Thursday, June 19, 2014

#ThursThreads - The Challenge That Ties Tales Together - Week 124


Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked. It's Thursday today, so get your flash ready. Writing a #flashfiction thread! Welcome to Week 124 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. One new thing: We now start at 7 am MOUNTAIN TIME. Want to keep up each week? You're welcome to join the FB #ThursThreads group where we'll do events and make announcements. 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 8 PM Mountain 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 124:


Floral designer, rainfall writer, and M/M romance author, Dianne Hartsock.



And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:


“This couldn’t end well.”

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!

30 comments:

  1. (Snippet from my Sci Spanks '14 story)

    If only she had half of the wit her lifelong friend had, she’d prove herself the best of leaders. If only the Fates would’ve saw fit to make them one person, and not two.

    When the worst of the tempest passed, Kylla pushed back and stared into her friend’s eyes, finding them glassy with tears. She’d known those moss green eyes a lifetime.

    “What am I to you, Mel?” she asked.

    Mel blinked then wiped her tears away. “What do you mean?”

    “If I am not your leader, then am I only your friend?” Kylla dared to reach up and swipe away one last trail of wetness on Mel’s satiny cheek. “Will I ever be only a friend?”

    The blur of stars filled her peripheral vision as she watched the play of emotion over Mel’s face. Confusion, and then the dawn of understanding. What if she’d make a terrible mistake—this couldn’t end well.

    Would their friendship survive if the answer was indeed yes? Could Kylla ever survive without her solid other half should Mel turn her away? Leaders should be strong, and with Mel at her side, they’d take back their solar system from the Master. Kylla knew without her to balance her own shortcomings, not only would she crumble, but so would her people.

    “Let this be my answer,” Mel said, barely above a breath. Her velvet lips were on hers, their kiss sweet, long, and incredible. A kiss to seal a shared lifetime of love.

    248 words
    @OliviaStarke

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    Replies
    1. So sweet! And what a risk for Kylla to take. She'll definitely make a strong leader.

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  2. I trembled. Everywhere. From my red painted toes to my brown curls. It was the anticipation, the fear, the whole “forbidden” scenario that had me shaking in my cowboy boots. This was such a cliché, the professor and the failing student, it all makes me cringe. But still I knock on your door and wait for your permission to enter.

    I fell in love with you on the first day. Your rusty hair constantly flopping into your summer green eyes and the adorable way you flicked your head to clear them had me swooning. But it was the intelligence in your voice and the passion of your words that had me crash landing at your feet in love.

    And now here I am ready to debase myself for a grade. I know I should feel ashamed and disgusted at what I’m willing to do, but I’m too overjoyed by the idea of you touching me to care. It’s been my only fantasy since the day I blanked on an entire lesson because you were sucking on a pencil. The way your lips wrapped around that yellow piece of wood had me clenching my thighs in desperation.

    Your deep voice calls me into your office, and with my heart in my throat, I entire. My breath catches as I see you leaning against your desk with an unmistakable hunger lighting your eyes. It seems you’ve been waiting for me too. This couldn’t end well, could it?

    245 Words
    @Ali_OMalley

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    1. Oh my! I hope you're continuing this story somewhere else. Would love to read more. :)

      Delete
  3. A woman made a report to me at the desk of the police station last night. It seems a bear had ripped the tent she and her boyfriend camped in. The bear had swiftly killed him crunching his head.
    I thought this couldn’t end well, but I continued to listen raptured by the story...She ran into the woods not stopping until the sun began to set. Shivering through the night she heard the sounds of coyotes and some other unidentifiable sounds. Tired she fell asleep and woke up being carried next to a furry body. Waiting for him to crunch her skull, she was amazed to find herself alive several hours later, and even fell asleep. When she awoke she was in a cave where she spent the next ten years as a mate to the creature.
    This seemed too farfetched for me and I began to walk away.
    She pulled two children from behind her. The girl resembled her mother; the boy had hair covering all over his body, resembling a werewolf.
    “The creature? A Sasquatch. I escaped from it two days ago, finally reaching this town today,” she insisted.
    I didn’t believe her, but as I watched her leave the station; a creature all covered in fur eight feet tall, came out of the woods and seized them all. We tried to find her, but no trace of her was found. So you ask if I believe there are creatures unknown in the woods? I do.
    249 words
    @SweetSheil

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    1. Fun story! Well, not the squashing head part, but the rest makes a great tale. :)

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  4. Turnabout...

    Martyn shook his head as his wife eyed herself in the mirror. He recognized the look and knew he had to do something before she uttered the words… head her off before she uttered the words…

    “Baby… does this shirt make me look fat?”

    Too late. He bit back his first response, there was no way he was going to start a fight this early, and the mention of doughnuts would just make things worse.

    “Sweetie—we go through this every day,” he said as he pulled the pen out her front pocket and kissed her.

    “And every day, you avoid answering me.”

    … warning bells went off in his head… this couldn’t end well… there was just no way it could

    “Because…” he said trying to give himself some room.

    “Because?”

    “Because I love you… and I’m prejudice…” he blurted out.

    “Nice save,” she said as she went back to dressing.

    “Thank you,” he said as he paused before getting up. As he dressed he paused, then grinned.

    “Baby,” he asked coyly as he turned so she’d see him in profile. “Does this body armor make me look fat?”

    190 Words
    @mishimhem

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    1. And *this* is how you can tell I'm tired... The edit where the original line wasn't removed. Goodmorning!

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    2. Touche! Never ask a question you don't want the answer to. :)

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  5. I followed her to a rundown motel in the middle of the desert.

    As I stood outside the door I heard a scream and a gunshot. Without thinking I pulled my gun and kicked the door open.

    I saw an unmade bed covered with the body of a man. I stepped forward but stopped in my tracks when I heard a woman’s voice beside me.

    “Drop the gun,” she said, and pressed the barrel of her pistol into my back.

    I dropped the gun and turned to look at my client’s wife. She wore a dress that clung to her like ivy, showing off all her curves in all the right places. A pair of dark sunglasses covered her eyes.

    “Look honey,” I said, “this couldn’t end well. Your husband sent me to find you, to protect you.”

    She laughed and it caused a shiver to move up my spine.

    “Do I look like I need protection?”

    I started to answer but she pressed one finger to my lips and her body moved into my arms. My breath caught and I tried to pull away but she pressed herself tight against me. Her lips brushed my ear.

    “You’re right,” she whispered.

    I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back, staring into the dark sunglasses.

    “Right about what?” I asked.

    With one hand she removed the sunglasses. Her eyes stared back at me, gaping black holes lined with tiny sharp teeth.

    “This couldn’t end well,” she replied, “for you.”

    It didn’t.

    250 words
    @joshbgosh

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    1. Loved the surprise ending! Would make a great Halloween story.

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  6. "Daddy! Watch!"

    This couldn’t end well. Nevertheless, I turned and watched my daughter as she scrambled to the top of her swing set. Eyes wide, and I ran over to the massive wooden structure, ready to scold her.

    "Watch!"

    "Prisciall! Get down!"

    She spread her arms to her sides and carefully stepped, one foot in front of the other, like the swing set was a balance beam. My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I walked with her, arms outstretched in case she fell. When she reached the end, she turned around and walked back a few steps.

    "This is the hard part. Are you watching?"

    "I'm watching."

    I nearly pee'd myself when she executed a perfect back flip without falling. She did two more back flips before she climbed down, beaming with pride. I tried to regain my regular heart beat and checked to make sure I didn't need to change my pants.

    "Are you proud, daddy?"

    What the hell do I say? "Uhm, well. Yes. I'm proud that you're not afraid of heights and that you're a pretty good gymnast. But I'm not proud that you climbed on top of your swing set. That'd dangerous and you could get hurt. Therefore, you're grounded for three days. If I catch you up there again, it'll be a week."

    She burst into tears and ran into the house, screaming about life not being fair. I shook my head. Guess I'm not winning daddy of the year again, huh?

    249 words
    @Aightball

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    1. That's the scariest thing I've ever read! Well, as a parent. Nicely done. Now my heart rate has to slow...

