The Staker - Short story

Authors Avatar by jakey_t (student)

Judith Wright: 20th Century Australian Poet

Metho Drinker

Under the death of winter’s leaves he lies

who cried to Nothing and the terrible night

to be his home and bread. ‘O take from me

the weight and waterfall of ceaseless Time

that batters down my weakness; the knives of light

whose thrust I cannot turn; the cruelty

of human eyes that dare not touch nor pity.’

Under the worn leaves of the winter city

Safe in the house of Nothing now he lies.

His white and burning girl, his woman of fire,

creeps to his heart and sets a candle there

to melt away the flesh that hides the bone,

to eat the nerve that tethers him in Time.  

He will lie warm until the bone is bare

and on a dead dark moon he wakes alone.

It was for Death he took her; death is but this;

and yet he is uneasy under her kiss

and winches from that acid of her desire.


The Staker

Jake Thomas

3. 2. 1. FIGHT!

Chihiro immediately met his opponent’s shady eyes with his after hiding his crying wounds. Recovery was vital, and every last portion of strength was vital. No swing could miss, no blocks could resist. Without hesitation, he had accepted the challenge. Preventing his insatiable addiction was impossible. Preventing satisfaction would cause harm, so his weak will walked him to the noisy arena. The rotten stench of tobacco and cannabis, drenched in vulgar shouting surrounded the two pawns in this tournament to the death.

You have to win. You need this. There is no parting us my precious. We must be together.

It did not take much, but lunging forward whilst gauging every move possible, he struck the challenger quickly and precisely. Direct hits followed each other, impacting as if the opponent was caught in a daze. Snapping out, fire was returned. Blood pumped aggressively like bullets from a drum through Chihiro’s body and escaped from his horrible injuries. Trickling as a rainforest spring through his grizzly beard, it created a murky pool of crimson at his feet. The once white ring filling with gore by the second, a messy butchery with each continued jab. A game of tit for tat, but the drive for fortune overpowered Chihiro. His obsession was an unpreventable force, to feel contentment was his emotional reward.

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Never was he given a chance in life. No education, no family, no future, only her. Gambling was his woman of fire. She was his living, and he now had the perfect job, staking, which allowed him to get rich or die trying. All of his problems were trapped and caged inside his susceptible mind, with adolescence hiding the key. Experience of this unique thrill was first touched here, with the everlasting goal of achieving anything becoming a series of events. Money however, was always in sight.

You cannot lose this fight, one more hit and it’s all over. Everyone ...

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