A Shot of Luck (1st Place)

Sheriff Kincaid inspected the steely-eyed stranger – black Stetson hat, rugged boots, leather chaps, denim shirt along with a worn, craggy face. A couple of side arms hung from his waist.

Kincaid peered over at the circle of poker regulars. This gunslinger may be no one to challenge with six shooters, but he guessed he may not be as tough testing the odds. Kincaid sauntered to the bar.

“I’ll take a shot of rye in cider and twist of lemon.”

The stranger glanced at Kincaid and scowled, then threw back a shot of whiskey.

“You play poker?” The Sheriff asked.

“Yeah,” The stranger drawled. “I could play a couple.” The stranger sat down and perused his competition. He retrieved a new set of cards from his pocket, broke the seal, then perfectly fanned the cards across the table. “Mind if we play with these?”

Kincaid rocked on his chair and raised his eyebrows. “Guess that’s ok.”

After a few hands, Kincaid found the gunslinger just as adept at cards. One thing Kincaid noticed though, was the stranger kept stroking a rabbit’s foot in his pocket. So, he discreetly pulled a feather out of a passing call girl’s outfit.

“Why don’t we make this a bit more… interesting? My lucky feather says my hand beats yours. If that’s the case, you move on to the next town.”

The stranger seemed rattled, but bit. “Deal ‘em then. Face up. I win, I take the whole pot.”

Incredible as it seemed the cards fell two aces and two eights each. Best last card won. Kincaid’s was dealt first - a five. The stranger smiled. “Lucky feather, huh?”

The last the Sheriff saw of the stranger was his backside through the swinging doors, while a deuce and a rabbit’s foot lay on the table.


299 Words
Flash Story Must contain: feather, seal, circle