As the coin swung in the air, time seemed to slow down. Elias focused on the copper coin’s gleam as the rest of the world vanished around him. He was surrounded by a bustling bar, so crowded you couldn’t hear your own thoughts or have even a foot of space to yourself. The commotion stopped. The boots of mercenaries, merchants looking for a deal that their peers wouldn’t approve of, watchmen who didn’t care to follow the rules they enforced, and anyone else who was having trouble went away, leaving the floors sticky. The bartender’s new creation, along with the stench of stale bread, faded into insignificance. Elias was all by himself in the universe, and the tiny coin was about to decide his fate.
Elias was baffled as to why everyone seemed to loathe him so much. It appeared as though the deck was stacked against him from the start. He was ridiculed and harassed simply for being a little different. He was short and had eyes and white hair that stood out against his dark skin. Because he was born with hair and eyes that were a little different, he was constantly referred to as a freak. He had tried everything to alter it. It had been dyed and shaved numerous times by him. But it wouldn’t change no matter what he did. He eventually came to accept his aberration as it grew on him. However, the ridicule he received from those who believed he was abnormal was unabated despite his acceptance.
Elias smiled and shifted his focus from the coin to the eyes of the person who had started all of this, putting all of the fear and anxiety he was feeling behind him. Drechslerg, Jarl
He was a watchman who had a bad temper and was willing to do anything for a few dollars. He didn’t seem to be content with what he got from his high-paying job or the countless bribes; He would gamble wherever people would let him, willing to risk everything for the chance to win something. He also lost everything multiple times, but that didn’t seem to stop him. The marks on his body were evidence that Elias knew him well.
He had coarse brown hair that needed to be shaved badly. He was shorter than the majority of the other watchmen, and it was clear from how much he drank and ate at every bar he wasn’t kicked out of. His uniform’s brown leather stood out against his light skin and was a little too snug on him.
Elias leant forward when greedy brown eyes from Jarl turned to him. As the man opened his mouth, Elias resisted with a gag; Cigars and beer odored in his breath. Elias’s nostrils burned as the man’s scent clung to him. Elias continued to smile despite the stench and refused to look away from Jarl’s eyes.
Jarl sneered, “This is your end boy,” with the grin of a man who thought he was about to win the world. Laughing, Elias shook his head.
“Are you positive on that?” Elias inquired.
. . . . . . . . . .
Memory and the moonlight led Elias as he walked down the street. Even though the streetlights had long since gone out, nobody stopped them from ending their night early. Elias stopped when he heard voices and crept closer to hear two people whispering in an alley. He took a chance and went into the back of the alley to look for two men, but the moonlight was too weak to make their faces stand out in the pitch black.
“Look. This is more valuable than ten gold pounds. The world could be changed forever by this! a person stated. The individual speaking was unknown to Elias. To avoid seeing anything that might be worth more than ten pounds of gold, he stopped himself from looking again. A man could easily become wealthy with ten pounds of gold.
“Bullshit. “That’s just a stupid rock,” a different voice declared. When Elias realized who the second voice was, he became tense; Drechslerg, Jarl a watchman who enjoyed making Elias suffer.
“Are you aware of what gold is?” said the other person. As Jarl moaned, Elias fought back a chuckle.
“Don’t try to make fun of me. Are you aware of who I am, boy? Jarl scoffed. So. What exactly can this tiny rock accomplish?
“This tiny rock…explodes!” The voice called out. Jarl silenced them right away.
“Stay silent, you damned thing! What is meant by “explodes”? What is the value of your small science project?
“We are not discussing a small explosion here. A building could be destroyed by this thing.
A structure, right? That is fascinating. So you give me a supply of this and I let your little thing slide?”
“Yes, sir,”
“So. What triggers this thing? Is it true that it won’t explode in my hand?
“No no. Heat activates it. To explode, your hand would need to be extremely hot.
“Alright. Jarl stated, “You have a deal.” I could make a pretty penny from this. Elias ran into Jarl as he approached them as they left the alleyway. Jarl stumbled and yelled a series of curses. Pay attention to your damn steps! Jarl yelled. While keeping his head down, Elias nodded.
