GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

CHAPTER 36

“THE YACHT is really big,” said Denton who was deeply amazed after seeing the yacht. “This must have cost a lot for the owner,” he continued. His mouth was gaped open and was really deeply immersed by the view on the outside deck of the yacht. “This is my first time entering and riding a yacht, so let me just enjoy this for a moment. I’d probably get over it a little time after. I am really happy and excited after putting my feet on the yacht.”

“Do what you please,” the resigned game head said while he was sipping a cup of red wine. The top deck was not that crowded, since it is not a commercial yacht, but an exclusively owned one. “You are acting like the owner is not rich enough to buy one, when the owner literally have one in each of the places he used to come to…” Denton was surprised to know that even more. “The owner of this yacht is the highest in the government, the one who sponsored the prize money and all the budget in the game. He’s literally one of the richest in his country, so you don’t have to worry. Also, this yacht will name you as its new semi-owner after you sit on the position of game head. You will use this as your mode of transportation once you go back and forth of the island.” The game head and his spokesperson were sitted on the table in the middle of the top deck, enjoying their lives. “You see, there is a lot of benefits of becoming a game head, though there are even more faults. Just enjoy it and make minimal errors only.”

“Don’t worry much about leading the whole game, Mr. Mayfly. My boss was just saying it so you could prepare your mental state before leading your own team. Maybe he has experienced a lot to say this, and I could say they are credible enough to believe in,” the spokesperson said. “My boss knows the ups and downs of the position you are going to take, Mr. Mayfly. Those two years did not go to waste and he was, for sure, an efficient leader. Although there are a lot of bad things that happened, he calmly took them all. He took all the blame, as the head, although it’s not his fault. He took care of everybody under his administration.” The game head was really proud to hear that from his spokesperson. “I can say that despite the brutality of the game, he was a good boss to follow. It just happened that this is the way this game happens.”

“Don’t praise me that much, I might lose my humility,” the resigned boss said, but in reality, he was expecting some more. He might not seem like it but he really likes being praised. It was as if it turned him on. “On a serious note, being the game head was exhausting. I was scared at first, because of how brutal this game is… but, I guess, I got used to it. You know, Mr. Mayfly, I was really against eliminating people but… that’s how the higher government tells me to do… and if I didn't do it, I might not be breathing now.” Denton’s eyes gaped open upon hearing those words from the retired game head. “I am not saying this so you’ll fear the position more. I am telling this so you’ll have an overview of what to expect inside. The world there is harsh, and so you should.”

“Sure,” Denton replied and smiled for an assurance. The smile faded a little later as he walked towards the table the two gentlemen were in. “But, I want to know the history of this game… I wanted to know how this started and what’s the reason why such a game was founded,” he asked. “If anyone between you two know the answers, you can tell it to me. If it is a secret, tell me then and I’ll keep it…”

“I bet the two of us know that it is unfair for you to sit on the position without knowing the history of such a throne,” the spokesperson said, which was seconded by the resigned game head’s nod of agreement. “The game… we don’t know when it actually started but as far as I know, the game has already been there plenty of years already. Plus, we have already seen a lot of game pioneers, as per them, and they are known to be called by the year of their victory. Some of them won 1998, but some guards said that there were a lot of older winners still.” Denton was really good at reacting to the spokesperson’s storytelling. “The reason? There is no stable reason that I can give you, only theories. There are some reasons that they wanted to help poor people but… they were short of money at that time, and so only one could win the money.” The spokesperson never paused while telling the theory about why the game was created. “There is also no probability that one loser will not tell the authority about this game, so the losers are eliminated. That is also for our benefit as a worker. Even if the winner told the authority about the game, since they won the prize money and was safe from the administration, they would not do it and it fortunately has a hundred percent success rate. Also, the winners are loyal to the administration for an unknown reason.”

“I see,” Denton replied while scratching his chin. He silenced for a minute before he asked a question again. “You know that other option aside from leading the game?” he asked. The two gentlemen were taken aback by Denton’s serious question. “Is that also a survival game? Once you lose the game, are you also going to be eliminated… since you said it’s more beneficial to be a game head rather than be a representative for the world championship?”

“It is indeed more beneficial to be a game head than to be the country’s representative for the world’s championship,” the resigned game head said. “The world’s championship of all the country’s champions happens every two years, which is why there are two winners in every country in every era because the countries' games happen annually. The world championship is still a game under the same government who manages the games in every country.” Denton was really listening to the man talking. “Being a game head must be hard but playing the world’s championship should be harder. At least, being a game head, you can manipulate the game how you want it… but as a representative, you have to follow rules. Of course, there are rules in becoming a game head too… but if you’re weak-hearted, you should just take this path that I took. It’s hard but not as hard as the world’s.”

“I also think it’s better than to risk my life again for the game again,” Denton replied. “I have had a hard time accepting this proposal but I learned that I have no other choice but to do it. It’s not as if it’s my decision, right? Like what you said, it is the administration’s decision to put me in the position.” Denton nodded while looking humble. “After hearing what you said, I realized that life is short and risking it more for the world’s championship and leaving my daughters behind without the assurance of me coming back alive is… something that I can’t bear to do. Fortunately, the position was still not vacated and it seems like it was destined to be mine.”

“Yeah, destiny,” the resigned game head said while nodding. He eventually stood up and went on the edge of the top deck and placed his hand on his forehead while looking at the horizon. Denton also tried to look for the thing that he’s looking at but he can’t, it was just a bulk of cloud. The resigned game head turned his gaze back to Denton and the spokesperson on the table. “Hang in there, a few minutes later, we are about to reach our destination. The captain of this yacht knows that. You’ll about to see the place where you got your victory, Mr. Mayfly. The game where everything started…”

A few minutes after, the clouds slowly faded and there showed up the lone island of where the game was played. It was amazing to see that it is the only island in that area, and there are no other islands around it. On top of the island, there was a big establishment that could be seen from faraway. “That is it, Mr. Mayfly,” the spokesperson said that piqued the interest of the person beside him. “That’s the place where you played the eight games. The place behind your success. That is where everything about your success started…”