What Happened?

Okay, so when I started my blog, I wanted it to be a website committed to writing, inspiration and books... clearly all that changed. Now, I think I'll make a little detour and post a short story I've been working on for a writing contest...


It was a dull grey and rainy afternoon, when a cloaked figure stepped out of a nearby telephone box and swept across the wide, glistening boulevard. The tall man disappeared into a local game room, with a flashy red sign that read,
THE CITY PLACE
Gambling rooms & Bar

The door’s bell sounded the arrival of a customer, despite the fact the door had stated that THE CITY PLACE was closed for business at the late hour.
“Who’s there?!” a grumpy, slurred voice croaked from behind a red door that was labeled,
PRIVATE ROOMS
“It’s just me, no one dangerous” a voice said, it came from the mouth of the man in the cloak. He had a black fedora hat pulled low over his glinting, blue eyes, and an ever present smirk that revealed a long, ugly scar running from his heavy brow to the left corner of his lips.
“Who are you?” the gambler called.
“A customer, a rich one” replied the man in the fedora. He shouldered his way through the door and slid onto the cushioned bench next to the gambler.
“Listen carefully, I need you to reserve an entire three card rooms, and one of these lovely spring nights for me…” he said in a hoarse whisper.
“But…. Who are you?” the greasy gambler asked once more, clutching a thick stack of bills to his chest with one, pudgy hand and with the other, gathering up poker chips…
“Doesn’t matter. You’re a smart man to ask, before answering… but then again your life is a tricky business… lots of cheats and liars.” The man in the fedora said, his ugly smile widened.
“But we can swap stories another time; Now, I have business to do with you. I want to throw a big party, an instant success that everyone will come to…”
“Throwing parties of the size you are suggesting is a dangerous and costly business Mister” the gambler replied sagely.
“Ah, yes, well… I need it to be like the one I have described to achieve the-… never mind,” the man shook his head and took a swig out of a nearby whisky bottle.
“What about a budget, list of guests, food preference and if you want everyone to come to this…party of yours you’re going to need flyers to paste around town…?” the gambler listed and threw his wad of money on the table to emphasize his point.
“Ah yes… I’ll send you the wanted guests and the date for the party, shall we start the budget at… twenty-thousand?” The greasy gambler raised his eyebrows as the shady character pulled out an expensive looking wallet. He wasn’t sure he liked the way he’d said, “Wanted guests”, but shaking those fanciful thoughts away, he listened to the man’s proposal.
“Bigger is better, as they say…” the man said as he stood.
“Give me an estimate of how much that money would cover and a secure date by tomorrow… Chestnut Avenue, the Telephone box?”
The gambler picked up a stack of cards and shuffled them absentmindedly. He obviously had banished all thoughts of suspicion as the cloaked man had presented him with some unexpected business.
“And what about the host for the night?” He said at length; the man in the fedora had moved toward the door.
“Oh, that’ll be me” the man replied, he was already halfway hidden behind the red door.
“Very well…” the gambler laid his cards down and resumed counting his day’s earnings. After he’d heard the door bell chime that the stranger had left, the gambler just happened to notice his whiskey bottle was gone…


It's a bit... dark? but hey, i got my main inspiration in the car!