#ThursThreads - Week 115 - Winners

Week 115 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales and a great turnout. I'm honored to see all of the returning writers and read your stories. Thank you for coming back again and again to write and for helping me celebrate these years of flash. It was also wonderful to have some new folks stop by. Welcome! Great thanks to Cat Johnson for judging this week. Be sure to check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on FB to keep up with news, etc.

Entries:

• Fran Vallone | @francinevallone
• Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
• Sandy Lane | @@sandyquill
• Silver James | @SilverJames_
• Richard Gibney | @ragtaggiggagon 
• Warren C. Bennett | @warrencbennett
• Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
• Louisa Bacio | @LouisaBacio
• Anna Lund | @AnnaLund2011
• Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
• Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
• David A Ludwig | @DavidALudwig
• Hunter Frost | @HunterFrostMM

Winners Announcement:

Honorable Mentions

Anna Lund | @AnnaLund2011

Cat says: Sets the tone and the scene nicely. It leaves the reader wanting to know why he’s on the planet alone.

Louisa Bacio | @LouisaBacio

Cat says: The high level of action was good. The reader figures out very fast what these characters are and that their joining is significant.

Fran Vallone | @francinevallone

Cat says: Paints a vivid and heart wrenching picture.

Sandy Lane | @sandyquill

Cat says: This story elicits emotion. It left me wondering why they kill him, does he know he will be killed, and is this protocol in his world?

Week 115 Winner

Hunter Frost | @HunterFrostMM

Camera shy: Hunter Frost

Cat says: I loved how the author set the scene and engaged all the reader’s senses. We saw, smelled and felt the old saloon as the Point-of-View character. All the information was fed to us as he experienced it, rather than in an info dump via a long description-only narrative. We also know immediately who is doing the thinking, what he’s feeling, and it leaves us wanting more. We want to know what will happen next with the mysterious stranger?

Years of tobacco smoke and stale liquor assaulted my senses as I heaved open the wooden door of the old saloon and entered. Modern times did away with the batwing doors from the Westerns I’d watch as a kid. A shame, really. It was much harder to imagine a crook in his ten gallon hat, jangling spurs, and twin pistols pulling open a cumbersome door like this before escaping on his horse. The lawmen would’ve always won the day. And where would be the fun in that?

As a “law man” myself, I’d rather have a challenge. But that’s me. And those were the movies. This saloon was real – real enough to be a historical landmark in the small town of Branch where I worked.

Complete with honest-to-goodness cowboys, too.

At the end of the brass-edged bar stood one I’d never seen before - with a mop of disheveled, midnight black hair, trim hips, and an ass that filled out his faded Levi’s enough to make my heart pound.

“Who’s the new guy?” I asked Paul, who played bouncer on nights like these.

Paul’s eyes followed my gaze to the sculpted back of said man, who chose that moment to turn and catch me mid-stare. I smiled at his chiseled features and he slowly turned back, seemingly unimpressed.

Interesting.

“Name’s Russ from what I hear,” Paul said. “And he runs alone.”

“We’ll see about that.” I removed my hat, polished my badge, and made my way over with a grin.

Congratulations Two Time Winner Hunter, Anna, Louisa, Fran, and Sandy! Don't forget to 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! :)