Housed and Fed

Pawn E4 the piece glided across the marble chess board as his opponent watched. A smile drew across his face; this was the most popular move in chess his opponent now knew he played. The man across the table with the wave of his hand responded with pawn E5. He smiled back with knight C3. He wanted to protect his pawn. His opponent shifts in his chair as he plays knight F6. He didn’t need to look into the man’s eyes to know exactly what they were both thinking. Chess is calculation, calculation on risk, risks that are based on continuously playing. Learned experiences that shape every calculated move. His opponent cared not who sat across from him, he only cared to make less calculated mistakes. The game continued on moving faster and faster. Piece by piece moving its way across a marble surface making each man think more and more. Not only did his opponent now know he must play chess but he now knew he played 3 minute blitz chess for he moved very fast without making mistakes. The world seemed to dissolve around them. They focused on the game, nothing else mattered, only your own risks. Both opponents were equally matched and as the pieces were taken one by one so was the measure of who would win. Finally the world froze and he realized he had made a mistake. The queen blocked his pawn, the bishop blocked another. His king in a few moves would be gone and check mate his fate. For the first time since they started he looked into his opponents eyes and the gleam in them made him realize he’d been tricked. The game seemed to be over, the risk would have no reward. He had failed not because of the man across from him but because he himself made the mistake, had made the risk. He outstretched his arm and extended his hand. His opponent met it and as he did long bony fingers wrapped around his hand. The man across the table smiled as his face suddenly changed. He now saw the face of death. “You can’t calculate every risk. Life will always catch you. Don’t fret my dear friend you’ve done well. Welcome.” The voice spoke and the mouth didn’t move. The man looked into its eyes one last time before the world went black. No trick, no treat, just a failure at stopping your own risk.