#ThursThreads - Week 40 - Winners

Week 40 of #ThursThreads had some great tales! Thanks to all who entered this week. I'm honored to see all of you and read your stories. It was great to have our returning regulars and some new "faces". Great thanks also goes to judge Karla Doyle for reading all the tales.

Entries:

• Daniel Swensen | @surlymuse
• Lisa McCourt Hollar | @jezri1
• Nick Johns | @nickjohns999
• Robin Abess | @Angelique_Rider
• Jeffrey Hollar | @Klingorengi
• Mark Ethridge | @LurchMunster
• Susan Hayes | @capricia13
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Meredith Smith-Lane | @squee79
• Wakefield Mahon | @WakefieldMahon
• David A Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
• Alex Bowman | @AlexBowman8
• Sarah Aisling | @SarahAisling
• Lady Bluestocking | @xbluestockingx
• Kel Heinen | @Aightball
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Nellie Batz | @solimond

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

Robin Abess | @Angelique_Rider

Karla says: A super-close second-place entry here. Creepy and captivating. Again, if there had been more to this story (a lot more, please, I loved the concept!), I would have kept reading.

 

Mark Ethridge | @LurchMunster

Karla says: The second-to-last paragraph sold me on this piece. Disturbingly visual, but it totally hooked me on what 'more' could happen in this story.

Meredith Smith-Lane | @squee79

 Karla says: A nice, solid take on the classic 'woman scorned' theme.

Kel Heinen | @Aightball

Karla says: There were some technical issues with this entry (punctuation, spelling, grammar), but the overall story and its depth of emotion made it one of my top five picks.

Week 40 Winner

Daniel Swensen | @surlymuse

Karla says: This piece grabbed me right from the first reading, made me want to know who, what, why, how and when? A very intriguing story I would definitely have continued reading. I liked how it was very visual with high emotional content and a heaping helping of suspense. I sincerely hope the author has a full story mapped out for this enticing nugget. Great job, Daniel!

"Do you feel that?" She ran the knife along his arm, scraping away the sulphurous crust of his trip back from oblivion. Beneath, his flesh was like oiled wood, warm and smoking.

His first breath rattled like pebbles in a bowl. His leap across the void had not been easy.

"Yes," he said. A chorus of miniscule creaks as he flexed his hand. "It seems silly to feel anything at all after so long. How long was I gone?”

She set the knife on the tray beside the bed, turning away to hide her regret. "Too long. I did the best I could -- it was difficult."

His hand found her cheek, turned her head back toward his. Inhuman fingers traced the newfound lines of age along her cheeks. "You did well. I knew you wouldn't forget me."

She tilted her head into his touch. "So what do we do now?"

He cracked a mannequin's smile, eyes gleaming in a bronze death-mask. His fingers closed around her throat, and she shivered with delight, caressing his wrist with her hand.

"We find the ones who did this," he said. "And we make sure they never feel anything again."

Congratulations Daniel, Robin, Mark, Meredith, and Kel! Claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! :)

Pass on the great news on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the stories here. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! :)