Hope and Red by Jon Skovron

Author:Jon Skovron
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2016-06-28T04:00:00+00:00

They played for over an hour. Hope hadn’t realized a game could even go on that long. There would be times when each was down to only a few stones. But then one would block the other and the next thing she knew, they’d both be forced to pull stones until it seemed they were starting from the beginning again.

At first, she followed the flow of the game easily. Sitting behind Red, she could see the numbers on his remaining stones and was even able to predict some of his moves. But as the game progressed, and the two players began to understand how well matched they were, things sped up until it was a rapid fire of clicks, as stone after stone was placed, removed, shuffled. This was about more than quick mathematical equations. There was something larger at play. It reminded her of the same inspired free flow that ran through her when she fought.

Other players left their own games to watch, whispering to each other as if afraid a loud noise would break the spell. Hope suspected that not even a thunderclap would break their focus. Sweat trickled down Red’s temple, and Colleen’s face was flushed. So much effort in such stillness, thought Hope. There was something to this. Some lesson she could learn. It flickered tantalizingly at the edges of her mind, but would not come. The more she reached for it, the more it eluded her.

And then she realized, all at once, that was the lesson. In stillness, there was no reaching. There was only observation, acceptance, and reaction, all without seeking to control.

“Well,” said Red, breaking into Hope’s thoughts. A ripple of muttered comments worked through the crowd.

Hope looked down at his hands to see if he had played all his stones. He had something in his hand, but she couldn’t see what it was.

Greeny Colleen had both hands splayed in front of her, and she was panting through a fierce grin. “That…was worth it.” She lifted up her hands. Beneath one was her last stone. She held out a wooden chip.

Red shook his head. “The pleasure was just as much mine.” He held up his own wooden chip. “Keep yours and take mine, if you can get me a friendly introduction to Big Sig.”

Greeny Colleen’s eyes went wide in surprise. She was about to speak, but a new voice cut in. “You don’t need to bribe any more of my wags. Your skill alone is enough to get an introduction with me.”

The crowd of spectators around them parted. Towering over them all was the largest man Hope had ever seen. His fists were as big as a child’s head, his chest as thick as a bear’s. He had close-cropped hair and a long beard, black but peppered with gray. His nose looked like it had been broken several times, and there was a hard glint to his eyes that suggested to Hope that he rarely lost his temper, and was all the more dangerous for that reason.

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