Hand of Fate

… And the door shut behind him. As the door locked, Theo realized he had no idea where he was, let alone why he had walked into the room in the first place. Ahead of him was a vacant room, filled only with an empty card table and a handsome young man standing behind it, staring and smiling. 

“Welcome back, Theo, how I’ve missed you,” the man behind the table said with a chuckle as he shuffled a deck of cards.

“Who the fuck are you? Where am I? What the hell is happening?!” As his voice escalated, Theo could feel sweat running down his spine. 

“Now, now, Theo, there’s no need for that. Please come sit. We really must get started,” the man said as he politely gestured to the single chair at the table in front of him. 

Theo found himself calmed by the motion of the man and walked toward the table. Pulling out the chair, he noticed a strange symbol crudely painted in the center of the table in a thick black liquid. 

“Can you please tell me what is happening? Who are you?” 

“Theo, we’ve been over this; you’ve no reason to know my true identity. You may call me Chris if you must call me something, but please understand there will simply be no time for pleasantries.” 

Chris continued to shuffle the deck nonchalantly. As he stood tall and slender, a perfectly tailored suit adorned his long, almost inhuman figure. Eyes devoid of color and any humanity tore daggers through Theo.

The cards in his hand were a disfigured assortment that looked like they had been passed down generation after generation, and Theo swore he could feel something radiating from them. 

“I see you are interested in my cards,” Chris said as he finally set the deck down on the red velvet of the table. “These are my most prized possessions—the Cards of Truth. They were bestowed upon me by … well, that is not important. Just understand these cards are both unique and extremely powerful.”

“They look like a destroyed deck of playing cards; are you insane?” Theo scoffed. 

“These cards hold more power than your feeble mind could possibly understand!” Slamming his fist down, the cards scattered across the table. After his short but violent outburst, Chris grabbed the cards and calmly started shuffling again. 

Theo jumped in his seat, and the sweat felt like a river down his spine now. 

“I apologize for my outburst, Theo,” said Chris with a grin that made Theo more scared than the blowup itself. 

“No, no. It’s okay, I should be the one to apologize for offending you,” Theo said shakily.

“My Theo, your precious ignorance does not offend me. Please, let us move on, shall we?”

Chris continued after a timid nod from Theo. 

“Theo, I want to play a hand of blackjack with you, my friend. But this is no ordinary hand and no ordinary deck. As I said, this deck is extremely powerful. For the winner of the hand will be revealed a unique truth. It may be one they seek, or it may be one of which they have no idea where it applies, but a truth it will be. And Theo, nothing is more precious than the truth. We shall only play one hand for now, my dear Theo. Does that sound fair?”

“What? How is that even possible?” Theo said in disbelief. 

“My son, did you not hear me when I said this deck is very powerful? Let me bestow a truth upon you for free, child. Did you know that a deck of cards can be shuffled in more ways than there are atoms in the observable universe? It is more than 46 billion light-years in any direction from Earth, yet this small stack in my hand holds more potential. We will play a hand that will be unique to us and will reveal a unique truth. Do you understand the gravity of that, my boy? I find myself to be a collector, a collector of valuable information, a collector of the truth. Theo, you are key to that.”

“I… I don’t…”

“Hush now, child, the time has come,” Chris said, interrupting a stammering and stupefied Theo. 

Chris laid one card down in front of Theo and another in front of himself. As the first card was set face up, Theo noticed strange symbols drawn in the center. As he stared into the card, he could have sworn he saw it glimmer. 

“Hit or stay? You have 19,” Chris said to Theo, who was awoken from a daze. 

“St... stay...”

“Solid choice, my boy. Dealer has 8.”

As the man flipped another card over, Theo felt a whisper in his ear. Startled, he turned around. 

“There’s nothing for you there anymore. Dealer has 15,” said Chris, preparing to flip one more card. 

As the card hit the table, Theo’s vision shook, the indecipherable whisper returned, and the runic symbols radiated. 

“Dealer has 21,” Chris let out a breath of ecstasy as his eyes rolled back into his skull; a single tear of blood ran down his cheek. The man grasped the edge of the table so hard, Theo thought he was going to crack it. And just as quickly as the spell washed over Chris, it was gone. He let out a sigh and smiled at Theo. 

“I must thank you for what you have done. My collection grows, and I have you to thank. Please, you can exit.” 

Chris’ left hand gestured toward a door behind him, and Theo stood and staggered to the door. He raised a hand and grasped the doorknob, but before he left, he turned around and looked at Chris.

“See you shortly, my boy,” the man said with a menacing chuckle. 

Theo turned the doorknob, opened the door and stepped across the threshold …