The Song of Phaid the Gambler

by Mick Farren

  He swung himself out of the cab of the transport bed. The sky was a deep clear blue. Over in the distance the sea sparkled behind a line of trees. Gulls wheeled in the air, calling out their greed to each other. Small flowers flourished along the side of the paved roadway.

  'Good luck!'

  'Yeah, you too.'

  The transport bed pulled away and Phaid felt the warmth of the sun on his back. He pulled off his coat. He was about to fold it up and carry it, but then he stopped. He held the thing up and looked at it. It was a handsome, if funky, coat, but it hadn't brought him any luck. Suddenly, on an impulse, he swung it around his head, holding it by one arm! He let go and the coat went flying. The breeze caught it and, for a moment, before it fell, it looked like a big, dirty bat. He started stripping off all his cold weather clothes and threw them after the coat. He kept just his boots, his shirt and his breeches. He was going to throw away his hat but then he changed his mind, jammed it down on his head and, tucking his thumbs into the tops of his breeches, he sauntered down a dirt road that led to the shore.

  Three kids were pitching bones on a wooden pier. Phaid stopped to watch them for a while. One of the kids noticed Phaid staring and looked up at him. 'You a traveller?'

  'Yeah.'

  'What you doing here?'

  'Watching you kids gamble, right at this moment.'

  'Why?'

  'I guess you could say I'm kind of a gambling man myself.'

  'You want to play with us, mister gambling man?'

  Phaid laughed and shook his head. 'I don't think so.'

  'Come on, mister gambling man. You scared of us? Is that what it is? Hey, mister gambling man. Is that what it is? You think we too strong for you?'

  The kid's Tharmier moon face split into a smile and his voice became a rhythmic chant.

  'Hey, hey, gambling man, you going to gamble in our game? Hey, hey, mister gambling man. You afraid to play?'

  Phaid grinned and hunkered down on the pier. 'I ain't afraid of you guys.'

  Phaid reached for the bones but the kid who had done all the talking held up a hand to stop him. 'It's a cash game.'

  Phaid threw in his last two tabs. 'It'll do.'

  Phaid made six straight passes. His luck was statistically incredible and he quadrupled his money. He'd probably made enough for his supper. He looked at the kids and shrugged.

  'That's the way it goes sometimes.'

  'You wouldn't cheat on us little kids, would you?'

  Phaid shook his head. 'Hell no.'

  'Are you going to give us our money back?'

  Again Phaid shook his head. 'No.'

  'But we're only kids.'

  'You're big enough to know what the deal is.'

  A pretty girl with olive skin and very straight black hair was walking along the sand. She wore a clinging silk wrap and an exotic flower behind her ear. She smiled at Phaid as she walked by. Phaid stood up and grinned at the kids.

  'Besides, I've something else to do.' He jumped down from the pier and walked off across the sand, following the girl.