The Dice | Teen Ink

The Dice

January 22, 2024
By King_KDA ELITE, Burlington, Washington
King_KDA ELITE, Burlington, Washington
111 articles 0 photos 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Numquam finitur, donec vita finiatur."
- K. D'Angelo Alexander


   Cole Brooks stared at the two little white cubes sitting in the crack of the curb for quite a while

Contemplating whether or not he should pick them up, he withdrew a quarter from his pocket.

"Heads, I take them," Cole spoke out into the empty street. He coughed, and flipped the coin

into the air, catching it in the palm of his left hand, and pressing it onto the back of his right;

the coin showed Washington's head. "And so the gods of chance have decided," he chuckled as 

he picked up the dice.

 

   Walking to his home, Cole jiggled the dice in his pocket; the way they felt comforted him. 

Once he arrived, he went to unlock his door, and realized his keys were not in his pocket.

"Why today?" Cole muttered as he began to back-track, eyes glued to the ground. "Hey," a 

brunette woman called out. Cole looked up. "These yours?" She was smiling. He nodded.

"Twenty bucks." Cole sighed, and took out his bill-fold. "I'm kidding you, here," she laughed as

she tossed him his keys. "Thanks, have a nice day." She said she would.

 

   He sat at his desk, wondering if the dice were lucky. Was luck an actual thing? He had lost his

keys, and found them after picking the dice up. He shook them in his hand.

"Twelve if you're lucky." Cole rolled the dice: they showed two sixes. He laughed, and put them

back into his pocket. Cole then checked how his investments were doing on his computer.

"Jesus," he cried out. His shares in various NASDAQ stocks had nearly tripled in value. 

   

   He pulled out the dice. "You really are lucky," Cole chuckled. "Twelve if I should sell them."

He rolled two sixes, and made a few phone calls. Half an hour later his total balance in

Chase Bank was $473,209.64 USD. As smiled at the dice in his hand, his phone rang.

It was his ex. "Cole Brooks speaking." She asked him if he would be willing to try again.

"Of course, Sherry. Why don't we go to DiFarrio's in an hour, my treat. We can talk then."

She told him she'd be there, and hung up. "Yes!" he whisper-shouted, pumping his fist up and

down in triumph. Cole then grinned at the dice. "Thank you."

 

   About forty-minutes later, Cole got into his Park Avenue, and drove to DiFarrio's Italian Kitchen.

He arrived at 7:28, and saw Sherry's car. She was always early. Cole had already booked a

reservation for two an hour ago under Brooks, so hopefully she knew. He stepped out of his

Buick, and locked it. His car was parked on the side of the street, since there was never any

decent-parking at this place. He heard two small objects clatter into the street. "The dice."

Cole turned, and made his way out to get them, when a semi hit him at around thirty 

miles-per-hour.

 

   Cole was sent flying, and broke his neck upon impact. The dice remained in the street.

DiFarrio's customers rushed out, panicking. "Is he okay?" one asked stupidly.

"Is there a doctor? Somebody call 9-1-1!" Like that would help. A young man, having some

intelligence, looked both ways before going to pick up the dice he saw in the street.

They showed two sixes. The young man pocketed them, the fact that the number you roll is the

amount of years taken from your lifespan was unbeknownst to him. He smiled.

"Must be my lucky night."

 

End.


The author's comments:

This short story is one of my "desk collections."

How these go, is I will be sitting at my desk, looking at random objects trying to find inspiration for a poem, or story to write.

The first things that caught my eye right before writing this were a pair of dice.


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This article has 1 comment.


King_KDA ELITE said...
on Jan. 24 at 1:01 pm
King_KDA ELITE, Burlington, Washington
111 articles 0 photos 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Numquam finitur, donec vita finiatur."
- K. D'Angelo Alexander

The formatting got messed up after the editors tweaked it, sorry.