Weird, Wild, & Wicked

#ThursThreads - Tying Tales Together - Week 236

10/6/2016

Welcome back to the Weird, the Wild, & the Wicked. Today is Thursday and that means it’s time to start flashing! This is Week 236 of #ThursThreads, the challenge that ties tales together. Want to keep up each week? Check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook.

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.
The prompt must be used as is. It can be split, but no intervening words can be inserted or tenses changed.

Rules to the Game:

This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250.
The story must be new writing, not a snippet from something published elsewhere with the prompt added.
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, etc.

Our Judge for Week 236:

UW gradate, reader, and locale photographer, Dave Jones.

Dave on Twitter

And now your #ThursThreads Challenge, tying tales together.

The Prompt:

"This is not the time to share."

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!

Sheilagh Lee link

10/6/2016 08:16:35 am

Buildings fell as the winds wiped higher and the waves threatened to move closer. Adjusting backpacks with their emergency rations I gathered my children to move to even higher ground. We raced up the cliff side of the mountain with Tommy and Belinda whining as I urged them higher. I looked back and saw the water drench over people fully submerging them in seconds and then carry them away and tried to shield the children’s eyes but they observed the tragedy taking place and they were scared. Everyone was gone; I saw no people behind us. We climbed for another fifteen minutes until we reached the mountain top. I breathed a sigh of relief when we saw a cabin nestled there. I went to the cabin and opened the door finding a man inside. The man was tall brawn and handsome; even if he looked like a lumberjack.
“Come in,” he said.
“I’m Harold.”
“I’m Abby and this is Tommy and Belinda.”
“Would you like some cookies?” asked Belinda as Harold offered tea.
“This is not the time to share,” Tommy said.
“This is precisely the time to share Tommy,” Abby instructed.
Harold smiled offering all of his rations to us, saving us. It took two years for the water to recede and by then we were happy living as a family on the mountain. Harold cooked cleaned and hunted; teaching me all he knew and we became true partners. Our son, Phoenix was born yesterday. We are truly blessed.
250 words
@SweetSheil

drmagoo link

10/6/2016 09:13:13 am

I tightened the knot near her left hand. "This is not the time to share, love."

"But..."

I leaned over her body, now spread open and vulnerable to any whim of mine. Those lips. I had to kiss those lips.

"But nothing. I know how much you enjoy exploring me. You've shown me pleasure I can't put into words."

I kissed her again, lingering long enough to touch her tongue with mine.

"And today it's my turn."

In truth, I didn't want to wait. I wanted that joining of our bodies, the mutual sharing that humans can only do when passion and lust and the heart and the mind are in sync.

There'd be time for that.

The greatest joy I knew was not to feel pleasure myself, but to bring pleasure to others. To find a way to give them - to give her - joy, and feel their joy reflected back on me.

I didn't know where to start. Each part I contemplated was as tantalizing as the next. And I knew ways to bring pleasure to each. Her feet were a map of erogenous zones no less than her breasts.

Ah, but it didn't matter. She was waiting, and it was time to begin. In the end, it was time to share - to share how I felt for her in a language beyond words. It was, after all, her birthday.

230 words
@drmagoo

Steve Lodge

10/6/2016 09:28:01 am

“Ooh, ooh, I know the answer, Simon” Anoria smiled, looking at the audience from the stool she was perched on. “It’s The Severed Finger. The track is “This Is Not The Time To Share.”

The show’s host, Simon Toast smiled. He looked again at the card he had in his hands.

“Dear Anoria. We were beginning to think this wasn’t your lucky night… and now you’ve confirmed it. The actual answer we were looking for was Eleven. So you go home with, with, (looking at the screen behind the contestants) oh .. nothing. Still, Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s hear it for Anoria as she heads home on the bus. She may have been hopeless on the night, but she deserves a round of applause. Pinch me someone. No don’t.”

“Well time is running out now and I wish I was, but in the contract I have to stay to the end to ensure fair play. Tonight’s finalists, Arthur and Robert, for the star prize you must.. (he opens the envelope)… wrestle each other, wearing only nappies. The venue is the rhino enclosure at Landmark Zoo. The rules are, let’s see…oh yes. No guns. Good luck. We’ll all watch the video at the start of the show next week. Off you go. And make us proud. Actually viewers, this should be a pretty even contest. Both finalists are nearly 60, look totally unfit, Robert has a limp and Arthur is a returned alien abductee. Join us next week. Goodnight.”

248 words
@steveweave71

Siobhan Muir

10/6/2016 09:52:11 am

Mrs. Guthrie nodded slowly, eyeing him with concern. “Trip, level with me. Why is Henry really here?”

He shrugged uncomfortably. “I told you. He was soaked to the bone and with the snow, it was too far to walk to his bungalow. My place was closer.”

“Yeah, but you could’ve given him a ride to his place. You’ve never brought anyone you barely know into your home. Why him and why now?”

