Summary: With one flick of a hand, a misleading path opened up the gates to hell. And with another flick, one man fell into a defeat he had not seen coming.

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Title: The Biggest Idiot

Author: Hana Rui

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I never really liked the look in those eyes. Those cerulean depths had always had a way of making me feel like I was the biggest idiot of the century. I could not tell whether it was because he was an old man that he got such little regard for someone as young as I, or it was that I had managed to cloak my face with the most convincing look of distress—as was mostly the case—that got him thinking I was an easy one.

“Was that the best you could do?” he muttered in that taunting voice of his, as he curved his lips into a smile that was meant to annoy the hell out of whoever it was that saw it.

I tried to look my calmest as I surveyed my men and thought of the best strategic way out of the foxhole I had gotten my troop into. My heart was pounding right out of my chest as I listened to my breath become louder and choppier with unease. By now I knew he could tell I was just a hairbreadth’s length from admitting defeat. I could feel I was too, but there’s this other part of me that wanted to keep up with my original plan of proving this man wrong. And, stubborn as I was, I decided to let that particular part of me take on the show from here.

Seconds ticked off like hours on end. Minutes felt like days spent in nonexistence. I was growing more tensed and desperate by the moment, but the strident voice inside my head refused to give up. It was torturing my senses like the worst set of mathematical problems all bent and intent at blasting my head off its undulating orbit.

I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to this match. I should’ve been smart enough to know there was absolutely no way I could topple over the rigidly proud citadel that was this wrinkled man. My army was already in too deep and there was no other way to save them but to fall flat on my face and beg for mercy.

But just when I was about to open my mouth to say the magic words, divine enlightenment came upon a clearing in my head and I realized that salvation had been frantically waving right under my nose all along.

With one flick of a hand, a misleading path opened up the gates to hell.

And with another flick, one man fell into a defeat he had not seen coming.

“Checkmate!” the hopelessly clueless guy hooted, while chuckling out the rest of his victory cry.

I could only smile back at him, hoping I was doing good at imitating his earlier stunt. I moved my piece and got him grounded like a helpless criminal at one corner of the board.

Ah, but alas! I had been the naive one! I knew this the moment I looked at him and saw the unmistakably mischievous glint in his eyes.

Those cerulean depths had always had a way of making me feel like I was the biggest idiot of the century.

Note: I don't play chess. I don't even know how to play chess. Hehe... Thanks for dropping by! :)