Welcome my minions to this Festival of Drabbles post upon
the infamous Friday the 13th!
In celebration of this ominous date on the calendar, I bring
three drabbles telling of ill fortune and the worst of luck…
Black Cat
The hearth fire does not warm the chill in my bones. The
barricaded door will not keep me safe. Fate comes to claim me. Last evening the
black cat crossed my path.
A silly superstition, you say. Not in my family.
That cat is our curse, one triggered by my own folly and
arrogance. I truly thought I could get away with my evil deed. Get away with
murder. But no.
Some part of me wishes to believe otherwise, that my
precautions are for peace of mind, not born of helpless futility.
Yet… is that a
meow outside the window?
~*~
Turn of a Card
I can feel a bead of sweat sliding down the back of my neck.
It’s just the two of us left in this game of Faro, Lefty Mason and me. All the
rest lost their stake to the dealer.
It’s the last bet, the “calling of the turn”, and I went all
in to the bank. Stupid maybe, knowing I can’t afford to lose my wager, but I’m
feeling lucky.
She deals three cards. My jaw drops.
“I lost.”
“Yes, sir. Time to settle your bet. Hand over your soul,
please.”
The devil imp grins, and I know it’s over.
~*~
Ill Omens
Such a modern world. Progress, technology and busy people on
the go. Very few would believe the world of superstition underneath it all.
That their life could change on the whim of fate. Black cats, unlucky numbers,
spilled salt, it all seems quaint to
the contemporary person.
Until they meet me.
I’m the nightmare, the walking, talking harbinger of ill
fortune and bad luck. A touch of my hand, a whisper in your ear, and dark
clouds will follow your days. Forever. And no lucky clover or horseshoe will
ever change it.
So sleep well, and don’t piss me off.
© A. F. Stewart 2015 All Rights Reserved
And don't forget my book Passing Fancies, can be downloaded
for free on Smashwords until the 15th: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/151594
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