The Player
By roybar
- 391 reads
THE PLAYER
The night drew a chill that swept its' way through the dank barn, the
chosen venue of one of the most improbable card games ever.
The player stared at the open double doors at the far end and waited
for his opponent. The cold didn't affect him any more, he had played in
some of the worst areas possible, paces where even the rats thought
twice about wandering about in. As the thought went through his mind a
rat scuttled behind him. He kicked out backwards at it and it
disappeared. This was his time, he could feel it.
Another icy breeze rattled through the doors and a shape appeared, a
dark silhouette against the inky blueness of the night sky.
Even now the player couldn't believe this match was taking place. It
was an illegal enough activity in any case, but his opponent
strengthened the illegitimacy of this game.
'Nice place.' The rottweiller observed as he drew closer.
The player looked down at the dog in the half-light supplied by the low
powered lanterns, 'Discretion is everything.' He replied.
The rottweiller shrugged its' muscular shoulders. It didn't really
matter that much to him, either. He, too, had been in worse places.
'What are we playing ?' he demanded.
'We're playing straight, winner takes all.'
'Suits me.' The dog said gruffly. He knew he could win this.
The player chewed a little nervously on a piece of straw he had hanging
in the corner of his mouth. 'Let's go.' He motioned to an area set
aside for the game.
The cards were cut, shuffled and dealt by the player in a very expert
manner and the bet was laid out.
'How much you want to start off with ?' the player asked.
'How about making it interesting - one hundred !' the rottweiller
answered.
'One hundred ?' questioned the player.
'Yeah, too much for ya ?' growled the dog.
The player bristled at this. No game ever started so high. He studied
the dogs' face. He didn't look in a joking mood and he didn't want to
start off by upsetting him any more than he needed to. 'No, that's a
good start. As you say - makes it interesting.'
The dog settled back a bit and drew back its' lips in a half smile -
half snarl. 'Yeah, much more interesting.'
The first game went the players way and he drew his winnings from the
centre. He chewed on his straw in a more upbeat manner. This game
wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.
The dog still felt very settled. It wasn't really that much of a
set-back. He almost enjoyed seeing the look of his opponent. Letting
him take an early advantage, lulling him into a false sense of security
before taking him to the cleaners. That made it even more enjoyable. He
had heard about the player, though. He had to be a bit careful. He may
have looked a bit slow but he was a good card player. He would have to
concentrate a bit, but it would make victory even more rewarding.
The dog dealt for the second game and opened at one hundred again. The
game lasted a long time as both became more cagey and careful about
giving each other the advantage. It swung first one way and then the
other as the bet increased steadily. Eventually the dog let out a yelp
of triumph as he laid his cards down. The player looked downcast as he
stared at a full set of picture cards. He dropped his hand to show that
he was nowhere near the winning hand.
The dog snarled , 'What kind of hand was you playing for ?' He didn't
know what the his opponent was playing about at but he didn't like it.
'Don't try to be clever - I'll walk and I'll let everyone know what a
choker you are.'
The player threw the cards in with the others and started shuffling
again. 'We'll see.' He said simply.
The rottweiller couldn't believe his impudence. He could leap over the
table and rip his throat out as easily as anything. He studied the
situation. He might simply have mis-timed his hand. The bet hadn't gone
that high despite the opening bet. It was a tight game that neither
wanted to lose. The dog settled down knowing that at least he had won
that hand.
The player struggled to understand why his hand had been so poor. He
knew that he hadn't been dealt a great run of the cards but somewhere
he had made a mistake, too many would prove very costly in the long
run.
He dealt out the third hand and so the game went on. The player would
win one game and the rottweiller would win the next. The winnings
shifted from one opponent to the other without either gaining much
throughout the match.
The night drew on and the game grew more intense as they both continued
to draw each other towards the final game. As the player stated at the
beginning of the match it was winner takes all. Somebody was going to
be cleared out at the end.
Nerves jangled, suspicious looks were exchanged as the cards started to
pile up and more and more currency was laid out between them. The
players were looking very agitated and the slightest noise around them
made them stare at whatever caused the noise with instant suspicion.
Even the shadows seemed to shrink before their hardened gaze and the
lights would dim, leaving the whole are feeling very eerie and
surreal.
They were down to the last couple of draws from the deck. Still neither
side displayed any sense of triumph or disaster, both sets of eyes were
impassive and emotionless save for the sharp looks at the undetermined
noises that broke the atmosphere.
Slowly, but ever so surely, the chips moved from both sides of the
table to the middle, until only two piles were left. The large pile at
the centre and a small untidy pile at the dogs' side.
'You better show me !' he barked.
The player looked dolefully at his cards. His game plan had been blown
and the cards that stared back at him cruelly mocked his
shortcomings.
He dropped them down in front of him for all the gathering to
see.
The dog swept up the takings and left without a word, a smile and a
hanging tongue decorating his face.
'I told you he was too good !' a voice expressed out of the
gloom.
The player nodded with a degree of sadness. ' Maybe dogs are smarter
than horses after all.'
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