A Tale Of Extraordinary Dice

Be Careful What You Ask For

Lambeau was at his wit’s end. His money was gone, as was his family. The wife and two children disappeared one day, and no one ever saw them again. No one. Had his greed killed them? Had she killed them, and had the extraordinary dice killed them?

The police wanted to know where his family was. They questioned him for days, torturing him with their many verbal devices, until they gave up, convinced he knew nothing about the curious disappearance of his wife and children.

Lambeau had been a happy man with a family and career he loved. They did things like hiking, traveling and seeing new places. Being together made him happy; his happiest day was when the carnival came to Ballywack.

Every year, the Gumbles from Planet Pelioc brought their show to the little town of Ballywack on Planet Telabelle. It was a short hop by Star Shuttle. There were rides, cotton candy, and snow cones galore. Shooting galleries and noisy arcades lined the midway. They were the same every year, but they were always fun.

Lambeau headed to the little western-styled saloon to have a cold beer or two and maybe even play some Liar’s Poker. He loved to gamble, even though he barely won. The kids ran here and there while their mom sat chatting happily with her friends.

In the meantime, there was a new attraction — a fortune teller. Her name was Grace Pythia, and she occupied the colorful tent just behind the saloon. Signs were posted to show bar patrons where they could get their fortunes told.

Lambeau and his friends were delighted. How fun was this? Their friend and crewmate Polton Marvek went in first. He came out just a few minutes later. His mates couldn’t resist the jibes:

“How was it, dude? Getting married soon? Gonna get laid for the first time ever?” His pals guffawed at their funny jokes.

Marvek laughed good-naturedly and downed a beer before sharing,

“She said I was gonna be a shuttle captain one day.”

At that, everyone laughed. Polton Marvek, a star shuttle captain? That was funny.

He joined in the laughter and said,

“She told me I would have to pay a price in exchange for the captain’s chair. What price could I pay? It was all bullshit, so I don’t care.”

The thought of Marvek, Petty Officer Third Class, as a shuttle captain was indeed amusing. If anyone could blow up an almost impossible-to-blow-up space shuttle, it would be Polton Marvek.

It was Lambeau’s turn to have his fortune read. He pulled back the tent flap and saw an old woman sitting behind an antique table. She smiled, but in a weird way, and gestured for him to sit down.

Mrs. Pythia asked him many questions about his family, particularly his children. She wanted to know if they were all happy. When she asked him what he wanted, he thought for a moment and finally told her he wanted to be a famous gambler.

Smiling again in that curious way, she reached for his hands and held them. She looked deep into his eyes, and for a moment, he was frightened by what he thought he saw. Then, she smiled again and told him he would indeed become a famous gambler. He forgot what he saw behind those black eyes and instead looked forward to her prediction.

She handed him a set of unique-looking dice, telling him they were extraordinary and would bring great luck. As he prepared to leave, she gazed deep into his eyes and uttered a warning:

“If you play these extraordinary dice, you will win everything you dream of but also lose everything you have. Remember that before your first roll of these extraordinary dice.”

Lambeau smiled to himself and turned to walk out, laughing inside at the old lady’s final words. He paused for a moment. Thinking he might ask her what bad things would happen if he used the ‘extraordinary’ dice.

It was then he heard the loud and oddly inviting music. What in the world? He turned slightly to see where it was coming from.

He saw what could only be described as a vast Las Vegas casino ahead of him. There were people everywhere, well-dressed and laughing. A singer that looked like an Earth oldie named Frank Sinatra crooned from the stage.

He spotted his wife and her friends at a blackjack table, sipping on pink-colored cocktails. In front of her were several stacks of gaily-colored chips. She looked so happy, but where were the kids?

“Daddy! Daddy!” His daughter’s familiar cry came from inside what looked like a huge, inactive cotton candy maker. She rode a tiny little rocking horse. His son and several other kids were playing with one of those crane machines, trying to pick up a little stuffed toy.

This huge machine was designated as the ‘nursery.’ Patrons could leave their kids inside the giant cotton candy machine while they gambled worry-free. How curious this all was. How could a casino be here, in little Ballywack, on Planet Tellario? After all, organized gambling was illegal in some of these worlds. Apparently, not on this one.

Before he knew it, he found himself standing at a craps table, preparing to launch the ‘extraordinary dice’ Grace Pythia had given to him. He was the first shooter, and he won again and again and again. He never lost, and the applause never ended. He was wealthy, and everyone slapped him on the back and called him sir. It was adulation, and he thrived on it.

However, all good things had a dark side, and his gambling fortune was no exception. Winning became routine. The glam had worn off. Every day turned into the next, and every day was the same. He said hello to his children in the cotton candy machine and kissed his wife on the cheek as she sat at the blackjack table. Strangers slapped him on the back and called him sir.

He did this every day. Nothing changed. He never won more and never won less.

He hated it. He hated every minute of it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t change his luck. Winning was the only thing he knew. He never played against anyone different. All were the same, with the same cheers and claps each time he rolled those extraordinary dice.

Lambeau wanted to go home. He wanted to take his family and go home. Instead, he threw his dice and won his money. He wanted to pick up his wife and children, board a Star Shuttle, and go home.

Every single day, the same old thing. He was going crazy.

In between rolls, he remembered something Mrs. P. had said: “When you don’t want to win, just turn the dice in.”

That was it. He didn’t want to win anymore; he wanted to go home to Planet Earth. He wanted to be in his little house, watching the screens with his family. He wanted to make love to his wife when the sun went down. He didn’t want to roll the dice anymore.

When it came to his turn at the table, again, he held out the dice to the Boxperson. He said he didn’t want to roll. The Boxperson asked him if he didn’t want to win anymore. He said he did not want to win anymore and wanted to go home.

The Boxperson reached out and scooped up the dice from his outstretched palm. Everything stopped. The music, the chatter, the laughter. The lights went out, and the one-armed bandits were no longer rolling their bars. At the blackjack table, his wife was staring straight ahead, a pink drink in her hand. She had no eyes.

Lambeau screamed and ran to the big cotton candy machine, looking for his beloved children. He stared with shock. A whirl of vibrant colors and sweet scents enveloped the air as the cotton candy machine spun sugar and his children into fluffy, pastel clouds.

It was all gone, everything. Nothing was left. He was fired from his job and lost his family. No one believed him, especially the Galaxy Cops when he told them about the fortune teller. He was determined to return to Ballywack to find Mrs. Grace Pythia.

He still had a little money in the bank and withdrew it to buy a ticket on the next star shuttle to Planet Tellario. Only there could he find the truth.

As the shuttle blasted into space, he realized he had lost everything. There was nothing left. She had taken everything from him. No matter, he would start his life again. But first, he needed to know who or what she was, this fortune teller from hell.

The trip to Tellario took about six hours. As is customary, the shuttle captain would stroll the cabin shortly after takeoff to reassure those who had never been in space that they were in good hands. This trip was no different.

The cockpit door opened, and the captain stepped out. Lambeau thought he recognized him. As he drew closer, he realized who he was looking at. It was Marvek. At that moment, he wished, again, that he had never taken that first roll with those extraordinary dice.

About the Author: Professor Mike is a writer and editor at Medium and other platforms. In his spare time, he teaches at university. He has never met a Midnight Dog. That makes him sad.