A Game of Cards - Otherwise Known As - Life and Death

IV. Welcome

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IV. Welcome

“Greetings, Micah,” Mr. Conway said, nodding at him. “Evelyn,” nodding at her. They were situated around a small table, in a room with no windows nor lights. In the entire box of a room, only three colors were present: black, red, and white.

In the center of the room was a table, painted blood red, with a large sheet of completely transparent glass sitting upon it. In between the glass and the table were cards, sorted in order from the Four of Spades, as the rest from before such were missing, up to the Queen of Clubs. All sorts of gaps were in between the different cards, since many people, all across the world, had cards in their possession. Micah, alone, had five. Mr. Conway, on himself, had around five hidden in his private deck. Not that anyone knew about that deck, except for him. And now you.

Around the room, six congruent walls looked from all sides. Each was painted pitch black, and the entire room was illuminated by the red flickering of a fire.

Hands folded, Mr. Conway looked at the two young adults. They stared right back.

Deciding to break the silence, Mr. Conway spoke. “It seems you have passed the test, Evelyn. I hope your flowers are enjoying their renewed life.” Evelyn offered him a curt nod. Mr. Conway continued, “So, I’d like to begin. Since you are both new, I feel the need to tell you about how, first, the world works, and second, what my motive toward these cards is.”

He waved his hand, which, in his sleeve, held a Five of Diamonds, and three chairs were produced from thin air. They were painted black, so if not for the wind and light produced from the making of the chairs, Micah and Evelyn would not have known they were there and would not have sat down.

Mr. Conway looked at them both with a serious expression laid upon his face. “I always begin my meetings with the same speech, which I will tell you now. Life and death, and endless cycle of happiness and misfortune. In the world masked with lies and secrecy, one can only compare the cycle to that of a game of cards. The poker faces, the fake smiles, the trickery, the pride and loss. A game of cards is what mirrors everyone’s hidden lives in a hidden word, buried under the adventures of life.”

Micah’s face scrunched up as he tried to piece together the speech. Evelyn just nodded like she understood. Her life was virtually a game of cards. She’s seen death, seen life, seen lies, experienced trickery.

Mr. Conway took out the ashes from his sleeve, from the used Five of Spades, and spread them across the perfectly shining glass. “That is the way the world works. Life and Death. We revolve around these Cards, which are a myth to most people, but they believe in them the same as people in the previous world believed in God. To everyone, it’s the same concept- a powerful force, in the previous world, a figure, in present day, a series of objects, that controls and creates our world. Us, the ones who control the power of the Cards, though, can manipulate Life and Death. Though the game symbolizes Life and Death, the cards themselves change and contort it.”

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “So what is your motive? Your goal?”

He nodded and fingered the dust on the table. “It’s said if you hold the entire deck, you become one with the Game of Cards and the Deck of Cards, and live forever. Either that or you can choose for a wish to be granted, something of the sort.”

“So you want to become immortal,” Evelyn concluded.

“Not only that,” Mr. Conway said. “That isn’t the first reason. I want the world to be cleansed of liars and greedy people. So I need to be immortal to complete that mission.”