(r/WritingPrompts is a great place for some typical and not so typical story ideas if anyone is looking for some. It is updated all the time and loads of writers are uploading, responding, and commenting all the time, so you can get some nice feedback if comment on popular posts.)
The Backstory of Chess
Abigail tapped the head of the black bishop against the top of the table at a nerve-wrecking pace, and Vince began to wince at every hollow, wooden tap. He spun the white rook around in his fingers as he narrowed his vision so he could only see the chessboard in front of him. Only the board. Not the slowly ticking clock across from him. Not the worried flicker of Abigail's eye. And especially not the tiny chess piece that was being repeatedly slammed on the lacquered surface of the table. He tried to focus on his own pieces on the board instead. His pawns were mostly useless. Both his bishop and his knight were, at this point, hopelessly trapped. Vince had his queen tucked neatly and safely over on the corner of the board where a set of pawns were standing guard in front of it. The tapping of the bishop bit through Vince's focus once more.
"Abby," said Vince, "Do you have to keep doing that? You are going to snap that thing in half eventually."
Abigail rolled her eyes. "I'm just anxious to move, Vince. You take five minutes to make a decision and we only have until the end of the class period to play." She dropped the bishop back onto the table and it rolled off to the side of the board. Watching it roll, Vince was reminded of the move Abigail had made to take the piece from him. It was a risk on her part and a sacrifice on his.
"Well, you are just going to have to be a little more patience," he replied, "This isn't speed chess and I'm not a grandmaster."
Abigail slumped back in her chair and her eyes stared vaguely in the direction of Vince and the board.
"Has anyone ever told you the backstory of chess?" she asked.
The question struck Vince as odd, especially since he was trying to decide on a move to make. However, he had lashed out a little bit at Abigail earl[er and, after all, he was losing. Anything to make her take her mind off the game in front of them.
"No," he said, sighing a little, "No one has."
Abigail straightened a little in her chair. "Really? It's kind of interesting."
"Are talking about the origins of chess? Like the guy who invented it?"
"No, no. That's dull history lecture stuff. I'm talking about the story that inspired the guy that invented chess."
Vince reached forward suddenly, picked up a pawn, and moved it a space forward. Abigail took a moment to analyze his move, her eye darting methodically around the board. Quickly, as if the prospect of telling her story suddenly animated her every move, Abigail moved her bishop to block the path of Vince's knight which the movement of the pawn had opened up.
Vince furrowed his brow. Abigail was a smart and patience player, so her quick decision and her sudden silence were particular unnerving. He reached his hand for his knight, but, after a moment's thought, brought it slowly back to his lap.
"So, what's your story, Abby?" he asked.
Abigail perked up. "Well, as you might guess, it started out with a king and a queen."
"No kidding," said Vince, picking up his rook and moving it to the right.
"Well, you see," said Abigail, "The king and the queen had a problem. Their army was not strong enough or large enough to fend of the armies of their enemies. So they went to a local bishop for help." She moved her own bishop on the board and slowly slid one of Vince's pawns off of the board.
"Did someone tell you this story or are you making it up as you go along?" asked Vince, moving another pawn to block the approaching bishop.
Abigail shrugged. "Does it really matter?"
"I guess not."
Abigail paused for a moment to look at the board as it stood. "The bishop heard the king and queen's request and prayed about it for a day. The king and queen realized that enemy forces had mobilized during the night and rushed back to the bishop for his advice. What the bishop told them shock them both."
Vince looked up from the chess board for the first time in a while and saw a certain glow had replaced the boredom in Abigail's eyes. "What did the bishop say?"
"The bishop said for the king to bring his queen to the frontline of the next battle and she shall win the war for you." Abigail moved her queen straight from its position of the edge of the board to a square a few spaces away. After her move, she leaned back once more in her chair and, as she did, Vince leaned forward towards the board.
"I think that's checkmate, Vince."
Tapping the white, wooden piece with a flick of his index finger, Vince watched his king fall off the edge of the board and land near to where his fallen pawn and the tapping bishop lay on their sides.
"I think that's enough chess for today," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment