Unwilling

War

His hand shook ever so slightly as he gripped the edge of the four of clubs. He held it suspended, just above the peaks of the six level house of cards he had so nearly finished. With breath held, he slowly let the card rest  and carefully extracted his fingers before he could knock it down. 

He paused for a moment, his face wincing in the anticipation of failure, but as his creation remained solid he  breathed a sigh of relief. 

As he did so, the cards swayed. 

His hands flew out to catch the tower, but hovered an inch away unwilling to cause what might so easily become disaster. 

As he watched, the house of cards gently swayed back and forth until finally coming to a rest. 

Careful this time not to breath, he backed away trying not to bump the table upon which his masterpiece sat. As he reached the end of the table he allowed himself finally to relax.

The doorbell rang.

He jumped and hit his knee into the edge of the table. The house of cards collapsed sending all fifty-five of his cards cascading across the room.

He stared in utter dismay at the ruin of his hard work, before angrily muttering "Who on earth would be calling at this hour?".

He glanced at his watch and immediately calmed down. "Of course" he smiled. "Dinner time".

He grabbed his wallet from his pocket and walked briskly to the front door which he opened to reveal two delivery boys glaring at each other. One wore a dominoes uniform and carried a slightly crumpled garlic bread, the other wore a pizza hut uniform and was holding a pizza.

"Oh, good evening" he greeted them pleasantly. They immediately ceased their glaring and proceeded to wish him a good evening and present their deliveries as professionally as possible. Both attempting to outdo the other.

He took the meal graciously and carefully counted out exact change for them before presenting them both with tips. He gave the dominoes boy ten dollars and the pizza hut boy five.

He enjoyed the look of disgust on the pizza hut boys' face before politely wishing them both a good evening and closing the door in their faces.

He took the food through to the kitchen laughing.

He'd discovered that the two boys were in the same class at school and that the dominoes boy bullied the other boy every chance he got.

He laughed again as he planned his next stage of escalating this little conflict when for the second time that evening, the doorbell rang. 

He strode curiously toward the door, wondering whether the pizza hut boy had decided to complain.

But as he opened the door, his bemused smile was replaced by a look of shock for outside his door stood a shadowy figure in a tattered cloak. It raised the sickle it was holding and pointed it at his chest before it proclaimed in a voice that seemed quiet but easily audible "I have come for you".