Week 140 of #ThursThreads had some terrific tales. 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. Great thanks to
Alex Shippe for judging this week. Be sure to check out the
#ThursThreads #flashfiction group on FB to keep up with news, etc.
Entries:
- Sandi Layne | @sandyquill
- Sheilagh Lee | @SweetSheil
- Veronica Jorden | @RevolutionaryVJ
- Anna Lund | @AnnaLund2011
- Siobhan Muir | @SiobhanMuir
- Kelly Heinen | @Aightball
- Olivia Starke | @OliviaStarke
- Silver James | @SilverJames_
- Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
Alex says: Every story in this week’s flash fiction had an
impact on me. I enjoyed the variety and the clever way the authors
incorporated the prompt. Some authors used poetic license, while other
authors used the prompt verbatim. It takes a measure of confidence and
life experience and a good dose of imagination to explore the reasons
why he, or she, or they should get what they deserve.
With that
being said, judging this week’s entries was a definite challenge. Each
story offered something different. The quality in the writing was
superb. I was transported several times to distant places — some closer
than others — and I enjoyed every word.
Thank you for letting me read your stories. I had so much fun. It was a privilege and an honor.
Winners Announcement:
Honorable Mentions
Veronica Jorden | @RevolutionaryVJ
Alex says: Super-virus stories have a special place in my heart.
They remind me how fragile we are in the presence of an organism we
can’t even see. It is a paralyzing feeling, being held under host
arrest, and I have to say, this story really captured something special.
Bio-warfare is a serious issue, one we shouldn’t take lightly.
Contaminating the very moisture in the air is perhaps the most fiendish,
indiscriminate form of attack. Still, I wanted to know how anyone,
anywhere, could survive rainfall. How would people go about getting
treatment? The story didn’t answer that for me, but my imagination
surely did. And that’s why I enjoyed this story. Some people are meant
to survive, while others are not. There is no higher power at play.
There is no natural selection; no one is immune to infection. It’s just
luck of the draw. Were you or were you not standing under a rain cloud,
and if you weren’t did you get the treatment you needed so that you
could, if you wanted to . . . not that anyone seemed all too eager to
tempt that fate. Apocalypse survivor guilt is a powerful emotion and a
character study RVJ captured well.
Olivia Starke | @OliviaStarke
Alex says: The more I read Olivia’s story the more I realized I
was descending into madness. The normal every day things we take for
granted when flip-flopped anchored the narrator’s psychosis. The imagery
— feeble attempts at soothing the few fragmented, incongruent pieces of
what remained of the character’s soulless though not gutless humanity;
the recollection — feeble tactics at convincing herself that murder was
necessary; the ring finger — a bloated sarcophagus filled with broken
promises, a license to kill, pointed to the horizon, through the barrel
of the gun she stashed under her seat. She was free at last, spiraling
in her evil, cheering her double homicide. A good villain is difficult
to write. A really badass villain is a treat to read. And that surprise
ending...who knew she would keep the gun as a souvenir? Yikes!
Cara Michaels | @caramichaels
Alex says: I wasn’t sure what to make of this story on the first
pass. I recalled the mythology behind Circe. I knew she played an
important role in the Odyssey. I knew that Odysseus survived her
enchantments. I knew that the men trapped on her island were turned into
swine for behaving like pigs. But there was something about the
conversation between the archdruid and Circe that left me unsettled.
Yes, I wanted the archdruid’s name. I wanted to know if he was Gandalf
or Radagast or Merlin or some other such famous wizard from lore. Only
after reading the story a second time did I realize why I enjoyed the
story so much. It’s October. It’s fire season. It’s been two hundred
years since the trees had any reason to celebrate. Eldritch wood is
untouched by man. The so-called swine enchanted by Circe’s magic is a
metaphor for arsonists who destroy the natural wonders of the world, and
the family the archdruid lost. A beautiful, haunting story with subtle
details filled with open windows into the human soul. I saw ash and
fire, what did you see in this Rorschach?
Week 140 Winner
Alex says: The muffled, dispassionate narrative of this story
gave me chills. Early on I had a feeling that Sandi was going to
surprise me, and she did. I was riveted. By the time I arrived at the
story’s ending I wasn’t sure if I was a Searcher-trainee looking on or
if I was reading a report filed by the narrator. And although I’m
generally not a fan of sci-fi horror, this story had just the right mix
of elements in such a short amount of space. What really had me going
round in circles was whether or not the Searchers were motivated by
compassion or by scientific curiosity, and that’s when I realized the
true horror of the story. Without the Searchers, without their
influence, without their presence, there would be no story. Nicely done.
They found The Remnant on an island that had been ignored in prior searches due to its seeming inability to sustain life.
The Searchers sent word Home that survivors had been found. It would have been cause for a celebration save one thing.
“Are they multiplying?” their Leader inquired.
“They did just have a war,” one of their number remarked. “They are likely recovering.”
“And look, they cling to one another so tightly; there is no room for further intimacy. You know their kind require privacy.”
“Usually, yes.”
The small satellite continued in its orbit for a few more cycles until something changed.
“Look,” the Searcher whispered, delight and awe in his tone. “Those two. The dominant male and scarred female, look at them.”
“Ahhhh,”
the others chorused. Curious, they focused on those who had not gone
off by themselves. “No one protests or calls after. This bodes well.”
The
Remnant seemed to celebrate in the pair’s absence and one of the
Searchers always minded the male and female, to make sure they were
indeed seeking to multiply.
They were. “It is awkward, the way they go about it,” one observed, making notes to send back to Him.
“Look two others are now following their example.”
“We should get them off the island.”
“No. They need to regain their own balance, now that they have taken this step.”
“No, we cannot just leave them there alone. It’s not right. Remember what He said? It’s what—“
“They deserve peace.”
Congratulations FOUR TIME WINNER Sandi, Veronica, Olivia, and Cara! Don't forget to claim your
badges and display them
with pride. You
certainly earned it!
Pass
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the stories
here. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! :)
