There's a Portal on your Lawn
Steven Miller
Chapter 1
Crazy Dave was sitting on his lawn when the zombies came. He quickly grabbed some seeds and his nuclear generator. He set up rows of sunflowers, peashooters, and other plants that wouldn't be edible. The plants grew automatically. No one knew whether they grew because they were magic, or if was just the high levels of radiation. Crazy Dave put on his favorite frying pan (he had a large collection) and watched as the zombies came. Some had buckets, some had cones, and some had only one arm. Some zombies had screen doors and some danced. As the zombies came, a portal opened on the ground.
"Ace of fours!" Wheatly yelled victoriously.
It was late at night and the cores were having their daily poker game.
"Playing cards are said to be invented in China during the Tang Dynasty," the fact core said. "The first card game was invented the next year, right after everyone began to be very bored of the blank cards."
"Going to space," said the space core.
"Well," said Wheatly, "How about another hand? Yes, I am lucky today."
"I hate to scare you," said the adventure core, "but I'm an adventurer."
"In the 1820's sailors invented a game similar to poker," said the fact core, "It has also been said that the sailors at the time ended up very poor."
"Well," said Wheatly, "let's play." The tablets in front of them glowed. The center tablets showed stats, money, and other cards.
Crazy Dave landed in a seat. "Deal me in," he said.
Crazy Dave got a two and four. "I have nothing," he said after a while, "I'm all in."
"Why are you all in with nothing?" asked Wheatly.
"Because I'm crazy!"
"Well," said Wheatly, "I go all in too."
"That's funny," said the adventurer core, "me too. I have two aces in my hand, two on the table. I win."
"Well," said Wheatly, "I still have all the cards, and guess what- they're all full houses."
"That's awfully nice," said the adventure core, "I'll take the reward now."
Then a note fell onto the table.
Hello, wez no zombys
We r nic peeple frm acros street
Sined the zombys the nce peepl acros the stret
"Well," said Wheatly, "they sound nice. We'll leave the portal open for them."