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  7. This couldn't end well, the thought prominent in her mind as Sorin made her way through empty prison corridors, her enigmatic cell mate, Ejan, just behind her. The cavernous lunar prison was replete with magical wards. An errant step would be the end of them both.

    "You defeated the prism of light. It should be no more difficult to navigate the cave," Ejan said.

    Sorin spared him a quick glance, turning back at a sharp sound from above somewhere.

    "It's the Gyere. They've detected our escape." Ejan said it as if he were commenting on the weather.

    "No, they haven't. I've set a ward of my own, an invisibility ward."

    "But I can see us," Ejan grinned.

    Sorin snorted. "Don't believe it, then."

    "Oh, I believe you can do a lot more magic than you've let on."

    Sorin didn't answer, secretly smiling and advancing along the circuitous route to the cave's entrance.

    "Ejan! Stop!" she commanded as Ejan swept ahead of her, but it was too late. The Gyere had wards of their own.

    "I knew this couldn't end well," Sorin said.

    Cate Derham
    @Cate_Derham
    181 Words

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    1. Oh no! What happened to Ejan? Need more of this. :)

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  8. "Why are you cooking bacon on a space heater instead of the microwave in the kitchen of the house?" Mack couldn't hold back his curiosity.

    "The cook don't like us stable hands gettin' close to the house." He shrugged. "'Sokay with me. That woman's a harpy and smells like burnt oil." He wrinkled his nose. "Rather muck out stalls any day and twice on Sundays."

    Mack chuckled and nodded. "Thanks for the information."

    "Sure thing." The groom paused. "Hey Major?"

    "Yes?"

    "Find her and bring her home safe, okay? Ms. Stanton is the nicest lady in the family and don't deserve to be missin'."

    "We'll get the job done. I promise." Mack nodded again and headed back out to his squad. Maybe she's not like her father. If the staff liked her, there was hope for Ms. Stanton.

    His path took him out to the humvees where Corporal Tillman set out four lanterns of various sizes and fuels. They'd stripped the digital sights off their rifles and all their electronic equipment out of their pockets. The seats in the Humvee sat littered with flashlights, laser sights, cell phones and radios. Mack swore under his breath. He'd forgotten about the radios.

    "Looks good, Tillman. Sidearms and knives should be okay." He scanned the other gear and shook his head. This couldn't end well with so much of their tech left behind.

    "Thanks, sir. Should we pack the lanterns or light them?"

    "Light them. We'll use them to get to the site."

    250 ineligible #WIP500 words
    @SiobhanMuir

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    1. Curious why they're leaving their electronics behind. Interesting story!

      Delete
  9. I pulled to the side of the road, watching the guards. Scary. Tattooed. Bikers. This couldn’t end well. Still, I didn’t have much choice. An employee of Nightshades knew the whereabouts of my client. To interview him, I had to get permission from the owner. Who was president of this motorcycle…club. Gang. Whatever. Settling my nerves, I whipped across the street, parking in front of the gates.

    The guards came to surly attention as soon as I got out of my car and approached. “I need to see Mr. Rusakovavich.”

    “Who the fuck is that?”

    “Your boss?”

    “The Russian? Nobody sees him, bitch.”

    I came prepared to wait. Popping the hatch, I pulled out my lawn chair, umbrella, and ice chest. Setting up camp, I settled in. At dusk, the gate guards came to attention. The man who appeared surprised me. Tall, handsome, he looked a bit…befuddled. Wondering how he could be in charge, I studied him. When his eyes fixed on me, I shivered, realizing he was a stone-cold predator.

    “Go away.”

    “I need to get into Nightshades.”

    His smile scared me to death, but I wasn’t backing down.

    “On one condition.”

    “What?”

    “You come as my pet.”

    “What do you mean your pet?”

    He was amused. “Did you not know Nightshades is a BDSM club?”

    My client had to be in court Monday morning. My voice broke as I agreed.

    “Nine o’clock tonight. Be ready.”

