The Winner

PART THREE

James saw each person fail, and knew he could not end up making the same shape others had. But what did they want? This was not his forte, he sucked at geometry but he supposed he would have to try his best. He gave a fleeting look at Massey and looked up at the shapes, he tried to combine the shapes together. He inverted the triangles so they were upside down in an hourglass shape and placed the two rectangles above the upper triangle and below the lower one.

The host looks at the shape, and then; at James, "Is that your final answer?"

James nodded.

The host calls out the last name on the card, "Will Massey Price please come down. It's your turn."

Of course, the black girl would be the final contestant. Massey hustled to the stage, with her Afro bobbing as she went. When she arrived, the host smiled radiantly at her and said, "You have one minute to re-arrange this shape. Good luck." Just as he said that, it was as if everything suddenly slowed down and Massey could hear the host's voice slowing down and lowering.

As he stretched out his hand and gestured to the big screen, the young woman's eyes zoomed in on the host's black tie, which was strangely shaped and very narrow in the center. Seeing this, Massey looked at the hourglass figure on the digital screen before glancing back at the man's bow tie. Then, everything started flowing normally again, and Massey's gaze shifted to the host's face, seeing him wink at her.

In response to this, Massey turns the hour glass figure on its side so that it resembles a bow tie. "Alright Massey," said the host, "Do you want to finalize your decision?"

Massey nods and smiles. Then he asks, "Is this the right answer?" Next, a positive affirming bell sound rang out loudly.

The hosts shouts and raises Massey's hand, "Yes, that is the right image! You have won 250,000 dollars, congratulations!"

"I guess I was close..." James muttered from his seat as he sighed.But he supposed he didn't need the money, and he never expected to win. He caught the weird exchange, and it seemed rather bitter that something as arbitrary as a sideways inversion had cost him the money. But he was not going to dwell on it. He looked at Massey and tilted his head slightly wondering what she might do with all that money.