From: noone@nowhere.com   
      
   On 14/12/21 3:58 pm, Capuchin wrote:   
   > Something I'm trying to work on, but doubts keep overriding my   
   > efforts:   
   >   
   > *****   
   >   
   > The blackjack dealer slid a card from the shoe to the square in front   
   > of me and then took one for herself. My other knew I had a queen and   
   > she a six, but to maintain my disguise as a normal person, I lifted   
   > the corner of mine for a quick peek. The next cards, dealt face up,   
   > were an eight for me and a jack for her.   
   >   
   > I felt a sinking disgust. My other knew the next card in the shoe was   
   > a three. If I took it, I'd win with twenty-one. But who hits on   
   > eighteen? If I passed, her sixteen became nineteen, and she'd sweep my   
   > bet from the table.   
   >   
   > I waved off another card and sat back, waiting for the inevitable.   
   > Technically, I was ahead, but only about two thousand for almost an   
   > hour of bad hand after bad hand that nothing could make right.   
   >   
   > My other knew four face cards waited to be dealt next, another push,   
   > taking more minutes to neither win nor lose. I could force my other to   
   > see the cards beyond that, to see if there might be a streak of good   
   > luck waiting, but even after all my practice in front of a mirror, I   
   > always look like I'm constipated when I do that. Instead, I pushed a   
   > fifty dollar chip towards the dealer, downed the last of the melted   
   > ice in my glass, stood, smiled, and picked up my rack of chips. "Maybe   
   > tomorrow," I said and walked away without listening to her reply.   
   >   
   > The only way out of the casino was past the craps tables and row after   
   > row of slot machines. Since they relied on last-moment chance, rather   
   > than being preordained, both were immune to my other. I could know   
   > only things that were, not things that will be.   
   >   
   > *****   
   >   
   > I don't want to capitalize 'other' or call it 'the other' because that   
   > seems trite. Does it work this way?   
      
   For me, yes.   
      
   > I also don't want to do an "as you know, Bob" about its traits and   
   > peculiarities, and/or what he does to keep it hidden. Is the idea here   
   > as plain as I would like to think it is?   
   >   
   > What would you do different?   
      
   Nothing. It worked brilliantly for me on first read.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)