Fiction | Satire
Down With The Dutchess
A Vonderful Güt Game
It’s the night of the new moon, but the glow of torches rise high enough to make up for the lack of moonlight. Pitch forks bounce up and down as the crowd roars with ferocious intensity. Dressed in colonial garb they advance quickly towards a small hovel on the outskirts of town.
"DOWN WITH THE DUTCHESS" the mob chants in unison.
Everyone in town is in attendance, except Viola. Her face vanishes from the window as the curtains are pulled shut. She frantically rearranges her furniture to board up her door. The clang of the pitchforks and the screams of the crowd grow louder by the second.
Viola settles into her seat as she shuffles four decks of cards, each with their own patterned back. Her hands wisp around slapping cards on the table face up in several sets and piles. A picture of an old woman and black cat rattles next to Viola as she works.
Black cats always make her think of her grandma. She’s the one who taught Viola how to play cards.
The horde reaches her doorstep and begins beating on the barricaded entrance. She is unfazed by the chaos outside and remains in a flow state induced by her card game. Wooden frames bend and snap as the pile of antiques crumble.
Viola is yanked from her home and dragged into the center of town where the rest of the townspeople are waiting. They throw her into a seat at a square table. The remaining sides are occupied by three men wearing straw hats and black suspenders over white blouses.
The sea of torches and farm tools engulf the rest of the square. A gibbet with a slipknot dangles and swings behind Viola’s head. A tall man wearing a blue collared shirt with a black hat and vest stands at a podium stroking his beard.
He adjusts his bifocals as he reads from a cream colored pamphlet.
“Hear me, good people of this righteous town! Today, I stand before ye to address a matter of grave concern, one that threatens the very fabric of our pious community. We have uncovered a wretched soul, an abomination that walks among us — the Dutchess!”
The crowd yells towards Viola in disdain and chucks freshly picked vegetables at her head.
“Yes, my brethren, an evil sorceress who consorts with the devil himself. Her presence pollutes our town, corrupts our children, and undermines the sanctity of our God-fearing lives. We must act swiftly and without hesitation to purge this malevolence from our midst!”
He pauses to clear his throat and glances at Viola with contempt.
“This witch, whose God-given name shall not be uttered, has cast her wicked spells upon unsuspecting townsfolk who wish only to play a game cherished by our community. On top of that, She has caused crops to wither, cattle to sicken, and infants to perish. Worst of all, she has made a fool and a mockery of everyone in this sacred town, all while hiding behind her veil of deception and darkness.”
Viola remains in her calm stoic state with a slight smirk on her face.
“We shall present the evidence here and now, for the devil’s mark shall reveal itself in due time. Don’t be deceived by her cunning shuffles and desperate maneuvers. Our resolve is unwavering, and our actions just. Through a fair match against our three best Dutch Blitz® players, we shall bring forth the truth and deliver honest judgment”
The three men and Viola begin shuffling their decks of cards and set up the game.
“John, Jacob, and Jedidiah will face the Dutchess! Her condition to win the game will be doubled! If she wants to win, cheating will be her only recourse!”
The man at the podium says before striking a bell to signify the start of the match.
All four players slam cards into position as they continue drawing from their own piles. This energetic and cutthroat version of solitaire quickly grows out of hand. The audience continues their chant from earlier.
“DOWN WITH THE DUTCHESS! DOWN WITH THE DUTCHESS!”
Viola’s opponents begin to falter as she diligently works at her pile of cards she needs to get rid of. The match has come to an even playing field within moments of starting. Bystanders and the man at the podium watch in astonishment while trying to decode Viola’s suspected schemes and tricks.
Every time John, Jacob, and Jedidiah go to lay a card, Viola is there to place one of her cards before they can. She scans the table of cards without losing grasp of her main objective. Her speed and spirit is unmatched by her opponents
Finally, her last card is played and she suavely glances at the three losers, then the man at the podium. They know exactly what her next words are going to be. She is regularly the only one in town that gets the chance to speak the game-winning word.
“Blitz” she says in a soft innocent tone.
The townspeople erupt into a frenzy when the man at the podium is forced to ring the bell again. They all believe this proves her nefarious gameplay. And not her impeccable skill and prowess.
They bind her hands, place her on a stool, and position the noose around her neck. The crowd cheers in approval. Viola knows she’s innocent but is happy to die for the game she loves most.
A black cat hops onto a railing beyond the crowd. Viola closes her eyes in anticipation for the stool to vanish beneath her feet. The cheers of the crowd become the only sound she can hear.