SUNGLASSES: Chapter Two
Slowly, Smiley #936 opened his eyes. He was lying down somewhere… on something soft…
"Where am I?" he asked, rolling himself up for a better view.
Around him, three red flags stepped back and bowed. "The Smiley Castle, your Majesty," one replied.
#936 blinked, taken aback by the salutation. "What?"
"You won the game. You got the sunglasses. You're our king now."
He'd won… he'd actually won…
"Uh… you can just call me 'sir'," he said, not too comfortable with anything more.
"Right. They're waiting for you, sir. The Minesweeper wants to start a new game; Intermediate level. You've got to choose who's going to play next," Flag #2579 continued. "Here… you dropped your sunglasses." The flag passed them to #936, and he put them on, head spinning as he tried to take it all in.
He'd actually won… For the first time ever, an Expert level game had been finished…
"This way, sir."
#936 beamed with happiness and bounced out to the control room after the flag. Down below, he saw his fellow Smileys look back up expectantly. And he saw #792 sulking among them, his face one of restrained fury. #936 wondered what it must feel like, to have your powerful position so suddenly taken away from you like that to be made one of the common crowds whose life you used to be able to control.
"#792!" he yelled in triumph. "You're next!"
Down there, #792 scowled and scuffled his round body over to the teleporting pad that transported him to The Room. Once there, he reluctantly wiped his scowl off his face, replacing it with a huge, fake smile.
#936 grinned. He would have his revenge… finally, he could have his revenge…
The Minesweeper started; and Smiley #936 watched with bated breath as one click followed the next, none hitting the mine. Gradually, he began to get worried. What if #792 survived this? After all, it WAS an Intermediate level game…
Click.
And a mine blew up, putting an end to #792.
#936 whooped in joy, bouncing up and down in the control room. The rest of the Smileys celebrated along with him – none had ever liked #792 – and the sound of cheers filled the computer. The Smiley King smiled in satisfaction and closed his eyes, basking in their appreciation of his choice.
That is, until a small but persistent voice brought him out of his reverie. "#936?"
He fell out of his seat, startled. Flag #2579 was there again. "What?"
"They're waiting for you, sir. You've got to choose who's going next."
#936's joy suddenly evaporated as the full force of the flag's words hit, the realisation of what he had to do cutting deep into his heart.
"Next…" was all he managed to say.
The crowd of Smileys looked back up, waiting.
His friends.
Waiting for him to decide who would be next to play. To die. For that was most probably what would happen to any Smiley who entered the formidable tiled room.
"They're waiting, sir."
#936 knew them. All of them; for the Smiley community was a closely-knit one. There was #983 – she drew the teachers up the wall with her weird smiles she did on purpose. There was #1121 – the little kid he'd known only for a week who'd told #936 that he was his hero, and he wished he could smile as well as him. #876 – the lazy one the teachers couldn't stand but the students all liked; never willing to smile on cue, always thinking up new ways to turn the teachers blue, or green, or pink.
His friends.
"Sir…"
A lump started swelling up in #936's throat. But he had to do this… it was his job, after all. Once again, he surveyed the crowd, trying to push aside all his emotions.
The oldest would have to go first, he decided, but even as he did so, memories of that particular Smiley, #528, came up in his mind. #528 had been his tutor… apart from the teachers, she had taught him all he knew.
But she would understand; he had to do this. #936's conscience would not allow him to sacrifice one of the young Smiley kids fresh out of school… they needed time to live, to enjoy life… if it had anything that could be enjoyed.
#936's mouth was dry as he spoke the death sentence. "#528… you're next," he croaked, his voice cracking under the strain.
Their eyes met as she looked up solemnly, seeming to say that she understood.
#936 could only stare back expressionlessly at her, trying hard to hold back the tears he knew were coming as he watched her leave for The Room.
One click.
Two clicks.
Three clicks.
Mine.
"NO!" #936 cried, his voice choked with large, angry sobs that just kept coming, one after the other.
It was futile, he knew. Nothing he could say or do could change anything, especially not the harshness of the truth.
What was it that he had wanted? If #528 had survived, he would have had to give up his sunglasses to her to become once more one of the common folk, awaiting his death along with the rest of them; and she would have had to bear his burden…
"They're waiting, sir," the gently voice of Flag #2579 said.
