Read Mike v2.0 (A Firesetter Short Story) for Free Online

to be waiting here for some time. We ought to make it
good.”
    “Can we play chess?”
    “Chess? You’ve got to be kidding me. You can’t
see a thing.”
    “Mike said I don’t need to. He
said—”
    Steve drew in hoarsely. Even I could hear the
rattling in his chest. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I know all about it.
Alright, partner. Let’s play, but I gotta warn you, I can whoop
your ass.”
    “No, you can’t.” I laughed, “Mike said you
were never very good.”
    “That’s not true.” Steve started rasping, so
much so he sounded as if he was choking on nothing but air. For a
moment, I sat there waiting, holding my breath, willing his lungs
to fill.
    “I got it. I got it.” He inhaled deeply, that
rattling sound more prevalent than before. “Let me fetch the chess
set. You want white or black?” He stumbled to his feet, opening a
cupboard in the wall across the room.
    “Black, I guess.”
    “Yeah, of course. Mike tell you to only play
black?”
    “No.”
    “But, he would. That’s all he ever did
play.”
    “When did you play him?”
    “Ach, you don’t want to know. Trust me, kiddo.
Some things are better left unexplained.”
    As Steve’s fingers moved across the board,
setting the pieces in their rows, I noticed the king sounded
heavier than the queen. The knight had a hollow sound, and the rook
echoed slightly deep inside. The bishop slid almost silently, while
each of the pawns made a tiny tap. I could clearly see them all in
my mind’s eye, and by concentrating, I knew exactly where they
were. Even after I moved them. Even after Steve moved his. Most
amazing of all, I knew where they ought to go.
    “Check,” I proclaimed on my twelfth move,
attacking with my queen, just as the ship’s engines began to hum
again and in a normal tone. The clanging noise had ceased, and we
were moving, the ship sailing as smoothly as a boat slicing through
water.
    “Ach, you got me, Mikey,” Steve declared, his
voice even more weak. “Do me a favor and play the game the same way
when you’re king. Keep everyone around you off guard, and your eyes
closed so you can hear their silent clues.”
    “Okay, Steve.”
    “My father used to tell me that, but of
course, I never listened.”
    “Why not?”
    “Well, it’s a long story, one I don’t want to
go into right now. Listen, partner, the truth is, I’m going to be
leaving you soon.”
    My heart lurched in my chest, as tears formed
in my useless eyes. “Do you have to?”
    “Yeah. It looks like I overstayed my welcome.
But, don’t you worry, little dude. I’ll make sure you’re fixed up
first. Ach, Mikey. Just so you know, you’re my favorite
grandson.”
    “I’m your only grandson, Steve.”
    “That makes it even better.” He wrapped his
arm around my neck. He ruffled my hair with his knuckles, and then
in a rare moment of tenderness, he kissed the top of my head. “You
have hair just like my dad’s, black as night, but with a silvery
sheen. He had the same curls, too. In fact, you take after him in a
lot of ways. Let me tell you the secret to being a good king,
kiddo,” he said, now holding my hands tightly in his. “You remember
this, junior, and you’ll be the Great Emperor v2.0. Otherwise, I’ll
be back to haunt your dreams. Give me your oath that you’ll do as I
say.”
    “Yes, Steve,” I swore, waiting anxiously for
the answer to be revealed.
    “Good. The secret is this, to be a good king,
you must first be a good man. To be a good man, you must be a good
friend.” With that bit of sage advice, he let go of my
hands.
    “Are you going now?” I asked, as he pulled
himself to his feet.
    “Afraid so. The boss is waiting, but don’t
worry. At least, with him, forever isn’t really
forever.”
    I listened as Mike’s soft footsteps climbed
the ladder and joined us in the room.
    “Fix the kid first,” Steve ordered.
    “I’ve already done so,” he replied. “Son, open
your eyes.”
    For a fraction of a second, in a blink of