When twelve-year-old Benny Sheehan discovered the game of chess, he knew he’d met the love of his life.
Benny had been blind since birth. He used his walking stick, keen ears, and ever-nimble hands to navigate this dark, mysterious existence. Usually, his mother or his teachers were there to help guide him along, too. Benny couldn’t quite put words to it, but he had always felt a part of everyone else’s world. He was a pawn being moved around by grownups, by people who knew what was best for him.
It got tiring.
But when Benny’s mother bought him his peg-styled chess board for his eleventh birthday, his life changed forever. Soon after, he was buying books written in braille on chess strategy. He loved studying various openings, effective counterattacks, and defensive maneuvers. The complexity of the game and the sheer challenge of it filled him with joy and with a sense of belonging.
Whenever he sat down to play a match, he felt calm and in control. As far as he was concerned, he held all the power in the world in that flimsy board, those worn pieces. He loved the feel of the smooth-topped pawns, the pointed knights – the powerful rooks.
Later that year, in the spring, Benny walloped the entire middle school at their annual chess tournament. He couldn’t help but throw his hands up into the air.
The children picked him up and placed him on a tall eighth-grade boy’s shoulders.
“Benny, Benny, Benny,” the kids chanted, cheering him on and clapping for his well-deserved victory.
Benny felt a lump in his throat. It felt good to be king for a change.
Thank you so much for reading “King for a Change” — I hope you enjoyed it!
Fifties by the Fire
Next Friday, October 28th, we’ll have our final writing challenge of the month. This time around the prompt will be to use the word haunt (or any form of the word) in a fifty-word story, poem, or work of CNF. Same guidelines as before!
Let’s write some fifties! Looking forward to hanging “by the fire” again. I’ll have the thread posted by 7:00 AM.
Take care and have a great weekend!
Love that his conflict is not being blind, but being moved like a pawn, which leads into learning chess. Brilliant choice!
Hi Justin, just a short comment. I've noticed with a few of your short fiction pieces that when you introduce the protagonist by name you make a point of including first and last name. Is that a conscious choice to help quickly establish their identity?