He mumbled, “So sorry sir,” and then quickly turned around. Even though Jarl swore at him as he left, Elias smiled. Elias held the rock that Jarl now considered to be so valuable in his hand. Elias was not going to permit Jarl to sell this for the sole purpose of increasing his wealth. It might end the world. There would be numerous casualties and widespread wars. All so that Jarl could increase his gain. There would be no way for Jarl to get his hands on this or any other item. That would be guaranteed by Elias. Being thankful that he had heard Jarl at the right time, he stuffed the rock into his pocket. He took the risk of looking behind him to see Jarl frantically patting his pockets. In an effort to remain hidden from view without drawing attention to himself, Elias accelerated his pace.
“Shit!” He caught Jarl yelling. Where is it?” Elias glanced back, and he saw Jarl staring directly at him. Elias, oh Elias! Little scumbag, return to this location! Jarl yelled, which sparked a run. Elias quickly veered away from Jarl and turned around. As he darted through the twisted streets and alleys, the wind whipped his face and sent his blood pumping into his ears. Jarl screamed at him as he ran, surprising him by keeping up with him.
Despite Elias’s best efforts, Jarl remained on him as he ran and ran. The pain in Elias’ knees threatened to wear him out. He fell, but quickly got back on his feet. He could almost feel Jarl’s breath on his neck, and he was aware of how much his trip would cost. He doubted he could continue running for much longer as his lungs burned. In the hope of finding something that could assist him in losing Jarl, he dashed into yet another alleyway. He stopped in front of a brick wall and an empty alley, filling him with dread. Before he could escape, he turned around to see Jarl standing very out of breath in the opening of the alleyway. There was no sign of the other man from the alley. Jarl surprised Elias even though he knew he couldn’t keep up.
“You. Little. As he made his way toward Elias, Jarl growled, “Shit.” He had more puffiness and a bright red face than usual. Boy, you’ve really messed up this time. In an effort to flee Jarl, Elias ran back into the alley. He tripped over his own feet in his last-ditch effort. As he fell back onto the icy, hard cobblestone, he reached out for anything that might help him stand. Elias looked around for a way out of this predicament as Jarl got closer. He’d be killed by Jarl for this; He had done it for far less than Elias and for far more important people. As Elias struggled to catch his breath, panic took over his body, which tightened in his chest. He needed to leave this. He had escaped worse situations before.
As he veered to his right, he noticed a small gleam and thought of something. He sighed as Jarl’s foot hit his arm, but he held on to the little thing that could possibly save him. After taking a deep breath and gathering his strength, Elias kicked Jarl’s leg as hard as he could. Elias’ arm was liberated when Jarl leapt back. In an effort to put some distance between himself and Jarl, Elias quickly got up and stepped back further into the alleyway.
Jarl began, “You are going to regret-,” but Elias abruptly interrupted him.
“Would you like to bet? Stepping forward, Elias questioned and held up the coin he had found and prayed would save him. Curiousness replaced the rage that had consumed Jarl just moments earlier as he cocked his brow.
“Boy, what are you betting on?”
A flip of a coin. Heads, I give you back your rock, and you can kill me or sell it to make money or whatever else you want.
“And a tail?”
“Tails, transform this small rock into. You will be honored, praised, and rewarded. You win in either scenario. When Jarl thought about Elias’ offer, he cocked his head to the side. Elias attempted to conceal his worry and maintain his grin.
“Alright. Jarl stated, “You have a deal.” Jarl grabbed Elias by the shirt collar and dragged him away just as he let out a sigh of relief.
Where are you going to take me? I believed we had a deal! Elias yelled as he tried to free Jarl from his grip on his shirt by clawing at his hand.
“Yes, we do. But boy, we aren’t just going to bet in a bad alley, are we? This is going well for us. And in front of a crowd.”
. . . . . . . . . .
Elias watched as the coin was about to decide his fate as it rose in the air. As it turned and shot up to the ceiling, he held his breath. He looked into the eyes of the man who might just be his end with all his courage. A man greeted him with a grin that suggested he was about to conquer the world.
Jarl chuckled, “This is your end boy.”
“Are you positive on that?” In the hope that it wasn’t obvious that his confidence was just an act, Elias asked. The entire tavern seemed to be holding their breath to see the outcome of the coin flip that would determine the future of the world as they knew it as they both looked up to see the coin falling back down.
