Unlucky or Very Lucky?

The cards were not kind to Sam. He turned twenty one today and his friends thought it would be fun to play Blackjack and drink to celebrate. Over and over the cards came up short, or he went bust and lost. The alcohol was beginning to fog his mind as well.
"Hey guys, I don't feel so well."

"Oh, buck it up, you'll soon hit big, and then we can go party at a decent club." was the unsympathetic reply.

Sam sighed and looked at his hand. It wasn't very promising, he held a ten and a seven. He would have to get another card if he had any chance at all of winning, but his luck hadn't been matching up with the cards.

Sam felt someone whisper in his ear, "Fold, and leave the table. Now"

He looked around in confusion. It wasn't his buddies, for they had been urging him to "go big, or go home". But the voice was compelling, and he wanted to know who it was that spoke to him.

"I'm done with this hand. Besides, I need to use the bathroom." This drew some complaints, but Same threw his cards on the table, picked up the few remaining chips he had, and slid them into his pocket. He walked towards the men's room, still having no idea why. "Maybe I just imagined it", he said to no one in particular. "Might as well use the facilities while I'm at it."

After a few minutes, Sam washed his hands, then splashed water on his face. He looked at his red streaked eyes, and shook his head. "Time to go home. I don't care what my buddies say." Straightening himself, Sam left the men's room. He glanced toward the Blackjack table, and immediately sobered. There was an empty space where there had been a huge table and a crowd of people. It was if the Blackjack area had just vanished. Sam saw no signs of his buddies as he looked around. "What in the heck is going on?"

At his knee, Sam felt a tug of his trousers. He looked down, and again wondered what the heck he had been drinking. A smiling greenish gargoyle(?) looking being looked up at Sam. "I told you to leave, and you listened. What a good boy you are. You can come with me now."

Sam was perplexed, but took the creature's outstretched claw. A swirling mist surrounded them and evaporated them into thin air.

Sam's buddies were still at the table, wondering how long he was going to be in the bathroom.




Word Count: 507




prompt ▼

21 is the name of an ancient card game, with its most modern variant (more commonly known as Blackjack) played in casinos all over the world.

For this prompt, write a STORY or POEM about someone getting lucky while playing Blackjack at a casino table on their 21st birthday. The twist - they do NOT get lucky winning Blackjack, but in some other way.

You must choose Experience as one of your genres. Written for Writer's Cramp for 1/24/23.