Authors: Allen Charles
The World Game
The World Game
by
Allen Charles
The World Game
by
Allen Charles
Copyright © 2011 Allen H. Charles
All rights reserved.
Allen Charles may be contacted at
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Earth image in cover art courtesy of NASA.
Cover Art By AUSome Llc. graphic by design gifted to
Allen Charles
Published by Ausome Llc.
6606 Park Heights Ave, Suite 3A
Baltimore MD, 21215 U.S.A.
Available on Amazon.com Kindle Books.
ISBN 978-0-9850518-0-8
Ed: 6-17-12 Under Revision
THE WORLD GAME
Chapter 1
5785 Years ago - somewhere on Planet Earth
The tall, thin figure materialized in the shadow of a fig tree, blending in with the dark and light dappling. It did not move and was invisible to the slender woman who was totally absorbed in touching and examining the fragrant fruit of another tree, scant feet away from the apparition.
The woman had glinting tresses of golden hair and was perfectly formed, as perfect as if she was the only woman in existence. Which on this particular planet, she was.
She suddenly balked and tensed, sensing the presence of something unknown. Feeling eyes upon her. She looked about without fear, just curiosity, scanning past the being and instantly swinging back, the gaze of her brilliant blue eyes fixed upon it.
“Who are you?” Her voice was pleasant and lilting, her smile innocent and enchanting. Her intuition told her that this thing did not belong. “You are not part of this place. Where did you come from?”
The apparition cocked its narrow, scaly head to the side and stared at her silently through tiny, round black eyes that were ringed by vivid yellow circles.
She walked towards it, without hesitation, to examine this new living thing that had presented itself.
It spoke.
“I am Snake.” it whispered, its sibilant tones bringing a shadow of something cold into the air, new in the world and not pleasant. “This place is wonderful,” it hissed, “to whom does all this belong?”
The woman raised her hands and looked about, shaking her head in wonderment. “It must belong to the Creator of all things. I have no knowledge other than this place and of my other who is like me, my man.”
The World Game by Allen Charles
Page
“Who is this Creator?” it asked her.
“Creator made all this and put us here to enjoy all of His work. There is no other reason for us to be here.”
Snake moved his head to the opposite angle. “So you will wander about this garden for eternity, thinking about the Creator, with nothing else to achieve in your existence?”
She shook her head, a little puzzled. “What is better than such an idyll? You too are part of this creation.” It tucked its head under a stubby arm trying to stifle a snigger of disdain. A thought flushed through its mind, “That’s what you think, human!”
It looked up at her, now composed, and asked, “Wouldn’t you like something more in your life? Something to challenge you and give you goals and ultimate satisfaction of success.”
“What do you mean? My man and I have one challenge that our Creator gave us. A simple rule that if followed, allows us satisfaction in all else. We are grateful to our Creator for giving us this existence.”
“And what is this rule?” it sneered at her.
Having never encountered aggression, she was somewhat taken aback, replying “We are instructed not to eat the fruit of one particular tree. In fact not even to touch the tree.” she added, even though the latter comment was her own invention to insulate the real rule from the apparently belligerent Snake.
Snake knew she referred to the Source Tree. His instructions were clear: get one of the humans to violate the Rule. “This is just too easy.” it chuckled to itself. “Lady, why do you think the Creator made this rule?” He paused a moment for effect. “It is because if you absorb the essence of this tree by eating its fruit you will become the equal of the Creator. You will no longer be a prisoner in this garden.”
Snake walked out in the open. “Look here,” and approached the Source Tree. The woman moved closer to see what it was talking about. It moved fast and bumped her while she was off guard and fell towards the tree, grasping the trunk to steady herself.
“See you are touching the tree and nothing has happened to you. Now look closely at the tree and see the small things that are unlike any other tree. These are the things that make the Creator all powerful over this garden - and you! Take the fruit and hold it!”
She hesitantly reach out to a fruit and touched it, then held it. She saw small round, shiny spots in the tree bark, and tiny, sharp silvery wires, where twigs should have been.
“Go on, take the fruit and taste it. You will see what the Creator sees.” hissed Snake.
Chapter 2
In a galaxy far away.
A thought flashed inside an instant galactic neural entertainment network. “Hey! Who put that snake into the scene? No direct interference allowed. Rule breaker!”
A reply bounced back, “I did. I had a wild card I won from the last World Game edition. So there!”
“The Rules say you can’t use a wild card without first announcing. I say you forfeit the wild card and there is a set back to the performers by mind wipe and get rid of the snake.”
