Back to the Easy Eight as luck would have it
He slides the key card through the latch slot, and listens for it to activate. There is a metallic click. That should do it. Then he radios his floor manager. The return call confirms that they are secure. Now Stan signals his security team that they are ready to open the casino floor. Thirty minutes later, a crowd of happy guests and patrons, fills the main floor of the Easy Eight Casino.
Stan returns to his office down the hall from the security center. After the last few days, he needed a break. Which is why he most likely wouldn’t get one. In fact, it took the cleanup crew most of yesterday to clean the restaurant. There were over two tons of this and that from the casino. Therefore they had to restock almost everything from the casino’s inventory. The insurance claim he filed, was officially a natural disaster. But Stan knew better.
Back to the Easy Eight
He’s surprised they got rid of it so fast. It was a chaotic mess. And obscenely large. Stan must have paid a pretty penny to get it removed so quickly. Lucky Pockets moves smoothly around the casino floor. He has a certain way that he likes to go about his business. For example, the young man playing the roulette wheel. He’s been at it all evening. Hasn’t won once. That is about to change.
Next it will be the elderly lady at the slot machine. She is going to get the one million dollar jackpot. From there he will move into the card games. However, he must think carefully about his influence on the cards. There is a method to his madness. He wanted people to know it was more than just the luck of the draw.
In fact, he wanted Stan to know it was more than just luck. He needed a way to get Stan’s attention. It was imperative they make contact. If they could work together, it might be possible to avoid the void. There it was again. It was a permanent part of his thoughts now. The void. Almost as though the thought has been planted in his mind.
As Luck Would Have It
Stan is reading another series of reports when a knock sounds at his door. For a split second he thinks of pretending he’s not here. Then he remembers the floor manager knows better. Three minutes after that, he is walking to the casino floor. Apparently something else has happened.
Stan didn’t wait for the floor manager to speak when he opened his office door. Indeed, he just went into the hall, and locked the door behind him. So the floor manager talked, as they walked.
Everyone was winning. On every game. The slots were paying out on the first pull. Every time. In fact, there hasn’t been a single losing hand or missed jackpot in the last two hours. Now the floor manager turns to look at Stan as they walk. He doesn’t have to say it, for Stan to know exactly what he is thinking: Lucky Pockets.
Back to the Easy Eight
He may have over done it. Instead of getting attention, he got the place shut down. He watches the security guards usher people off the casino floor. This is actually the last thing Lucky Pockets wanted. Without the activity in the casino, there was no way to keep other things occupied. Furthermore, Lucky Pockets is exposed now.
Maybe it is a result of his condition, but he can feel a change in the Easy Eight Casino. He watches as the edges of his reality begin to darken. Though he hasn’t felt anything in years, he now feels a coldness creeping its way up his spine. Lucky Pockets has a startling sense of being discovered.
He feels blind panic uncurl itself in his gut. And now, Lucky Pockets watches Stan enter the Casino. And, at precisely the same time, the entity arrives. Lucky Pockets looks for a quick escape, however, it’s too late. He’s been seen.
Thank you for reading! Like, follow and share The Frog Journal on X @1finja1 – and on The Frog Journal Facebook page click here. Subscribe to the free newsletter to stay up to date on new content and updates.
All original stories. Download in seconds, new titles weekly. The Frog Journal e-book shorts.