    With my luck, I’d be dead by ten.
    ****
    250 words on the wrong WIP - LOL

    @SilverJames_

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    1. Oh my. I'd say she's in trouble...Perfect! :D

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    2. LOL More trouble than she knows! Take 1 uptight attorney, add 1 sexy Russian biker and you get... *waggles brows* Too bad this is like four books away! *sigh*

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    3. Feisty! But can she handle what's coming? *grins*

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  10. ~~~~~

    Rushing down the stairs, he slid to a stop in front of the back door. The window was shattered, pieces of glass all over the floor. One cut into his heel, and he stifled a pained whimper.

    Breathing through his open mouth, he was straining to hear if the intruder was still there.

    Not a sound.

    He slid outside, socks soaking in seconds in the slush of late March. Red stains appeared in his footprints, as he staggered off to hide in the dark night.

    This simply couldn’t end well.

    He never heard her coming.

    It was over in seconds.

    ~~~~~

    Word count: 100 on the nose
    Twitter handle: @AnnaLund2011

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    1. Scary! Who is after him? Now I want to know their back story. Very nice flash.

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    2. Nice drabble! Do you post on the drabble cast forums?

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  11. Lady Francine entered the room in a cloud of fury. “This couldn’t end well. You must know this!”

    “Yes, milady,” replied Lord Trevor, her oldest ally in the court, as he finished dressing.

    “Have you read over the dowry agreements?“

    “Yes, milady.” Trevor held up the papers in question. His signature graced the page.

    “You’ve not read a bloody word, you fool! Princess Netta will destroy you! Remember breaking off your engagement to the Duchess? She burned down your castle! Netta has a bigger army! You’ll lose the entire country!”

    “Yes, milady.”

    Picking up her voluminous skirts, Francine marched into Trevor’s full view. “This is serious! You are no match for that woman! No man is!”

    “I shall return in a fortnight with the signed treaty. I expect the courtship will go well.”

    “Well? If the Princess catches you so much as blinking at one of your old flames – “

    “She won’t, milady. I promise. Hmm. A winter wedding?”

    “Your worthless promises are no way to begin a marriage!” Trevor smiled and kissed Francine’s flushed cheeks.

    “I am not the one the Princess will marry, my dear. You are.”

    “What?”

    “Milady,” Trevor said softly, “I am the fifth son of an ailing King. As the King’s closest cousin, you shall soon be queen. With this union? Possibly Empress of the world. Besides, as her only match for wits, passion, and loyalty, Princess Netta asked for your hand – not mine.“

    Trevor grinned as he left the stunned Francine behind.


    _____

    Word count: 250
    Theresa Breaux
    @theresabreaux

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    1. Loved that ending! What a way to leave her speechless. But will she accept the offer? Can't wait to find out!

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  12. Harley shifted on her feet, keeping her back to the cold metal. Her heart was pounding and reading to burst from her chest. The grip of the crowbar was slippery. She could do this. Harley flexed and bounced on her foot before peering around the corner of the building. The sleek vehicle sat there, gleaming under the light of the light.

    It was the perfect target. No one around. Break in and get out. Easy peasy. She took a deep breath and crept towards the car, realized that it made her look more suspicious and straightened up, keeping the crowbar against her side.

    A small whistled tune did little to help easy her nerves. She was within a few steps, raised the weapon and smacked it against window. It was too much to ask that it shatter. The crow bar vibrated in her hand as she stumbled back a few steps.

    The car rumbled and the headlights come on.

    “Oh. This couldn’t end well. At all.” She took a step back as it gave an angry roar. No one told her that it had some sentience. This was going to suck!

    “No, it won’t.”

    Harley froze and glanced around, seeing the tall shadow. Taller than any shadow should be. The glimmer of the light caught the amber gleam in the pupils.

    She gave a shakey laugh before turning and ran like crazy. She did NOT get paid to deal with this drama. Work could repo their own car.

    248 words
    @solimond

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    1. Wow! At first I thought this was a car theft, but a repo? And the man in the shadows? I'd run for it too! An exciting, well done flash. :)

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  13. #ThursThreads is now CLOSED. Thanks to everyone who wrote this week and I hope to see you next week.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are on moderation, so they'll become visible once I've read them. Words, words, words. I love them. Have you a few to lend?

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