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Let the Battle Begin
by
HL Carpenter
The chairs and tables in the community hall stand ready. Place cards
document the name of each zealot. An informal buffet sits by the right
wall. The long console holds an array of mouth-watering delectables. Before
the afternoon is over, the plates, filled with golden cheesy potato bites,
Spanish sausage coins, and a kaleidoscopic platter of cocktail snack kabobs,
will be empty. For now they make a colorful display in an otherwise drab
setting.
Ella Kacy runs her fingers through dark hair framing a face of indeterminate
age. Surveying the scene in front of her, she smiles. Soon the hall will
ring with the scraping of chairs, the sounds of nervous conversation,
followed by secretive silence as everyone concentrates on the task at
hand. Yes, the combat zone is ready. She can hardly wait for the battle
to begin. This time she and her fellow collaborators will win.
Outside, tires crunch on gravel as cars enter the parking lot. Ella checks
the roster. Thirty-two loyalists are expected. Once they’re all
inside the building she’ll take her place with her partners.
The first comers enter and seat themselves. Four women who look like
they mean business. Next a mixed crowd of enthusiasts walks in. They glance
at Ella, pump their fists in the air. Within ten minutes more high scorers
arrive, and by the time the doors swing shut every chair sports a gung
ho occupant.
Ella turns her back, takes out her cell phone, taps in the preprogrammed
number of a national TV station. Her second call goes to the New York
Times. Zero hour is almost here. In a short while, one group of four seated
in this room will become eligible to compete in the world arena.
She knows with a certainty she’s never felt before that this is
her moment. Today her name is anonymous. Within a week her face will be
pictured in every daily and the nightly news.
Ella almost laughs out loud. The event has taken a lot of planning and
now it’s high noon.
As the clock on the wall strikes twelve, she calls out, “Is everyone
ready?”
When the crowd explodes with a wild chorus of cheers, she moves to her
table, raises a hand, lets it fall and reaches for the cards.
“The competition begins! Let’s play bridge!”
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HL Carpenter is a mother/daughter
writing team. Their short story, Let the Battle Begin, won honorable mention
in the 2007 Flash Fiction Contest sponsored by The Verb.
***
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