Flush

The most popular card game in India is called Flush. It is played for
money. That is to say when you play Flush you are gambling. Four or
five people play the game. Each participant is dealt three cards at one
go. All players place the table money before themselves hereafter. This
is followed by bidding. The amount that is bid is called stake money
and is in multiples of the table money furnished in equal amount by the
players. Bidding may be blind, that is, without checking the dealt
cards. Alternatively the others' cards may be seen before bidding. On
seeing the cards the person who has initiated the show may want to
withdraw from the game. In that case both the table money and stake
money are forfeited. Alternatively he may pay double the last stake
money and ask to see others' hands. He also shows his own hand. Once
the cards are shown they are compared and evaluated for their monetary
value. If the three cards have the same number attached to them and
belong to the same suit they are said to form a Trio. The best three
are three Aces. This is the best possible combination. Again if the
cards belong to the same suit and show three consecutive numbers the
condition is said to be Running Flush. A Pair consists of two cards
associated with a certain number and any other card. A Run has three
consecutive numbers of any suit. Finally a Flush consists of three
cards that are part of any given suit. The four suits in order of
importance are spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. There are many card
clubs in central Calcutta. The only game that is played here is Flush.
The people of the city flock to these clubs to try their luck. The
pattern is always the same. You win a little in the beginning. And then
some more. You get greedy and play with all you have. In the end you
lose everything but the shirt off your back. Most people know that this
is what will happen to them at the tables of the card clubs. Despite
this, they keep coming back to the clubs in the hope that their luck
will favour them just that one time. Calcard is the biggest card club
in Calcutta city. It is situated on Wellington Avenue. The Club
occupies two floors of a ten storey building opposite Lotus Cinema.
Calcard has no concrete walls. Instead, the place is wrapped in
transparent glass. You know what is happening inside just by looking
through the glass. Today is a Sunday. The club is bursting at the seams
with patrons. Not a single table is empty. As usual most of the people
are losing. But, not the man at table five. He is wearing a long
overcoat with knee-high boots. All of his face except his eyes are
covered in a scarf. This man who was slowly becoming the centre of
everyone's attention had started playing an hour back. He lost
miserably in the beginning to the extent that he had to give away a
diamond ring that he was wearing. But then, he suddenly started
winning. No matter who dealt the cards the man had three aces. If it
was not that he got a king or queen. When the man had won a hundred
thousand pounds the proprietor of the club decided to act. He sent a
pretty girl to the mysterious man's table. The girl smiled at the man
and winked naughtily. Then she began to stroke the man's right thigh
with her left hand. The man looked up at the girl and said "Young lady,
had I met you two years earlier we could have gone out for a drink and
much more. But its my bad luck that I have nothing to offer you" Having
said this the man continued playing. The girl waited for a while and
then went back to her boss. The boss thought for a moment and then
called his two best musclemen. The musclemen walked briskly to the
table where the mysterious stranger was winning. They stood beside him
and looked directly into his eyes. To their shock the sockets that were
supposed to contain the eyes seemed empty. They did not let this bother
them. They began to hit the stranger. But the more they hit, the less
disturbed the man seemed. It seemed that the stranger has no bones and
flesh which could be hurt. He was made of massless air. After a while
the musclemen lost patience. As they were about to go, the stranger
told them, "Let me win a million pounds and then I will go on my own."
Even as he spoke he showed his cards to his compatriots. It was a Trio.
The man had won one million pounds. The man collected his money. Then
he turned towards all those playing hard at the tables. Addressing
them, he said "Ladies and Gentlemen I came here exactly two years back.
I was winning well enough. I desired to win one million pounds. But
when I had made a hundred thousand pounds I was lifted out of this room
to the chamber of the owner. In his presence a bullet was put through
my head. But I was determined that I would win one million pounds at
Calcard. Here I am and here are the million pounds. Thank you for
listening to me. Goodbye!". Suddenly the lights went off and then came
on again. A spine-chilling breeze swept through the room. The
mysterious man who had kept his word had vanished into thin air.