Trip clenched his jaw, but refused to look away. “This is not the time to share.” He shot a look at the bathroom door as the water cut off. “I’m still workin’ it through in my own head, but don’t you worry about me, Mrs. Guthrie. I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

She nodded again. “All right, then. You just take care of yourself, though. I’ll get these laundered and bring y’all some stew when it’s ready.”

“Thanks.”

Trip let her out of the apartment just as Henry stepped out of the shower and Trip couldn’t help locking the door. He didn’t want anyone walking in on him. *Why the hell do I feel so nervous and guilty?* Maybe because the idea of loving someone of the same gender had too much societal rejection. *And who says I’m in love with him?* He wasn’t, at least he didn’t think he was, but he certainly liked Henry in ways Trip had only associated with women.

Screwing up his courage, he turned to meet Henry’s gaze.

@SiobhanMuir
246 ineligible #WIP500 words

Bill Engleson link

10/6/2016 10:17:07 am

Storm Warning

We wait in the dark. The storm is having its way with us. The power is out; rain is flailing about like a hot power line, severed, dancing its phantasmagoric dance, a deadly electrified snake suffering an epileptic spasm.

Sonora and Sierra huddle close to the wood store.

During weather incidents, I resort to my gas barbecue. So we have hot ginger tea.

“Earthquakes,” Sonora says. “We have earthquakes. Sometimes, at home, we’d lose power.”

“Then this should be a piece of cake,” I suggest.

“Hmm,” murmurs Sierra, the quieter one, “Good tea.”

So here we sit. Three strangers.

I’d been rushing home, trying to beat the tempest, had caught the last ferry. They had knocked on my window as we began to dock, asked if I was going to the next Island.

“No,” I’d said. “Last ferry there stopped couple of hours ago.”

“Shit,” one of them had said.

“Yes,” I said. “That about covers it.”

Their shoulders sagged. The weight of their backpacks dragged them down.

“Look, you’re welcome to stay at my place till the morning.”

They glance at each other, weighing the pros and the cons of me.

I look harmless, country-pleasant.

“That’d be great,” they say in unison.

Just as we entered my home, the power crashed.

It would be tomorrow noon at the earliest before it was up and running.

We sit by the fire, drink our tea.

This is not the time to share with them how unpleasant I can be.

250 cautionary tale
@billmelaterplea

Tina Glasneck link

10/6/2016 11:34:08 am

“Do you remember when we first met?” I asked Jay. “You’d bring me flowers, and we’d head to Hollywood Cemetery, overlooking the river, and plan our future?” I used the last of my strength to pull myself out of the small dumbwaiter shaft.

Quinn’s wheezing punctuated the air, as well as that of Thomas’s panic-laced panting of Thomas.

“This is not the time to share your memories of your failed relationship,” Quinn barked. “We have to make it to the attic. Once there, we should be able to wait until sunrise.”

“You want us to wait this out?” Thomas asked.

I didn’t think we had a choice.

“We can’t stay in the hallway,” Quinn said.

The long corridor had six rooms, and seven doors, and in the middle were the stairs–one set heading upwards and the other down to the main floor. Floorboards creaked in that direction.

“We got to go,” Jay said, and pulled me behind him.

“And Charles? Quinn?” I asked.

Thomas shook his head and pulled the dumbwaiter door shut. He placed his index finger to his lips, and nodded in the direction of one of the bedroom doors.

We’d left one dead-end room, to now have to hide in another. We followed Thomas’s lead. I tried not to worry if the sounds of shuffling feet coming our way meant another one of us was about to become a midnight snack.

I just wanted to survive.

240 words
@TinaGlasneck

Silver James link

10/6/2016 11:48:42 am

Dana hissed at her students. "This is not the time to share." Brandon glared down at her. “Don’t,” she warned the arrogant boy. “If they find out who your father is, their ransom demands will triple. That goes for all of you.” She nailed everyone of them with a stare. “I’ve talked to the school and they’re negotiating. We just need to stay calm, not piss them off, and with any luck at all, we’ll all get out of this unscathed.”

“This trip totally sucks, Ms. Peterson. I’d better get an A for this.” Regina leaned against Brandon and looked every bit the spoiled debutante.

The metal door at the end of the hallway slammed open. Even Brandon lost his swagger as two of the cartel members appeared in front of their cell.

“El jefe wants you,” the guy she’d nicknamed Toothless drawled.

The other man grabbed and held her while Toothless ran his hands over her whole body, leering the entire time. “Gotta make sure you don’t got no weapons.”

Managing to control her reactions, Dana didn’t fight as she was led away, resolved to find some way to kill these men if they touched either of the girls. They led her from the basement dungeon into sunlight. The head of the cartel lounged next to his pool.

“Good news, Señorita. When the ransom arrives, your students will be free to go.” Relief washed over her. “Too bad there is no money for you.”

