't save him. They take this seriously. Very seriously. They'll find him and they'll skin him alive. They'll make it last for days.
He ran out of cigarettes so I gave him one of mine. I should've brought him a blindfold.
I let him finish his smoke.
“You carrying?”
He nodded and handed over his piece.
“Let's go,” I said.
I raised the gun as he stood.
“You're joking,” he said.
“Wish I was, pal.”
I made myself look him in the eye as I pulled the trigger.
When it was done I rolled him into the water, wiped the gun clean, and tossed it in after him.
“Lucky day, eh?” I said as he began to float downstream. “You don't know the half of it.”
238 words
@JTsuruoka
"When"
ReplyDeleteRegina ogled the heavy duty track on the ceiling then eyed the polished wooden cross on the wall. Leather cuffs with attached chains hung from the dark wood, and disquiet settled over her.
Ian sauntered into the room, and a smirk spread across his face. “Hey, baby. You ready to work?”
“This is our job? Hanging BDSM equipment?” Regina’s voice held a hysterical edge. “Why don’t they hang it themselves?”
“They take this seriously, Reg.” Ian gestured at the gleaming equipment placed around the room. “What if the Dom hung his sub and the track came down?”
She gaped at the offhand way Ian spoke. “What do you know about . . . this kind of lifestyle?”
“Nothing, really.” He shrugged. “A better question would be why does it freak you out so much?”
Regina glanced at the restraints again, a tingle unfurling in her belly. Her hair was swept aside, Ian’s warm lips brushing against her ear. “I think you yearn to be tied up.”
Did she? Another tingle of anticipation shot through her. Yes. Yes, she did. She spun to face Ian, and surprised him with a breathless, “When?”
@SarahAisling
194 #WIP500 words
#ThursThreads is now CLOSED. Thank you to everyone who wrote this week and I hope to see you next week! :)
ReplyDelete