GAMBLE: Rule of Cards

CHAPTER 33

“DENTON MAYFLY. Player M-22. Winner of the last Rule of Cards game,” only with this remark, Denton already knows who it was calling him so early in the morning. From the tone and the attitude of talking, he was so sure that this certain someone he was thinking was the one who called him and was on the other line. “This is the speaker talking. The game master is inviting you to a talk.” Denton was never aware but this statement here brought shivers down to his spine. “May we ask when are you free? The game head wants to talk with you about something, a proposal however.”

Paul and Sandra looked at Denton who was worried while calling with someone else on the other line. He just nodded on the two who were obviously curious as to who it was who called Denton so early in the morning. “Excuse me, I have to take this call outside,” he told the members of the house who were peacefully eating on the dining table. He immediately walked towards the garden of the house and went back to the caller who rang his phone. “Hi, yes. This is Player M-22, Denton Mayfly, on the line. May I ask if this really is the speaker who mastered the game?”

“I think I should not prove myself to you because the way you act now looks like you already know me from the first word that left my mouth, Mr. Mayfly,” the speaker said. Denton looked at all the directions, from right to left and front to back, to see whether someone was eavesdropping on him talking with the speaker on the phone. Denton knows that someone might be looking at him from time to time but is still surprised to hear that from the speaker. “Just so you know, Mr. Mayfly, I am not only the host of the game but is also the spokesperson of the game head. We just want to invite you to a talk with our game head for a proposal. We would like to ask for your active participation in this talk between the winner and the game head. It has been two years and our game head thinks that it is the right time for you.”

“This is the right time for me to… what?” Denton asked the speaker who never cared to answer his question. Denton never minded that question and continued with his own answer. “I am available this whole week, sir. Where would you want us to meet, and if by any chance, what do you want to talk about with me? Can you give a brief background?”

“Unfortunately, the game head wants to tell you what it is about on the day of the meeting. We are making sure, however, that we will not do anything that will endanger you, sir,” the speaker muttered on the other line. “We will be telling you the time, date and the place of the meeting between the two parties, sir. Thank you for the positive response.”

And with that, the speaker cut the call off. Denton never admitted it but he was feeling anxious at the time that he was actually thinking of not attending the meeting but there was a certain feeling inside him that pushed him to just go to the meeting and talk with the game head. “Here is the place, date and time of the meeting. Please fulfill the promise of attending the meeting, thank you,” he said as he read the message that was sent to him. He was just reading the text message when both Sandra and Paul walked out of the house and followed him to the garden. “Oh, you are here…”

“We have been eyeing you since you went out to continue the call here in the garden, Denton,” Sandra explained. She nodded first before she continued on talking. “We have been seeing your anxious face while talking to that certain someone, Denton. Paul and I were worried. Who was it that you are talking to? For what is it about? Is it about the business? I won’t guess so since you are cool about your business. Tell us, and we will try to help.”

“I will be honest with you, Sandra and Paul, since you both are my friends, my closest friends. The speaker of the game we once entered and played in called me and told me that the game head wanted to talk to me. They even gave me the place, time and date of the meeting and I already told them that I will accept the invitation,” Denton replied. Now, even the two are worried. Just listening to what Denton told them gave them thrills and shivers. “You know how much I wanted to look for them and take my vengeance, right? But, there really is this certain feeling that I feel anxious and that I am feeling scared to face them, now. I would not really want to meddle with them if they only bring danger, not just to me but to you and my family. I do not know what to do, to be honest.”

Both the two were silent after hearing Denton. “You know that we escaped the game illegally, right? I do not know but if I were to be asked, for the sake of everyone who lives inside the house, I think you should not meet them,” Paul said. “But, we know how powerful and influential those people are. They, for sure, know wherever we are. For some reasons, I have this thought that it is more dangerous if you do not fulfill your promise to them.”

“They know where we are, and that is that one thing that I am really sure of,” Denton replied. “Whatever it is, I think I should go. If ever they are planning on something harmful, I will just let them harm me, not anyone else in this house. I will go there alone, Sandra and Paul…”

—

TWO DAYS after that day was when the meeting was set to happen. “Are you really sure that you will go there, Denton, alone?” Sandra said. There was a hint of worry in her tone of voice, and that was reasonable, for what Denton is going to attend is a meeting with dangerous people. “You know, you do not really have the assurance that they will not harm you there, especially that you will be there on your own, without us. We do not necessarily know where the venue is and, for sure, they chose that place because they are sure that only few people know the place. I am not feeling well about this, to be honest.”

“I have to do this, Sandra. Do not worry about me, I can handle myself,” Denton told Sandra who was really worrying about Denton during their talk before Denton went to the meeting place alone. “Since I am going there alone, you will be the two assigned to keep everyone inside the house safe. I can’t really tell if they are up to something but one thing is for sure. Since I am not present here, you should be here and protect the whole family and the house. I will be sure to be back before dawn.”

“You should. You should go back before dawn, or your daughter will find you alone again,” Sandra mumbled. “Be back or it will happen again. We almost lost Donna back when she was really worried about you. I bet you do not want that nightmare to happen again.” Denton nodded as a response to what Sandra had told him. What Sandra was saying happened last year when Denton was still not going home and Donna was worried. Poor girl went out of the house to find her dad who was working overtime. Fortunately, she was found eating cotton candy with someone on the street. Everyone inside the house were furious, even Denton who was not able to sleep after that due to some aftershocks. “I can’t not let you do what you want, plus you already gave them your words. It would be, as you said, more dangerous if you do not do as you said. Go on with what you should do, Denton. Be sure to notify us of what happens at the moment. Be sure to do that.”

Denton patted Sandra’s back. “I am telling you that you must not worry about me. I will, for sure, be back… I do not want Donna to scold me if I don’t get it back before dawn,” Denton said in a kidding tone. Sandra was not taking it and just looked at Denton with her own serious gaze. Paul, everytime it gets serious between Sandra and Denton, just shuts himself to prevent trouble. The two guys know how deadly Sandra could be when she is serious. “Hey, do not be this serious. I am scared of this, and I know, even Paul. I am sure that I will come back before dawn. I should go after this.”