“Don’t be a black hole!” the disdainful thought came back. “The wild card rule is that it can be played without warning provided it was won during a Universe’s Got Talent program sector and there is a public posting of use notification within 72 hours after the play.”
“That means you can cheat on the betting, you overblown interstellar gas bag?”
“No need to get antsy with me you comet fart! The wild card player is not allowed to bet until after the 72 hours, just like anybrain else. Anyway, what are you watching? Any tips for a good bet right now?”
There was a sudden influx of attention in the network as audience consciousness throughout the universe strained to eavesdrop on the answer.
“Cain and Abel are looking good for a blow up.”
* * *
1000 years after Game Start.
“Hey! Worm Hole!”
“Watcha want Boiled Brains?”
“Wanna bet on that Og giant hanging onto the back of Noah’s Ark? 5 to 1 he falls off and drowns!”
“You’re on!”
* * *
Around 2000 years after Game Start.
“Are you awake Globular Cluster?”
“You leave my cluster out of this. Go play with your Celestial Pole!”
“Ha ha! Haven’t had one of those for over six Game Editions.”
“So what cooking good-looking?”
“I’m watching a little altercation between some King Nimrod who’s trying to cook some guy Abraham in a furnace.”
“Any odds on it?
“Well... I’m a bit wary on this one. You took me to the cleaners on the Og thing last time and this guy should have been toast by now. Something strange going on and I don’t have any more wild cards in play.”
“So ya wanna bet or not?”
“Aw, OK, but evens! I’ll take that he walks out of the furnace alive.”
“Done!”
* * *
Around 3500 years after Game Start.
“Hey, Quasar Fluctuation?”
“Who you calling a Fluctuator, you Ecliptic Brain?”
“OK! Let’s be nice. I was watching this bunch of descendants of that Abraham fellow we bet on.”
“Oh! I’ve been watching a group called the Chinese and that general area. Have they EVER developed some amazing ways of killing each other. Whatcha got in mind?”
“D’ya think this World will go anywhere the same as the last six World Game Editions?
“Depends on the Talent segment at the end. Who are the Judges for this one?”
“Don’t know yet. Too early to guess.”
“Well I want some excitement; a really good bet. Haven’t had anything since our Abraham wager.”
“Anything happening with the Chinese?”
“Nah. Just the usual slaughter when they’re not farming for survival. How about your lot?”
“Now that you ask...”
“If you had any hands you’d be rubbing them together and grinning with the face you don’t have either. Right?”
“Maybe...”
“So the odds on this one had better be really stacked my way or no bet.”
“Don’t wet your brain pan. How’s 5 to 1 sound?”
“It sounds like 10 to 1 to me.”
“OK. But I am taking the Abraham descendants. You get the Egyptians.”
“Agreed!”
* * *
Around 4000 years after Game Start.
“Are we betting on this one?”
“Naw! We know how many people a hungry lion can eat. This lot has been overfed.”
“Oh brain! I thought the Chinese had it down for killing people. These Romans take the prize.”
“Quick, tune in to the main arena in Rome. Something is happening there. Bets! Now! Quick! What’s the Emperor going to do. he’s run out of prisoners and gladiators and there’s nothing to feed the lions! The crowd is getting restless.”
“Ten thousand credits he throws the first rows of citizens into the arena!”
“Are you nuts? His own people?”
“20 to 1 odds!”
“That’s 200,000 credits if you lose. Have you got that much?”
“Course I have. Been betting against you for how many Games now?”
“Middle finger if I had one! Deal!”
* * *
Around 5000 years after Game Start.
“Hey Naked Singularity!”
“Watcha want ya Maclaurin Spheroid?”
“I wanna win back the ten thousand credits.”
“Keep dreaming you Main Sequence Turn Off.”
“Good thing you’re just a brain or I’d show you Turn Off!”
“So hit me with your latest losing bet!”
“I’m watching the Crusaders fighting the Saracens for Jerusalem. The last few Games the crusaders won. I’m betting on the Saracens for this time. Interested.”
“Let me have a quick look at the performance. Wait a mo!”
* * *
5794 after Game Start. Year 2034 by Earth count.
“Network announcement! Attention all subscribers!”
The neural network went from a busy rumble to an eerie silence as everybrainy turned attention to the broadcast.
“General Edition World Game access in now suspended and Universe’s Got Talent Seventh Edition has commenced. Our judges will be announced momentarily...”
The network broke out into a palpable, excited hum.