Slumbering Master

With the last piece of micro fiction looming over my head, my mind steadfastly refused to work. However, I needed to come up with a fourth entry, so I pulled out my Story Cubes and tossed them onto my desk. Once they stopped settled down, I thumbed through the symbols and three leapt up, gripping my face. There was a castle tower, a question mark, and someone sawing some logs. Despite how rapidly these images called out to me, the only thing that emerged from my jumbled mind was how similar it looked to a rook.

And just like that, the story’s core tumbled from my mind. As the narrative played out, I saw some influences of an episode of Leverage where Nathan Ford entered a chess tournament. As he progressed through the matches, one of his opponents was sleeping. But every time Nathan pressed the clock, the man would wake up and instantly make his move. The indifference of the sleeping master tickled my fancy. As a result, I began weaving these three elements into my final micro tale for February.

Come, sit down and allow me to give you a mini-escape and kindle your imagination.

Slumbering Master

“Max, is your opponent actually sleeping?”

Zzzzzz!

“I can’t tell, Mike.” Maxwell’s gaze rose from the chessboard while his shoulders climbed toward the clouds hanging over them. “Though if you see a move that I’m missing, I’d appreciate the help.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Something he hasn’t thought of.”

Michael cupped a hand around his chin as he knelled. “I don’t think you have one.”

Zzzzzz!

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