Page 154 - Musings 2022

would be getting lucky. He gambles away the entire night and wins all the games. As Joseph

walks home happily with loads of cash he notices someone following him. He turns around
and notices his friend Jonathan. Jonathan walks up to him after finding out he has been

discovered and asks “hey Joseph! We have known each other for so long and are good friends
now. Can you tell me your secret to how you have turned your luck around?” Confused at his

secrecy, Joseph asks “Why did you not ask me back at the casino? I was planning to share my

strange story with everyone. Since no one seemed to have cared about it I held back.” Jonathan
replies smiling with a sheepish tone, “you see, I want it to be a secret between us; if you had

started talking about it back at the bar I would have stopped you.” Now feeling a little nervous
about the situation Joseph replies “It has been a huge day for me, full of twists and turns, I am

feeling very tired. Let me reach home and take some rest and as soon as I feel better, I will call

you.” Jonathan’s smile disappears as he says “don’t make me get violent, either you answer or
forget about going back home forever”. Joseph panics and starts making distance between them

at which point Jonathan pulls out his gun. Joseph then realises that he is in mortal danger and
stumbles to the ground in fear and starts begging “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot! I will tell you

everything! Put that gun away!” He narrates the entire incident, and the frown on Jonathan’s
face deepens as he says “Do you take me for a fool? Do you seriously expect me to believe in

something superstitious? I have gone to plenty of casinos back in the day and know that they

employ a trick or two to favour the odds of some people to boost popularity. Either you tell me
if you have discovered their trick or if you are colluding with the staff to cheat the owner of his

money. In any case I can’t let you walk away with this.” Jonathan attempts to shoot the gun
but he fails as he forgets to turn off the safety, “that’s strange, I have never made such a rookie

mistake, well, luck can’t save you today” At the end of the sentence the alley is brightened by

the muzzle flash and both of Joseph’s legs are shot. Joseph screams in pain “I don’t know
anything about what you are talking about! It was just luck! My luck has returned to me and I

have no involvement with the casino! If you don’t believe me we can try gambling somewhere
else!” Jonathan gets increasingly irritated “Very well then, looks like you were just a pawn in

someone else’s game. It is very unlikely that you know anything and there must be something

going on with the casino staff. I can’t let you live even though you were a scapegoat.” At the
end of his talk Jonathan fires two more shots at Joseph’s head and heart, thus ending his life.

In his final moments Joseph remembers the mysterious figure and realises what he had been
protecting him from. With darkness filling his mind, he dies with regret.

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