Lost in the depths of his helpless sorrow, #936 did not reply.
"If you want, we could always use the lottery system," the flag continued. #936 nodded numbly. He had learnt about this in school; and the lottery would help him make the decision he didn't want to make. He couldn't think anymore… they were all going to die and he knew it. It was only a matter of time.
The numbers ran through the screen, visible both upstairs and below as they slowed down to settle on one number…
#1121.
Smiley #936 lifted his head from his desk, watching as the result of the lottery registered on the face of the young Smiley. The latter looked up, the expression on his face one of fear, disappointment and yet – worst of all for #936 – trust. Dimly, the older Smiley recalled their meeting the week before, his heart aching once more at the memory…
"When I grow up, I want to be jus' like you," #1121 had said, beaming up at #936 who had smiled in return at the kid.
"Why?"
"'Cause the teachers all say that you've got the best smile ever, an' I want mine to be that good too," was the reply.
"Well then, all you've got to do is work hard, all right? You'll be out of school next week and then we'll see how good your smile can be."
#1121 had nodded happily at his hero, then bounced off cheerfully to his next class as #936 watched him go.
And now that kid stood waiting for #936 to tell him to go, willing to take on whatever lay in store for him. He stared up, scared yet excited, for this was the real thing; his eyes full of trust as he gave #936 a wan smile.
"They're waiting, sir. All you've got to do is give the word."
All he had to do was give the word… but that was so much easier said than done.
"Why did it have to be #1121?" #936 cried in his mind. Of all the Smileys down there…
But the lottery was final; he could not use it more than once for any one game. And he could not tell another Smiley to go… the lottery was final. He had made his choice to use it, and he had to accept its result.
Flag #2579 stood by the door of the room, the top of his body bent slightly down as he looked away from the king. He understood the dilemma #936 was going through… but he couldn't do a thing to help. It was his job.
"Sir…"
#936 got slowly out of his corner, nodding solemnly. He had made up his mind.
And then, in one swift moment, he turned, bowled over #2579, and rolled out as quickly as he could out the door.
The Minesweeper banged frustrated on the keyboard.
The stupid computer had hung again.
Letylyf: Thanks for reviewing!
-no name-: It's possible to die on the first click if you're playing it on your handphone, but on the computer the earliest you can die is on the second click. And now you know what happened…
MatchmakerOfUpendi: Adorable? 0.0 Okay…
Filthy Paws: For some reason I found your review really funny. And it's #936, not #792. I think you got that part mixed up.
GelliBean: Yup.
Farmer Jen: Read my other stuff! Please! begs
Nintendo-Girl: The point is that I get reviews.
Skippy1: MUAHAHAHAHA! D Ahem. Thanks for reviewing!
AbeoNeco: I find it weird to know that people are drawn to tears by my fic… thanks for your review! I love minesweeper too (obviously).
Paperback Rider: Yeah, they all say that.
Lightbulby: goes off to play Minesweeper too :P
Jkhan: It's possible. nods wisely If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything…
See man: Okay, enough said.
Sg1 fan: What's so sad about it? It's a Minesweeper story…
: You've never beat Minesweeper before? Okay… Poor Pacman.
Phoenix Flower: You should read Mineswept by Aetre; it's really good. Yeah, I hate it too when you can't guess which square it is.
Kar-chan: Dude, thanks for reviewing!
Pajama-Linds: Thanks for your review!
FatedTears: Thanks for reviewing almost all of my stories… as you can tell, I'm really running out of things to say.
The Dark Illustrator: You killed the Smileys? HOW COULD YOU? goes off to play Minesweeper
Strayct: Well, now you know.
Blissey: 'She'? 0.0 Um, never mind. Here's the chapter!
Lil-PrincessK: Thanks for your review! Yup, he lived.
Jose Philipe Mendola: Thanks for reviewing! 'Deep'? You call a Minesweeper fic 'deep'? 0.0
Sarah7777: How did you know he didn't? He did!
Sm: He got the sunglasses. Crap on, dude.
Skippy1 (second review): I still can't believe that people nearly cry when reading this… the fact that I do too is beside the point. Thanks for reviewing!
Liewqi: Yup, he did.