The Ice of What Came Next

“I spent the battle drunk, myself. You see, that morning my orderly Vanya and I were playing chess beneath a tree. He sat just as you do now. It had been a heated game, but he had carried off a most risky gambit. I was going to have the devil to pay to find my way out of it. I can still see his gray eyes, laughing with triumph at his surprising tactic. His mouth smiled with a remark he was forming in his mind. This moment is, for me, forever frozen, trapped in the ice of what came next.”

 

14 thoughts on “The Ice of What Came Next

  1. Oh, what a cruel cliffhanger! Love the voice of this Russian (?) chessplayer, his friendly game somehow ending in tragedy. The ice is such a classic touch to imply harsh conditions. Very intriguing.

Leave a Reply to jillyfunnell Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.