~~~~
You came only because of the rumors.
They said Alice could solve all your problems, all it would take was winning a
game of chance. It was not a pretty place that you found yourself, a decaying
old shack in the middle of nowhere. Not a soul in sight, not even a small
animal. The only sign of life was the warm glow of a fire visible through the
windows. You have second thoughts, wondering if this will end with you in a
ditch without your wallet, but at the same time, you know you have nothing left
to lose. With great caution, you enter the shack and observe the sights within.
It is surprisingly homely inside,
adorned with simple decoration but with a personal touch. It looks more like a
fortune teller’s room than anything else, but some inexplicable sensation
breaks that illusion. Some small part of your mind says you shouldn’t be here,
not that you are unwelcome, but that you’re in danger. The feeling only
strengthens as you see the room’s sole inhabitant.
Sitting in the corner, dressed in
strange robes, was the woman you heard so much about, Alice. Her features were
obscured by an odd posture. The light from the fire only able to reveal her
long, well kept, and ashen, red hair. You could not see her eyes clearly, but
you could sense their glare. In her hands was a deck of cards she shuffled
continuously.
“Another one?” Alice stated flatly,
her eyes barely focused on you, her attention clearly focused on the cards.
“Let me guess? You want something dreadfully and are willing to pay any price?”
You nod, it seems the rumors were
true.
“Of course,” she sighed, “let me
warn you now, I do not accept money, land, power, or whatever else you might
want to exchange. If you want something, you must play and gamble for it.”
Alice finished shuffling the cards and, with a quick hand, slid three onto the
table.
You approach, ready to part with
whatever it takes to achieve your goal.
“Hold it,” she put up her hand,
“before you jump in headfirst, I think it best you know what you have to lose.”
You assure her you have nothing left
to lose, and no price is too high.
“That’s what they all say until they
meet me,” Alice grinned as she flips over the cards. The first showed a
fanciful artwork depicting a man begging. The second displayed a set of dice.
The last a disturbing piece depicting a man shattered like glass, the cracks
starting at the center of his head. “There was another man I met some time ago,
he was just like you, if a little bit more arrogant...”
~--~
He was a brilliant man, top of his
field in his chosen scientific pursuit. However, it was never enough for him,
he wanted to be a household name. Alas, he never quite had enough money to do
all the experiments he wanted, always a few hundred thousand short of what he
needed. So he turned to gambling, dice games were his favorite. And the best
part? He was actually really good, suspiciously good.
The man must have been funding his
research for years off the back of his winnings, but by that point, he built up
quite the reputation. It’s hard to keep up that kind of streak, especially when
every casino for miles knew him by name and face. Of course, the rumor mill did
its thing, and it wasn’t long before quite a few of his close colleagues knew
about his activities, and so did his superiors.
When they realized his experiments
were not exactly funded out of pocket, it led to him being viewed with quite a
bit of scrutiny. It didn’t matter that he was winning. He was saddled with a
reputation as a gambling addict, and suddenly he was no longer the star of his
field. Ironically, after all his winnings, he ended up with less money overall.
That’s what lead him to me.
He spilled out his sob story to me,
desperate to get everything he lost back. So I offered him a game of chance,
one he was quite familiar with, and if he won, he’d get his reputation back. I
offered him more money as well, but he refused it, he just wanted his name
cleared.
That man tried his hardest, we
played so many dice games that night, but luck was never quite on his side.
Sure the first few losses he brushed off, assured himself that was how it went
sometimes. After a dozen or so straight losses, however, he began to panic. He
accused me of cheating at least four times that night, but I assured him I did
nothing he wasn’t already doing.
By the end of the night, he was
quite frenzied, all he could do was mumble to himself as he lost one game after
another. Once it was all said and done, he was terrified at how much money he
would lose, but like I told you, I don’t accept money. I sent him home a
panicked, sweaty mess. It was quite sad to see him on the news the next day,
but not surprising. It seems like he vented all his frustration on some poor
cashier at a convenience store. Next thing he knows, his face was plastered on
every headline in the state. Needless to say, he didn’t keep his job, but he
did get his wish, in a sense.
It wasn’t long before he came back
to me, but I sent him away. For what he wanted, he had nothing of equal value
left to wager. I don’t know what happened to him after that, but I’m sure you
can take a guess.
~--~
Alice finished her tale with a grin
plastered on her face as she pulled out a heavy book from beneath her seat. The
leather-bound tome was massive and possessed no distinguishing labels, not even
a title.
“His was such a magnificently sad
tale,” she leafed through the book, “but it was one I’ve seen a million times.”
Alice stopped as she reached a specific page, her finger tracing words you
couldn’t see. “But, he’ll have a special place in my heart, he genuinely
thought he could pull one over me.” She giggled to herself. “So tell me, do you
still wish to play this game? Are you confident in your victory, or will you
join our dear brilliant man?”
You pause for a moment as you absorb
the meaning of her tale. It takes quite some time to formulate your response,
not helped by her amused stare. You take a deep breath and finally tell her
your answer.
~~~~
If you embark on a journey thinking you have nothing to lose you might lose something you didn't even know you had.Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
~~~~
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