She was going to die.
***
250 RESCUE MOON WIP words
@SilverJames_

Aightball link

10/6/2016 04:16:39 pm

I wait outside my daughter's classroom with my husband. We're her Show and Tell, and I'm always afraid of what our four-year-old is going to say. The classroom door opens and we follow Eliza to the front of the classroom. We stare down about a dozen four-year-olds; tough crowd.

"These are my daddies," she begins. She gestures towards us, a huge smile on her small, round face. "They save lives." She looks at me. "What kind of lives, daddies?"

"We've saved animals and people both," I say.

"Is it hard to help animals?" the teacher asks.

Jacoby nods. "It depends on the animal. Cats and dogs are easier because most human equipment works on them. But birds or lizards are harder."

One little boy raises his hand.

"Do you two kiss?"

"Robert, that's not appropriate."

I silently thank the teacher. Eliza turns back to us.

"My daddies are very awesome. Did you know that my daddy Jimmy is a boy and a gir—?"

"This is not the time to share Eliza," I remind her. "How about you tell them more about what we do at work?"

She frowns but nods. "My daddies give shots."

I laugh when the kids all wrinkle their noses.

"They can also help if you break your arm," she says. "They helped me when I had a asthma attack. My daddies are pretty awesome. And that's my show and tell."

We hug her, then walk out. We definitely need to work on her over-sharing problem.

@Aightball
250 words

Cate Derham link

10/6/2016 04:22:10 pm

"This is not the time to share state secrets," Anatoly said. Solange and I found him in an apartment on Rue Rivoli a week after he fled from Russian agents in Strasbourg.

"Cut the crap, Anatoly," I said. "You know what I want to know."

He reddened and looked for an escape route, but there wasn't any. Solange blocked the door to the apartment, her revolver drawn. I grabbed his wrist, but Anatoly jolted. He ran to the balcony and leapt. The café awning broke his fall. Solange and I ran to the balcony only to see him running down the street and disappearing from view.

"Let's go," I said. We ran to our car and drove to where I suspected Anatoly would go.

"The US Embassy?" Solange asked, reading my mind as close friends do.

"It's a safe guess. He's a double agent. Only I doubt the Americans will protect him."

"He must know that," Solange said, smirking.

"Yes, but he's desperate. He's being chased by his own people and by us."

We had to get to him before he could get out of Paris or I might never find Jean-François.

Solange again read my mind. "Danielle, perhaps Jean-François does not wish to be found."

I looked at my friend. "I won't accept that, Solange. In any case, I will find him."

Cate Derham
@cate_derham
225 Words

David A Ludwig link

10/6/2016 06:15:04 pm

STILL

Em, draped herself over Abram’s back. He almost didn’t flinch when she placed her cheek next to his.

“Anything?” She asked.

“No.” the heavily armored gunner sighed. “If you want to go back, Orsen and I can handle this. Done it plenty of times.”

Em hummed as she cupped Abram’s strong chin in her fingertips. She delicately brushed the contours of his jaw and cheeks until she felt him relax. Em rolled off Abram to land on her back in the grass next to him.

“Hmph! I just had no idea hunting monsters could be this boring. Maybe if we’d brought one of those villagers they would have made better bait.”

Her companion effortlessly avoided eye contact. “The bait’s fine, but shadow beasts are one of the creatures that don’t make lairs. We have to wait for it to come to us.”

Em bared her fangs mirthfully, “I remember this one time, a real living legend came to hunt me. Of course, even I’d heard of him, and then when he showed up…”

“This is not the time to share.”

The medusa sighed. Her new hunter friend was much more fun when he wasn’t working.

195 words
@DavidALudwig

Torn MacAlester

10/6/2016 07:26:22 pm

Annie watched her husband Cyrus making a hopping descent down the slope toward the lunar habitat that they considered purchasing. “This damn suit is making my butt itch,” she heard him complain over the radio about the rented space suit.
“Hot Mike, Cy.” She answered, cautioning him about the open communications link from the colony sales office. “Now is not the time to share.”
“Oops, sorry.” He answered, “Do you think this is the right place?”
“What do you mean?”
“We can’t very easily have the crawler go down this slope. It’ll take us another half hour to go around.”
“True,” she answered working her own way down the slope, careful to not let her legs slip out from underneath her. She had fallen in her own suit many times before, but she always wanted to limit those falls else cause a rip that could not be fixed. The space suit manufacturers promised to be rugged enough for day-to-day wear on the lunar surface. The slope also made spacesuit descent tricky. “Since its hard for us to go down on foot, it will discourage visitors from parking up here and descending on foot themselves. They will need to come in through the driveway.”
“Its unfortunate that we climbed up here ourselves,” he said. “Since our tracks are going to be here forever, someone is bound to attempt it sometime in the future.”
“I guess we’ll just have to put up a sign.”
“Other than keep out?” He asked.

248 words @Torn_MacAlester

10/6/2016 08:03:00 pm

#ThursThreads is now CLOSED. Thanks to everyone who wrote this week and I hope to catch you next week. :)

Comments are closed.

#ThursThreads - Tying Tales Together - Week 236

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